South Africa ponders vuvuzela ban

[661-Pete]

Another point. I happened to be shopping in Brighton on Saturday, and there were hordes of fans milling around the streets and the station, many blowing rowdily on vuvuzelas. But at least one youth seemed to have got hold of an AirZound or something like it - different note and a helluva a lot louder! He certainly didn't appear to have anything to do with cycling! Now if the fans in SA get hold of AirZounds and take them into the stadium!?

(how long does the reservoir last?)

 

[Wigsie]

I can see it now!

Dear Chief World Cup organiser,

I would very much like to call for the banning of all your cultural instruments at football games as we are finding that it is not as enjoyable to watch the TV coverage here in the UK.

I would now hope that you will confiscate all of these vuvuzela's from locals and ban any local businessmen from trying to make some money from the World Cup and seeling them to supporters.

Kind Regards,

The English

 

[Debian]

I can see it now!

Dear Chief World Cup organiser,

I would very much like to call for the banning of all your cultural instruments at football games as we are finding that it is not as enjoyable to watch the TV coverage here in the UK.

I would now hope that you will confiscate all of these vuvuzela's from locals and ban any local businessmen from trying to make some money from the World Cup and seeling them to supporters.

Kind Regards,

The English

Nothing "cultural" about it whatsoever!

They've been used in SA football for around ten years, prior to that it was just the singing and dancing that Africa is so rightfully famous for.

The vuvuzela craze came about because a religious group used them to announce the call to prayer and it then became known that, allegedly the sound of a vuvuzela killed baboons , anyway... the footie fans got to hear about this and decided that the sound would also "kill" their "enemies" - the opposing team - hence the constant blowing of them to kill off the other team. If something similar were to be the case in the UK it would probably raise a storm of protest about religious hatred or something.

So, you see it's not cultural and traditionally has nothing to do with football. It's a fantasy hate tool.

Added to which, as the players clearly cannot hear one another over the din - as evidenced by the shot of the Ghana goalkeeper screaming at his clearly oblivious defenders in the wall - this will change games, goals will be scored purely because some player couldn't hear another player and that can't be right.

Finally, the noise has been measured on the pitch at over 130 dB which is louder than a jet engine. This is a health hazard in it's own right.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

That's right AFAIK, Debian; I'm afraid the well-meaning cultural relativist arguments here are mistaken. And it's not just 'the English' who are complaining, it's everyone else all over the world, including other African nations.

 

[Wigsie]

Nothing "cultural" about it whatsoever!

They've been used in SA football for around ten years, prior to that it was just the singing and dancing that Africa is so rightfully famous for.

The vuvuzela craze came about because a religious group used them to announce the call to prayer and it then became known that, allegedly the sound of a vuvuzela killed baboons , anyway... the footie fans got to hear about this and decided that the sound would also "kill" their "enemies" - the opposing team - hence the constant blowing of them to kill off the other team. If something similar were to be the case in the UK it would probably raise a storm of protest about religious hatred or something.

So, you see it's not cultural and traditionally has nothing to do with football. It's a fantasy hate tool.

a fantasy hate tool? in some opinions the bible is a fantasy hate tool!! (possibly a different thread all together).

Just because its not been born out of some romanticised story of struggling Africans and slavery does not mean its not cultural.

It's used in SA week in week out at SA football games, so when you hold a World Cup in SA you can't say no don't do it the Europeans don't like it!

 

[darkstar]

Wigsie, i'm sorry but the suggestion that the vuvuzela is a cultural item in South Africa is hilarious. The country is rich and fantastically diverse, it;s history is amazing. These plastic horns are not part of their culture.

 

[marinyork]

It's used in SA week in week out at SA football games, so when you hold a World Cup in SA you can't say no don't do it the Europeans don't like it!

If the people actually behaved themselves a little then throwing out these cultural arguments or not they would probably get a better reception. The best solution would probably be to ban them from being brought into the stadium and then hand out a certain number free to try and limit the noise to noisy but more acceptable levels.

The BBC already theoretically has a solution, they could use the red button and put another audio option with commentary and record some ambient background noise from some other game similar to what they do for other football games anyway. Unfortunately this means worse picture quality for a lot of people. Except the red button may come under a lot of strain from tennis.

