I ride the bus a lot. So instead of dealing with totally psychotic individuals on the 3 & 4, I sequester my self in my small square section of the bench seat quietly reading and listening to music. One of the books I've been reading is Among the Thugs (seriously Blogspot, no underlines) by Bill Buford. Written in 1990 it chronicles English football supporters in the late 1980s (not, mind you, hooligans as they often unconvincingly remind the author) throughout their matches and journeys abroad, all while attending football fixtures. It becomes an in-depth, sociological inquiry into why exactly these individuals behave the way they do in groups. Some ways into the book, it becomes an examination not of a gang or large mob of people but an animalistic subculture. It's fucking great, and a fascinating and shocking read. One of Obama's top national security advisors credits the book as a solid look into terrorism and group violence, the article is available here. Great read, very interesting and very absorbing. I recommend it. I finally understand why there was a fifteen foot fence and a concrete moat around the terraces where I stood at an Udinese game (see picture below). Here is the closest piece of video media I could find related to the subject (a much calmer group that ONLY targets other firms and not as extreme as those portrayed in the book). Buford does recount the Liverpool - Juventus European Cup tragedy in Belgium seen in part 5:
Oh yea, I'm also reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Stranger
3 comments:
is it sort of like green street hooligans? thats the only exposure ive had to that sort of thing.
No, Green Street Hooligans is a ridiculous bullshit fantasy and glorification of football organizations. Hollywood if you will. That movie...sucked.
When you finish with Among the Thugs you should check out his next book, Heat. He gives up investigative journalism to become a cook (or as he calls it "Kitchen slave), pasta maker and butcher. Its pretty amazing.
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