Madness and Order

Honestly, I could not care less about hooligans in Britain. Until now. The book started violently, yes. It was sort of striking and all, but I could not find it interesting. It is now that I start realizing how rare it is to get involved in that world. Normally reports are made about indigenous people or exotic habitats. But, who would like to get involved with the hooligans?

Bill Buford

I lied. Now, I think you are winning the bet. Well, not entirely. Actually I just understood that it isn´t about two worlds colliding in Britain (look at my previous entry) but about Buford understanding their behavior. I also realized that the reader is the author. We have the same level of judgment as the author - for most of us, assuming that the audience would be people with little experience regarding this topic - . We discover the same things at the same time he does. 

Things got real when the Italians came along. What was that anyways? If you are surrounded by certain environment, you yourself change and adapt to that environment. For example, if thugs are constantly surrounded by themselves, they will obviously increase their aggressiveness. Because it is always a game about overpassing the opponent´s aggressiveness. 

The author puts himself as a third-party-observer and we can tell by how he says things that he thinks that some things the thugs do are simply wrong. The things they do are just to feel like they are real thugs and show their manliness. Even if they have lived in that environment their whole lives, they can differ from right and wong. They are conscious about the things that they do, and the fact that they need to settle down.

I mean, poor bus driver. Give him a break. JEEZ. 

Peace and love. 

Madness Vs. Ordinary

How do we know he is telling the truth?


The truth is what seems to be credible. Even if it happened or not.

That's why it isn't necessary to trust Buford, but it is certainly better.

Whatevs, seems pretty credible to me.

ANYWHO, yes, I think I am going to win the bet. He has already started demonstrating certain changed behavior. For example, the attitude he had toward Mr. Wicks - the British Consul who from Buford and the reader's point of view is the bad guy - was very sarcastic and satiric. He came to take away from the people Buford was studying, which already demonstrates attachment.

Or also when he makes fun of Bobby Boss, a character who can't be referred by his real name, by saying that his agency is the "Bobby Boss Agency."

Let's get certain things straight. In this book it is clear that there are two sides, and we are being persuaded to take one. There's the big, company/governmental side that wants to impose order in these soccer games. And the hooligans side which leans toward passion and madness for something they live for, something they can rely on and gives them a sense of home and nationality. See that? I just leaned or made you lean towards the thug side. Just like Buford.

So basically it's these people

versus these people

I wouldn't know who is madder to me...

Among Among the Thugs

My little cousin asked me what the word thug meant. I didn't know how to answer it knowing that his parents have protected him from everything that isn't perfect. My concept about "thugs" was very different before begin reading Among the Thugs by Bill Buford. It shows thugs form another point of view, and honestly, a more crude and realistic one. We have a clear misconception about them. Trends in twitter like "rollin' in dough #thuglife" aren't what the "thug life" is really about. 

Just by the title, we can tell that the author obviously gets involved in the thug life. And...when have we ever seen an author/director making a chronicle/documentary about something and remaining the same person? Yeah. This shall be interesting.

It's always the same: author is an outsider about topic but wants to dig information because he is interested and wants to look as a good journalist and ends up adapting to the way of life in which his point of investigation lives. And he effectively does become a good journalist. The thing with Among the Thugs is that Bill Buford incorporates himself and it gives us a perspective from someone that has the same experience as us regarding the topic: none. 

 

Let's bet. I say the story unfolds the way I said it will. (He begins as a complete outsider and thinks that hooligans are grotesque but ends changing his behavior and understanding their way of life, even picking up certain habits). You say it doesn't unfold that way.  

Done. Let's see who wins.

Rhetoric In Teens

In greek mythology, women were sent to the world as form of punishment for what an immortal had done. Through history this conception of women developed strangely, creating a lot of sexism and controversy regarding this topic.

In Don Juan, the CNG High School Play adaptation of Moliere's original play, this topic was boarded. It was demonstrated through comedy but there were clear innuendos about how sexism lives strongly in our society. It started with a song that talked about women's power and ended with "this is a man's world." 

Ethics played a big part in it too, since it questioned who determines good or bad and if we go to hell or not because of the way we choose to live. In this case, Don Juan is sent to hell and eaten by zombies, which means that it is talking a Catholic point of view. Through irony it was trying to depict the fact that it is not okay for men to predominate since it is not a fact that they are better than women. Also, it is not okay for this world to be a man's one but we have to face the fact that it is.

The good thing, though, is it was funny. So everyone could at least understand that part.