I see from the comments that you’ve already started in on the Ozil “controversy” and I guess I’m late to the party. Never fear though, I have an epic bad take on this topic which will blow your minds like a tomato with a firecracker stuck in it. Ready?
Borders/countries/religions are just a means of control.
You know how you have to go through customs? How you have to take your shoes off to make sure you’re not a shoe bomber? How you have to tell them if you brought any fruit into the country? Rich people don’t have to do any of that.
You know how you have to be a citizen of a country to get a job (mostly)? Or how we have these “passports” and “visas” that tell us which border we belong to? Rich people don’t do that. If Bill Gates wants to be a citizen of Mexico, he just tells them and they will let him.
If you’re rich, you can fly anywhere in the world, land anywhere in the world, and become a citizen of any country that you want.
I guess there are probably some countries where the wealthy can’t just go and say “I am now a citizen”. They might make it slightly difficult. But in those countries, the rich would just bribe their way in.
So, what are the borders there for? To keep poor people out. Most of us born in rich countries can freely travel and work in poor countries but poor people born in poor countries are forbidden from doing the same. Here’s a question no one can answer: why should a child born in Nogales Mexico be relegated to a life of poverty while a child born in Nogales USA be afforded all the riches the USA has to offer?
Why am I an American? My dad’s gametes were American, my mom’s gametes were American, I was born in America, I speak American, I’m an American. Lucky me. Unlucky everyone else.
You know what bothers me about some Americans? They say stuff like “if it gets bad here, I’ll just go to Canada.” Imagine the privilege. Imagine the sheer arrogance it takes to utter such a statement while people all over the world die in horrible conditions because they were unlucky in their birth.
So, yeah, borders are just a means of control. A way to oppress people, to exploit them. Capital flows freely across borders, with almost no restrictions; the wealthy can and do travel to wherever they want with little regard for border control. Borders are only there to keep the unfortunate people out.
The world is heating up. Water is drying up. The oceans are full of plastic. The fish are going away. Food, safety, and shelter are the only things that really matter and they are the things that people will send their 10 year old child 1000 miles on top of a train to get. Imagine how horrible your life is if you are willing to pack into a crowded boat and risk drowning, or ride on top of a train with your small child, or literally walk across a desert, to escape.
The history of humanity is migration. From Africa, we walked all over this earth and landed on nearly every single piece of it. We have always and probably will always move from place to place. We are all immigrants and the only true border is the planet itself.
I’m sorry that Mesut Ozil has experienced racism. I lived in Germany in the 1970s and witnessed German racism toward Turks first hand. The police slammed my neighbor into the ground when they arrested him because his daughter was accused of poisoning the other little kids. They were treated like outsiders, like lesser humans.
I applaud Ozil standing up to racism. More people in power need to stand on the side of immigrants. If they don’t, if they just sit quietly and enjoy their power, people like Trump will continue to use these false divisions to rule over us.
This was amazing Tim. You know how sometimes you read an article and the only thing you want to say is thank you?
Thank you for writing this :’)
Mohit is right (too)
Refreshing read
Thanks
Feel for Mesut today. There was something thrillingly DGAF about how he set about torching the German FA and Grindel. But part of me is sad that he’s let the boo boys win. He worked hard for that No. 10 shirt
As you suggested Tim, it’s deep-seated. That reaction seems rooted in his everyday, growing up existence, more than just reaction to taking a photo with Erdogan. Lots of folks took photos with Putin, and there was no backlash.
Let’s show him some love and appreciation, gooners.
I have a different take.
Capitalism opens borders. Residents of the European Union, a capitalistic project, can travel freely across borders that just a few decades were closed.
Immigration makes sense for capitalists. With a high amount of available workers wages can be lowered. Immigration weakens the labor unions. This is why socialist parties, even reformist ones, traditionally go for strict immigration policies, while liberal ones go for more open ones.
If the market and capitalists had their say, borders would be opened. What stands in the way? Nationalism and racism.
Capitalism wants open borders for capital but actually needs borders to keep workers wages low. They exploit borders for their own gains. Moving a factory from the USA to Thailand, for example. If workers were free to move the way capital moves, capital couldn’t exploit them in the same way.
I can’t understand why erecting a border, wages would be lower in the countries whose people you are shutting out.
In your example of Thailand, the average monthly wages have doubled during that the last 20 years. If the aim of capitalists was to keep wages in Thailand low by restricting immigration from Thailand to the rich world, this has failed spectacularly.
https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages
Minimum wage in Thailand is $0.66 per day.
I think they are doing a fine job keeping wages low in Thailand.
