Is our hatred of Uruguay a form of xenophobia?

Chauvinism. In a previous article I reflected on the hostility towards Uruguay after their defeat of Ghana, and given that this still appears to be a hot topic, I thought I’d explore this in a little more detail.

You probably know the word “chauvinism” from the expression “male chauvinist pig”, but it has other uses as well. Its origins lie in the name of a nineteenth century French army officer called Nicholas Chauvin, who was known for his unthinking devotion to Napoleon and the cause of France. The definition of chauvinism can be “1. aggressive or fanatical patriotism; jingoism” or “2. enthusiastic devotion to a cause”. There’s a subtle nuance in those two uses and, for the most part, chauvinists here have merely been enthusiastically devoted to the cause of South Africa (and, by extension, Africa).

In that sense, chauvinism is understandable, even desirable. It’s probably a necessary element in civic nationalism, because bridging the divides between us requires an emotional jolt to rally around a common cause. We’ve been swept along by this great wave of emotion and the sense of common purpose is palpable.

But our chauvinism goes further than that, and “jingoism” is probably a better description of what I have witnessed since Uruguay defeated Ghana. South Africans embraced — and continue to embrace — a rather comical hatred of Uruguay. It’s over the top and a joke and all of that. But humour serves both to conceal our real feelings and reveal them and what those comments about Uruguay tell us about ourselves is not pretty.

As I’ve written elsewhere, it was a bumper haul:
“It’s hard to be a good Christian when you are thinking about killing a little South American doos.”
“And they say cheats never prosper. Try teaching that to kids in Uruguay.”
“Fuck that dirty handballing coke snorting South American swine fuck.”
“I am so full of hate right now.”

A lot of South Africans noted the potential for double entendre:
“Uruguay –> Ur a gay.. It makes sense”

Anyone who defended Uruguay was targeted: “you suck for defending cheaters” is a typical comment. As I write, the debate continues on Facebook and in forums across the web.

The essence of chauvinism is an unreflective, instinctive response and it’s clear that very few of us have stopped to think about our behaviour. Educated, intelligent South Africans, people who would reject prejudice in other circumstances, embraced what, when you’re honest about it, is actually a form of racism. Our anger at Uruguay went beyond chauvinism and morphed into something that isn’t so far from the xenophobia that lurks in the shacks and taverns around us, waiting quietly for its turn again.

And that’s a pity, especially when we have been so generous in our support of teams other than our own (something noted approvingly by World Cup visitors). The huge support for Holland and Germany in this country suggests that we do have the ability to look beyond ourselves. After all, we could have chosen to ignore the remaining of the World Cup games once we were eliminated. Instead, we’re throwing ourselves into it, happily choosing sides and indulging in friendly jousting over who will end up in the final.

But the animosity towards Uruguay is on a different level. There’s genuine malice in some of these sentiments. How scary is it that people can be swept up so easily in a tide of emotion to the point where they hate an entire country of people they will never know or meet?

The whole point of chauvinism is that it is unthinking. Maybe it’s time to start thinking again.