Very interesting. The author raises some important points, and highlights a few paradoxes that are worth thinking about.
Is it good or bad that so much emotion went into that match?
I myself, being 51 years of age, see younger people being almost frighteningly emotional about a mere game of soccer. But that is my perception. I need to remind myself that someone aged 20 nowadays may not even have grandparents anymore that can relate stories on their experience of the War.
Whereas my own mom and dad, both luckily still alive, were children during wartime. They know what hearing bomber planes is, what being relocated to an entirely different part of the country is (because the Nazi’s confiscated their parental homes), and what hunger is - they were obliged to eat tulip ‘balls’ (sorry, don’t know the word for the onion-shaped thing here...), because there was no real food at all. The word ‘hongerwinter’ still installs fearful memories in many, many old Dutch folks.
I think the behaviour and feelings of young soccer fans reflects their (relative) lack of direct experience with a real war.
Is that good? Well, bad it ain’t, because you don’t wish war on anyone innocent, of course.
Moot point.
Good post. The word you’re looking for is Tulip bulbs.
Well said and a very good analogy. Lack of experience in worldly matters indeed contributing to an excess of zeal misplaced.