I never, ever, ever buy The Independent newspaper and my recent article regarding their coverage of the EU Treaty may help to explain why. Today, Mrs NotaSheep came home with a copy of the Independent because she had been told they had an article "The beginner's guide to rugby" and she wants to understand more when we watch the final tonight, ah bless. So I went through the beginners guide with her and came across this delightful paragraph headed "The England fans"
"Of the large contingent supporting England in the Stade de France this evening, a fair old number will be middle-aged men wearing Barbour jackets and brown brogues, with wives called Lucy at home in Berkshire. This is a lazy and yet irresistible generalisation, and like many generalisations, pretty much true. The "rugger bugger", as the average rugby union enthusiast is styled, is a hearty, pink-cheeked type of fellow who enjoys drinking vast quantities of beer of a weekend. He is greatly enamoured of the English fans' anthem "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". It is ironic as the anthem is a negro spiritual – some of those who sing it the loudest are not known for being paragons of social and racial enlightenment. The journalist Philip Toynbee once remarked that a bomb under the West Stand at Twickenham, the England team's home ground, would set back the cause of British Facism by 50 years."
Lovely piece of stereotyping there, I'd forgotten how much the Independent likes to stereotype.
Then I looked at the front page and there was another piece of Independent "cleverness":
"For a country obsessed by sport which has recently undergone a major political transformation, this evening's match represents an opportunity to forget troubles back home. Its team does not accurately reflect the ethnic make-up of the nation. The sport is dominated by a white, moneyed elite. Its towns and cities are plagued by the curse of gangs and gun crime. Its politicians are at a loss over how to deal with Robert Mugabe. Its current political leader lives in the shadow of his famous predecessor who changed the perception of his country around the world. The nation is one of the most racially diverse in the world, but integration remains a problem. The song its fans love to sing is a hymn to the historic struggle of the black man. But, for a night, this beleaguered people will leave all those cares behind And rely on their sporting heroes for consolation. Come on England!"
Oh very clever Independent, I see what you did there.
The Independent, independent only from intelligent thought.
The Independent will not make its way across our doorstep again, but since it is in the house I shall see what other delights it contains - I shall report back...
well, I noticed 2 black guys out of a squad of 20(ish). Is that so far out, or should we be encouraging an Islamic Jonny Wilkinson?
ReplyDeleteBut it is yet another example of the Independent-person's desire to control and manipulate.