Global Warning

Theodore Dalrymple

Wednesday, 18th June 2008

Theodore Dalrymple delivers a Global Warning

Mr Perelman despises sport for the same reason that Marx despised religion: it disguises from men their true situation, and diverts them from making the revolution to overcome it.

But then I thought, ‘What exactly is Man’s true situation that needs so violently to be overcome?’ What should the young man on the train have been reading instead of his football magazine? Marc Perelman’s previous book, Le football, une peste emotionelle, perhaps? Or his Pekin 2008: les jeux de la honte? Or Pascal’s Pensées?

Once we have overcome the current regime of bread and circuses, what then? The Haitian peasant, alluding to his endless travails, says, ‘Behind the mountains, more mountains.’ Modern man says, ‘After the circuses, more circuses.’ What objection can the democratic secularist make?

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Richard from St. Louis

June 19th, 2008 5:06pm Report this comment

'What objection can the democratic secularist make?'

Well, you, Mr Dem Secularist, have denied God and removed Him from the lives of people, so naturally, they will seek other gods, like Sport and Mammon and Moloch. Quit your complaining.

Stewart Paterson

June 23rd, 2008 9:04am Report this comment

Ah, the old canard, life without the God (God is imiganary by the way) is pointless.
Could you explain why so many believers still play sport? Why do people (esp. Americans) thank God for their victories and pray before matches.
Mr Dalrymple, are you also violentlty against sports which pitch the competitor against himself? Like Time Trialing? What of chess? The last time I played chess I was disqualified for playing with a yo-yo, my personal demonstration that it wasn't fair to put me up against others who, by no effort on their part, were clever than me.

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