How Soccer Explains the World brought a new perspective to me entirely. Not only did I find it to be a riveting exposé on cultures around the world, using the metaphor of soccer, it also gave our whole floor something common to talk about. As I interpreted it, soccer has the power to equalize people. While they may leave a stadium and regain their identities, when they are watching soccer they become one. Catalonians all united to voice their aggression against the oppressive regime of Generalissimo Franco, the Scottish united to hurl insults at the Irish teams, and many other examples. While this seems to be simply a recap of the book, I think that the metaphor can be applied to another significant situation. How Soccer Explains the World equalized our floor and our community. During the week leading up to classes, everyone spent time reading and preparing for our discussions this past week. Though I cannot speak for everyone, I know that my discussion of the text was not limited to the classroom.
In perusing through the other blog posts, I came across Dayna’s about tolerance in global politics. I wholeheartedly agree that tolerance has become one of the most significant issues within the world today. As the twenty-first century has evolved I feel that global society as a whole has regressed on its level of tolerance. Looking at the xenophobia expressed in America towards not only Muslim-Americans but to most foreigners who do not resemble the ideals of “America”, the word tolerance seems to flash behind my eyes in neon lights. As we saw at PEPFAR, HIV/AIDS became a global epidemic quite quickly. As we move forward in an attempt to grasp a hold on this disease, tolerance will continue to be an important factor in increasing awareness and aid directed towards HIV/AIDS prevention and education. Considering the vast culture divides that span those infected with HIV/AIDS, an incredible amount of tolerance will be required of those who dedicate their time and energy to helping prevent and treat this debilitating disease.
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