 

[Debian]

a fantasy hate tool? in some opinions the bible is a fantasy hate tool!! (possibly a different thread all together).

Just because its not been born out of some romanticised story of struggling Africans and slavery does not mean its not cultural.

It's used in SA week in week out at SA football games, so when you hold a World Cup in SA you can't say no don't do it the Europeans don't like it!

Don't write such nonsense.

Just because it's used at SA games week in week out doesn't make it right, the complaints are generated because a) the volume is a health hazard, the players can't hear each other on the pitch and c) it destroys the atmosphere at the games.

Being a good host implies politeness to ones guests and, if necessary deferring to some extent to your guest's needs and wishes. Use them at SA games by all means, use them at all games INTERMITTENTLY if you must but don't use them all the sodding time. Oh, and maybe learn to actually play a tune on them!

 

[Debian]

If the people actually behaved themselves a little then throwing out these cultural arguments or not they would probably get a better reception. The best solution would probably be to ban them from being brought into the stadium and then hand out a certain number free to try and limit the noise to noisy but more acceptable levels.

.

+1

And, as I just wrote, perhaps if they actually played something tuneful? Africa is known for it's melodic singing and good dancing not this tuneless dirge - it's akin to hooliganism in my opinion.

 

[4F]

To be honest I am getting used to it now and not really bothered one way or the other.

 

[661-Pete]

... all your cultural instruments ...

Yeah ... like all that 'cultural heritage' we have back here in England - Halloween for example. Very cultural, Halloween is, all that Harry Potter merchandising, all those plastic masks and plastic spiders and plastic ghosts...! A straight and cynical USA merchandising import, that one: when I was a kid (1960s and earlier) no-one in England had ever heard of halloween, there was some observing in Scotland but in England the only big autumn event was Guy Fawkes.

So: if I'd been a ruthless cynical entrepreneur down in newly-awakening post-apartheid SA some 10-15 years ago, you bet I'd have pounced on a merchandising opportunity.

We all know of some genuine cultural African instruments. This - thing - isn't among them.

 

[Wigsie]

Don't write such nonsense.

Just because it's used at SA games week in week out doesn't make it right, the complaints are generated because a) the volume is a health hazard, the players can't hear each other on the pitch and c) it destroys the atmosphere at the games.

Being a good host implies politeness to ones guests and, if necessary deferring to some extent to your guest's needs and wishes. Use them at SA games by all means, use them at all games INTERMITTENTLY if you must but don't use them all the sodding time. Oh, and maybe learn to actually play a tune on them!

Don't be such a tw@t! you cannot say to 40, 50, 60 thousand people use them intermittently! its a football game for christ sake and this is what the locals do!

I am sorry but you don't go to different countries and say "would you mind not doing that, you have guests" its a football tournament not a tea party.

+1

And, as I just wrote, perhaps if they actually played something tuneful? Africa is known for it's melodic singing and good dancing not this tuneless dirge - it's akin to hooliganism in my opinion.

Ha ha ha really.... didn't you just tell me not to write nonsense?

Blowing a big red trumpet is the same as smashing peoples heads in and trashing city centres?

 

[Wigsie]

Percieved culture and reality are often two different things. Take England, a visitor may expect Morris dancers and strawberries and cream at a village fete, they will be a bit disappointed when they find large gangs of teenages smashed out of their heeds on cheap booze and drugs offering violence and intimidation.

Many were expecting exciting and diverse culture down in South Africa, reality is thousands upon thousands making as much noise as possible with an irritating one note plastic horn, like it or not that is what they do.

I too am finding the vuvalzelas a bit irritating, sounds like an Italian traffic jam, but is it any worse than 50,000 numbskulls chanting "The referee is a self-gratification artist" or the England fans singing theme tunes from world war 2 movies

Thank you! I don't necessarily like them but thats Africa! its what they do! It's their modern day football culture!

 

[4F]

You tell em Wigsie

 

[darkstar]

I think people are getting slightly confused here, vuvuzela's are part of South African football culture, not South African culture. Small but important point.