Minimum wage is not an accurate way of measuring wages. There is little correlation of minimum and actual wage. Some countries, including high income ones, don’t even have minimum wages.
Why not look at, you know, actual wages in Thailand. Or poverty, which has also dropped remarkably.
Or look at what the world bank has to say: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/thailand/overview
37% of the philippines live on less than $3 a day PPP
42% of indonesia
37% cambodia
14% of Vietnam
but yes, less than 1% of Thailand.
I lived in Bangkok for several years, during the last coup even, and although it hardly makes me an expert, I would agree with Tim and say that the regime there is doing an excellent job keeping the wages low for anyone besides the Thai upper class. I’m not going to get into the conversation as to how they are doing it (as that would take several pages of discussion), but suffice to say the wealthy of that country have good (read terrible) reason to keep everyone else poor.
A university graduate whose English level is say, so so, can look forward to earn between 9000-12000 baht (300-400 USD) per month working at a Telecom customer service job for example.
Sure, they might be able to find an crappy one room apartment far from the BTS for around 3500. Yes, it’s around a third of their wages, but most everything else that kids want today (phone/computer etc) is close to full price in Thailand, and some items such as cars are as much as triple the price of the US.
In this way, there is an illusion of fair wages, but in reality, these kids cannot ever get ahead or save money. They are destined to a continual wage slave cycle, much like what has been happening in the US for years now. Alhtough Thailand has perfected it.
Human history is such that we always looks for things to separate “us” from “them”. Borders is one. Religion is one. Race is one. We love to stroke our ego – our fragile eggshell minds, as Jim Morrison would say – by looking for differences that affirms our perceived superiority. It is exactly this need that the Trump machine feeds on every day. “We” are better so we should be great again but “they” are getting in the way of our greatness. Keep them out.
What pisses me off about this Ozil story now is the number of hypocrites (mostly journalists) who scapegoated him by getting on the Ozil bashing bandwagon (when it was obviously ridiculous how much Germany’s world cup failure was being disproportionally meted out to Ozil) and are now all about taking the higher moral ground when they themselves were very much a part of the feeding frenzy. The most common accusation I have heard being brandished against him this time around is that he should have never taken that pic with Erdogan in the first place (including Arseblog). Well here is what I don’t understand. Did Ozil make a single political statement in that photo or endorse Erdogan in any way? No he didn’t. It wasn’t even his post that the media picked up. It was Gundogan’s. From what I understand Ozil still has firm roots and extended family in Turkey. For all we know, Ozil did not want to piss off a crazy ass dictator by refusing to take a photo with him and put his family in harm’s way. Point is – he never publicized it and he never endorsed Erdogan. If taking pictures with dictators is wrong then we should boycott half of our musicians and actors who have no problems flying to middle east and other countries with shoddy humanitarian records to perform for money.
As for the rich who can become citizens of other country, I kind of agree but Bill Gates is an extreme example though. I mean look at him. He is such a huggable guy. Who wouldn’t want him as a citizen? Not all rich people are welcomed in Mexico or other countries. I can think of at least one.
Realistically he probably could have done a little better job explaining the photo with Erdogan. But he’s pretty clearly been held to a double-standard, as Mattheus hasn’t received that kind of criticism for buddying up to Putin. He was clearly picked out for criticism for the German failing, despite from a stats point of view having a good game against SK. It’s hard to see this as anything but some anti-immigrant prejudice. As he pointed out, Podolski didn’t face this.
From an Arsenal standpoint, hopefully this makes him more determined, rather than proving to be a distraction.
But why would he need to explain the photo with Erdogan? If it leaks in the media that he didn’t really want to take the photo but was either ill-advised or did it out of some misplaced sense of obligation to his Turkish heritage, you can be certain the new would reach Erdogan’s ears which would put Ozil’s family member who still live there in a very uncomfortable situation, to put it lightly.
I’m with you on this – I don’t understand why an individual footballer has to explain such a photograph. He’s not a political animal in any way whatsoever.
The extent to which fevered politicians and media figures turn this stuff into an issue is disgusting, but we already know the right wing ruins everything because every single moment, whether innocent or not, must be exploited for it’s propaganda value to further their nationalist agenda.
Exactly NYC Gunner. It’s very easy to take the higher moral ground behind a keyboard in a “free” country. Bu if you have ever lived in a country with a dicktator ( or have family connections, you don’t refuse that kind of request, and you don’t get on social media saying how f’d-up the politics of the regime are to clear your own name.
Because situations can get very real very fast in those situations.
