If 20 years ago someone had told me how obsessed with race our world would be in 2018 I would have rejected to believe it, but sadly, part of this world is as obsessed with race and ancestry now as it was in the worst times of history. One could think that it's just the fault of the White far-right (Russia, Eastern Europe, Trump, and their satellites in Western Europe), but "Blacks", "Latinos" and the far-left have contributed to this mess in equal doses.
The kind of comments that have been stir up by the victory of the French football team in the World Cup are sickening. It's not just the Far-Right who considers the French team an "African team", but also African and Afro-American "personalities", or the Nicolas Maduro idiot. So some of the African people that complain about racism are as obsessed with race and ancestry as any of the very white "official racists". So for these people a Human being is not free to decide to what society he wants to belong, it's just his skin color or the birth place of his ancestors who determines that, that's all, the individual has no rights, it's only the "race", who has rights... This is revolting.
For the most part I don't give a shit about football, and I have little idea of the feelings of identity of the players of African descent in the French team. Maybe some of them love France with all their heart, maybe others are anarchists and don't care about nations, and yes, unfortunately it could happen that some of them is an "anticolonial racaille" that identifies himself with the country of his ancestors (from which they fled due to poverty) rather than with the country that has provided him with food and education... I honestly don't know, and hence I apply my general rule, if you are born and/or have lived most of your life in one country, and you give no signs of disrespecting that country, you are a citizen of that country, regardless of your physical traits or those of your ancestors. That's quite simple.
Additionally, these "African nationalists" that want to appropriate the victory of the French team based on race and ancestry are missing a huge point. Would these guys have become good players if they had lived in Africa, rather than in France, with the Western welfare state and being trained by French (of whatever color) trainers?
Hopefully, all this crap has brought up some excellent reactions. Benjamin Mendy, from the French football team, came across a stupid tweet from some sport magazine that associated to different players the flag of their alleged "country of origin", he fixed it by assigning the French flag to all of them.
The (born and raised) French Basketball player (born to a Cameroonian father) Nicolas Batum went even further (sorry for my bad translation).
Sorry for my language, but those that say "Bravo Africa for your victory", go fuck yourself!. I proudly wear the blue t-shirt with "France" written on it, I've won several trophies and medals with the French team since I was 15, I sing La Marseillaise, when I am in the USA I cry high and strong that I am French. Then, yes, I have a Cameroonian father and a Cameroonian name, but we all have fought and played for France because we have been born here, we have grown here, we have learnt our sport here, we are proud of having the French nationality. We have won for France, for the French youth that looks at us and aspire to do the same and bear high the French colors. Let's be proud of that. Vive la république et vive la France!
When one sees this growing and deviated obsession with race, the move from the French National Assembly to remove the word race from the French constitution seems particularly appropriate.
No comments:
Post a Comment