by Russ Cowper
I love football, I love MCFC and love football. I am politically aware, love football and most of all love MCFC.
At the moment MCFC are cast in the role of super-villain while a veritable plethora of journalistic caped crusaders seek to bring the errant MCFC to their own idea of self-served justice by whatever means their superhero journalist utility belts possess.
Rawls argued that human beings have a “sense of justice”, we begin with “considered judgements” and proceed to adjust our beliefs until they are in equilibrium. This reflective equilibrium is not static: it will change as a person considers the issues and explores the consequences of his principles and morality. I would argue that the current assault on MCFC and its fans by these journalistic caped crusaders is an attempt to influence the core beliefs, morality and principles of ordinary dyed-in-the-wool football fans in such a way it has ended up with the demonization of the fans by themselves.
It feels as though the journalistic Batman figures of this world are intent on forcing this change so that it reflects on MCFC whilst simultaneously distracting from the established hegemony. Of course I would not expect any of these caped crusaders to admit to this as it be an example of their own personal reflective equilibrium changing as they portray themselves as the moral arbiters which would be tantamount to admitting they have ignored their own built moral compass in the chase for hits and clicks.
Sadly in my opinion, these self-portrayed superheroes of moral compunction have used their positions to harangue normal working class lads and lasses whose lives revolve around a football team and not the geo-political situation in Yemen or the indiscriminate jailing of a British citizen in a UAE prison. Under this barrage of accusations many City fans have taken to defending their club; it’s what you do, it’s your family and you defend your families honour to your dying breath with every fibre of your being. This sadly has only increased the ferocity of the attacks on City fans aided and abetted by celebrity loud mouths on national television who show hitherto unseen levels of hypocrisy as they fan the flames of an already toxic debate. They are nothing more than “useful idiots” to those in the media who seek to further whatever particular agenda they are promoting. We are becoming enveloped into a culture of scapegoating and blame, there has to be blame as nowadays no story is complete without a large dollop of finger wagging accusation from people claiming the moral high ground.
Regrettably what these journalistic Batman are doing is appropriating blame onto the blameless, the fans who are easy targets; the man who wants to take his son watch his hero Kun Aguero. Sadly this blame has consequences, it takes away from the devastating effects of the war in Yemen and drops it firmly on Bob and his son Brians’ lap for having the temerity to watch a football club that Bob’s grandfather introduced him too when the Ottoman empire dominated the Arabian peninsula. Blaming Bob and his son for the ills of a nation distracts from the real story. It belittles the effects of conflict and narrows it down in such a way the war becomes irrelevant, Bob becomes the story not the starving people of Yemen. This is despicable in my view and I support the reporting of human rights abuses and commend those who do so. I, however don’t blame Bob; it’s not his fault. He just wants to go to the match.