Ozil has been a frustrating player for Arsenal these last two years. But at the same time, he creates so many chances for his team mates who are even more frustrating to watch as they waste those “caviar” passes.
It has been difficult to follow this saga. I am an immigrant who had lived in a number of cities and experienced racism first hand in countries like Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, Singapore, France, Germany and even India. I am an Indian who was a minority in India (almost got killed in 1984 during anti-sikh riots) when I stayed there. I have seen prejudices in educated people which makes me cringe (including within my own family). What Ozil talks about, I get it. Racism is insidious and sometimes so ingrained in societies that people don’t even think of it as racism. I have had wonderful experiences in all those countries above. I have a whole collection of friends in these countries and like every nation, they have good people and narrow minded individuals who can’t see beyond their skin colour/race/region etc. But, the hard part to accept is that while European nations tout themselves as beacons of liberal, open minded societies ready to lecture their “misguided, naive immigrant” they have no qualms about selling arms to repressive regimes, make deals with the same Turkish autocrat to keep the Arab / Syrian riff-raff from reaching their shores by paying him billions, accepting the racist Hungarian leader within EU, accepting brutal anti-migrant laws in Denmark…I could go on. But frankly, it is pointless. Ozil should have explained to the German public, why he took that photo with Erdogan. That apparently is more important than fighting AFD and its white german blood ideology.
Exactly! I don’t understand the need to explain the picture. Why is it so relevant? He is a footballer FFS. Taking photos with ALL kinds of people when they are not on the pitch is what they do.
Thanks for the perspective.
Mind you, i am in a position of privilege. I will be considered an “expat” in these places. Immigrants are those hard working souls like Filipino or Indonesian domestic helper or the construction worker from India/China/Nepal/Bangladesh who slaves away 12-15 hours a day without any hope of getting a permanent residence in rich societies (he/she is expected to go back once they have done the job of building the first world nation).
“Given his record of prosecuting and jailing human rights defenders, journalists and other folk who displease him, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan probably isn’t the kind of guy you want to be seen gurning alongside in a photo op. Then again, given his record of prosecuting and jailing human rights defenders, journalists and others who displease him, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan probably isn’t the kind of guy you want to avoid gurning beside in a photo op if you’re invited to do exactly that.” – Barry Glendenning, The Guardian’s “The Fiver”, 7/23/2018.
This is a massively overlooked point in the furore over the picture. 5 of my first 7 years on this planet were lived under a strongman dictator who would go to any lengths – sham tribunals, straight up assassinations, you name it – to silence his enemies and any dissenters. Not too far from Erdogan, then. Ozil refusing to show up may not have been a problem for him personally, but who knows, for anyone in Turkey even slightly related to him?
But, ok, he posed for the picture. And I personally criticized his performances at the World Cup (and no, I’m not one of the Arsenal fans who routinely does this for all his performances; he’s actually one of my favorite Arsenal players). But it’s 2018. Normally, I use the phrase “it’s 2018 now” to, I don’t know, tell someone else to ditch that BlackBerry and move into the future. Lately, for me it just means “those attitudes you thought we’d largely left behind decades ago? They’re back”.
For a long time, I got frustrated that Ozil doesn’t control games or “takes them by the scruff of the neck” as our cliche spouting pundits like to point out. However, I have come to realise that he really loves creating chances for his team mates. Put a Ronaldo or another clinical striker in front of him and I am sure, he will appear god-like. Let’s hope we finally see the true potential of our forward line this season. People forget that Ozil is one of the best players to have if we want to play counter attacking football. His acceleration on such runs is amazing. Germany were terrible in world cup because they did not adapt to the new reality of teams giving up possession to hit you with a sucker punch. Immense talent in the country but arrogance brought about the downfall. Look at Nueur’s attempt to try and score goal against the Koreans. It was hilarious and so delightfully punished.
I am glad Ozil is out of the international team. Maybe that will spark a desire to do well for Arsenal and perhaps lead to us to that long awaited title in the near future. Got to be positive!
There is a very strong human desire to identify and reinforce ‘in groups’ and ‘out groups’, with race, ethnicity, and nationality powerful markers in this regard. The best forms of religion, by the way, actually look to reach beyond the ‘who’s in and who’s out’ way of thinking.
Borders are a tricky subject. You can look at them positively and negatively, depending on where you stand. Most people think about borders as protecting a way of life. They certainly mattered to the people of Armenia or Kazakhstan or the Western Balkan countries or any other country conquered by an empire they wanted no part of. French and Belgian people in the 1940s would have preferred if Germany had respected their borders. The examples are endless. Control, in other words, is not simply a byword for tyranny. Borders also demarcate and protect ideologies, and that’s not always a bad thing.
