I feel that I've replied to you a couple times in the last week, and it's probably because you're a poster where I've always valued your posts and I think you have a good insight on things, and you're a talented guy. And I have no idea how the same person can come out with the bolded
Regarding the bolded, I've been told my national identity is solely based on my country's relationship. to England, that there is no culture, no traditions, without England. That my country is only an extension of England, that we are bitter because England is a superior country. We are England B.
I have seen Irish fans told to get over their anger at the British empire, I have seen Indian fans asked how they personally have been affected by the British empire and why are they complaining (in a thread discussing colonialism) I have seen justifications for a Danish dad being physically attacked in front of his kid. Why Southgate was smart to bring in world war 2 to the discussion after beating Germany, I have seen German posters called Krauts (albeit hilariously misspelt) in this very fecking thread!
If you genuinely believe the bolded then I hope you've just not been very active the past couple weeks and you're not just ignoring what's been posted recently (that is of course the stuff not aimed at England)
In fairness I haven’t been on that much, and hadn’t seen any of that shit, which is deplorable and embarrassing, so if that’s the case, fair cop… but by the same token I hope you can also understand why having just got back from a gutting defeat, which I attended with my 73 year old dad, whose recovering from a stroke, and almost certainly the last tournament I’ll attend with him after nearly 20 years of doing so, and absolutely heartbroken at missing the only chance we’ll get to see us win something together, I was in a pretty emotional state, and logging on to see how I’m scum and deserve to feel shit because of a plethora of reasons ranging from reasonable to not, was a bit affecting… yeah, it probably did “rattle” me, to be perfectly honest.
It’s all very well saying “well we weren’t talking about YOU” but… you kind of are. I am one of those fans, and it’s a fairly weird position sometimes being a left wing England fan who largely agrees with our villainous status in the world, as we’re just kind of expected to never take any joy from anything … you have to be perpetually self deprecating otherwise you’re arrogant, any kind of normal football fan behaviour is suddenly
unforgivable hubris, and you can’t even enjoy your stupid little self depreciating song because we’ve decided it’s actually also arrogant, even if it isn’t, because we feel that way so you have to accept that (an attitude that would be an amazingly affective ironic ‘bit’ about the attitude of a lot of English people to foreign things they don’t get - if I didn’t feel it was absolutely not that at all, and just doubling down)….and that’s the reasonable stuff.
Look, 85% of this thread is fine, I’m fine with banter and memes and shit…but there’s obviously stuff in here that isn’t that, which is apparently completely excusable because England fans have also been pricks…. You’re well within your rights to enjoy a laugh at our expense, and if you feel a genuine spite towards English people is warranted in return for stuff you’ve received (or historical animosity) than fair play… but I hope you’ll allow me the same agency to feel there are some posters I now consider to be pricks, by the same token?
The reality is glaring at you, ladies and gents.
