That’s life
The vuvuzela is more than just a funny word that seems to make my daughter laugh every time I say it. (Of course, it could be the way in which I say it, which is more like a throaty yell while I grin from ear to ear, but the sound of the word itself is still enough to elicit a big smile even if I should decide say it in a whisper.) It is also much more than a random something I keep telling my son he reminds me of. (Example: “You are such a vuvuzela.” Not a compliment, but try it for yourself.)
The vuvuzela is the long horn blown by thousands of crazy fans during the World Cup soccer matches presently taking place in South Africa. It makes a horrific noise that makes you think the match is being attacked by a swarm of bees (or gnats, as one reporter said, though I do not know the difference between the sounds made by gnats and bees.) It is actually a deafening and quite annoying sound meant to distract members of the opposing team, yet it also bugs (no pun intended) millions around the world as they tune in to watch the World Cup; watching on mute just doesn’t cut it. The horns are blown throughout the game, leaving viewers and fans with a palpable, Hitchcockian fear of insects invading our air space.
The vuvuzela is now at the center of a worldwide discussion, as a call to ban the noisy horns from matches has been requested by broadcasters, players and virtually anyone else who has been subject to that racket, with the exception of those who are blowing them. The first time I put on a soccer match, I thought there was something wrong with my TV. In the old days, I would have played with the rabbit ears and dials in an attempt to tune in clearer reception, but those days are over and so I simply changed channels to determine if maybe ESPN was experiencing some technical difficulties. And it seems as if they are, but the problem is out of their control: That is, unless they want to take on thousands of hyperactive soccer fans who insist on exercising their vuvuzela rights.
Morning show hosts have even weighed in on the subject, one commenting that a ban could be seen as a colonialist move meant to bring down an indigenous people to whom the horns are attributed. Seriously? Are we really worried that banning something so annoying could be read into so deeply? Do we not have anything more important to discuss? If in fact you do not have anything else to talk about, then please allow me to suggest a topic: ‘The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire. Discuss.’ (Thank you, Linda Richmond.)
The vuvuzela debate even prompted an official statement from the president of FIFA, Joseph Blatter, who defended the use of the horn and declared that a ban would not be imposed. “Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?” he said. Well, honestly Mr. Blatter, the answer is yes: I would want it banned. I even found the Tomahawk Chop of the Cleveland Indians seriously irritating despite it being a fan tradition that did not take place during the entire game. And yes, I am also one of those people who hopes that the ba’al koreh for Megilat Esther skips over a number of the ‘hamans’ because groggers make me nuts.
A professor I had in graduate school said that women read romance novels to take them to a fantasy life they themselves did not live, but which made them dream as if they could. People also go to the movies and to the theater to escape the lives they live, even for a few moments, because we all need a break from reality some time. The same thing can be true for sporting events. Just for a short time, it is nice to be distracted from the craziness of everyday life, surrounded by a beautiful green field and in the company of others who feel as passionately as you do. So it might be annoying and I may have to watch the World Cup without sound, but long live the vuvuzela. If for no other reason than we have other things to worry about.
MLW
