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[OT] St. ^3 Jon and the Soccer Hooligans

From: "Barclay, Tom" <tomb@b...>
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 11:44:26 -0500
Subject: [OT] St. ^3 Jon and the Soccer Hooligans

Jon of Needham sayeth:

The things that the mundanes DO consider to be socially "normal" - drink
yourself senseless, wash the car, beat the wife, spend thirty quid to
scream like a moron at a couple of dozen overpaid idiots chasing an
inflated sheep's pancreas round a field on Saturday afternoon, things
like
that....  ;-)

Jon (GZG) - probably feeling particulary cynical tonight....

[Tomb] Now, now. Be nice. If it has to do with parts of a sheep, its
near
and dear to my Scottish-descended heart. Rangers rule! But, OTOH, let me
point out that the really stupid part doesn't begin until somewhere into
hte
match where said screaming morons (well empowered by ethanol) begin to
squish each other, bash each other, and then cut each other up. If you
want
horror, go to an emergency room after a soccer fight.... broken beer
bottles
and glasses leave some nasty wounds.

Having said that, the war gaming is about war. War is horrible in its
way
and yet from that crucible we get a closer look at many important human
characteristics. And war gaming, because it is gaming, can provide a
harmless escape. If I can work out my stress over a game board, then all
to
the better. If I can use it as a way to learn about tactics, economics,
interactions with my fellow gamers, about the costs of conflict, about
the
fleeting nature of victory and the caprices of fortune and how to deal
with
both of those, and if I can spend some social time with my friends, then
those are the key parts of the game. It teaches everything from sharing
to
risk management. And a bit of history (even in St. Jon's world, it
doesn't
hurt to understand the lessons of the past). 

Tomb

------------------------------------------
Thomas R. S. Barclay
Voice: (613) 722-3232 ext 349
e-mail: tomb@bitheads.com

You are what you do when it counts. -- The Masao
from John Steakey's Armour
------------------------------------------


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