What you’re talking about is how borders are policed, which is different, I think, from saying borders are inherently bad and shouldn’t exist (well, in an ideal world, they wouldn’t, but since people throughout the world disagree fundamentally and radically about what is humanity, and we don’t live in an ideal world, they’re inevitable, and, for many, desirable).
When people have a problem with immigrants or immigration, it’s 99% down to r*cism. No one I knew in Canada complained about how many white Polish, English, German, or Russian immigrants were among us or how many jobs they were “stealing.” I live in the US now, and it’s similar. Brown people are “threatening” American jobs and values. The great irony is that immigration is healthy for the economy, so when people lash out against it, it’s about things like skin color, funny ways of talking, and funny smelling food.
I have an American friend who recently came back from a trip to Canada and complained that, where he was on Canada Day, they were serving many different kinds of ethnic foods; he expressed his relief to be back in America, where the “proper” way to celebrate your country’s independence was by everyone eating the same thing and having a raucous fireworks display.
I’m certainly glad there’s a border between Canada and the US!
What’s funny to me is that when certain Americans say things like “I’ll just move to Canada,” they don’t realize that Canada tends to support the very things they despise: multiculturalism and socialism. They’d hate it there.
Anyway, fully support Ozil here, and wonderful that he will be welcome in this multicultural Arsenal family!
Interesting that you mention religions. I was listening to the Hidden Brain episode “Making God” and it was all about how all religions are basically a form of control, which I think is a pretty simple concept, really. But toward the end they have a discussion about rituals and how these costly rituals (like fasting) help mark people as being actually in the group. I am not a comparative religion scholar by any means but I can’t think of too many big religions which don’t have some sort of outward signs or rituals that mark the members. Ozil is big on these public symbols by the way, with the whole praying before the match and there’s even a video out there doing the rounds today where he kisses a piece of bread that was thrown at him from the stands.
Actually, you mentioned religion, not I. I was just responding to your placing of religion alongside borders as a form of control.
Yes, some religious interpretations can take the form of control in the negative sense of coercion and manipulation. The problem with podcasts about religion like Hidden Brain and Sam Harris, etc., is that they tend to address largely fundamentalist, mainstream, or lowest-common-denominator interpretations of scripture/religion because a straw man is easier to attack than a…nuanced man.
Incidentally, you thank Ozil, but he would be offended at your characterization / caricaturization of (his) religion as stemming from a need to control rather than a revelation of truth, and one could say that your viewpoint contributes to Western anti-Islamic rhetoric. Do you think Islam is backwards, irrelevant, or a negative influence on the world?
I’m not a Muslim, by the way. However, I do think people dismiss religion these days in ways that oppose the inclusivity on which such dismissals are ostensibly based.
And Tim, I’m not saying you’re anti-Islamic or anything. I’m speaking generally about ideas and their possible consequences rather than establishing concrete intentions.
Also, I think a podcast that counts fasting as an outward sign while ignoring Jesus’s command to do it privately has no authority on religion or religious scripture. Just saying.
Let me try to post this again, because, d*mn brother, the -ism -ist allergy is strong in this site!! Ok here goes, this time with asterisks:
There is a very strong human desire to identify and reinforce ‘in groups’ and ‘out groups’, with r*ce, ethn*city, and nation*lity powerful markers in this regard. The best forms of rel*gion, by the way, actually look to reach beyond the ‘who’s in and who’s out’ way of thinking.
Borders are a tricky subject. You can look at them positively and negatively, depending on where you stand. Most people think about borders as protecting a way of life. They certainly mattered to the people of Armenia or Kazakhstan or the Western Balkan countries or any other country conquered by an emp*re they wanted no part of. French and Belgian people in the 1940s would have preferred if Germany had respected their borders. The examples are endless. Control, in other words, is not simply a byword for tyra*ny. Borders also demarcate and protect ideol*gies, and that’s not always a bad thing.
What you’re talking about is how borders are pol*ced, which is different, I think, from saying borders are inherently bad and shouldn’t exist (well, in an ideal world, they wouldn’t, but since people throughout the world disagree fundam*ntally and radically about what is humanity, and we don’t live in an ideal world, they’re inevitable, and, for many, desirable).
When people have a problem with imm*grants or imm*gration, it’s 99% down to r*cism. No one I knew in Canada complained about how many white Polish, English, German, or Russian imm*grants were among us or how many jobs they were “stealing.” I live in the US now, and it’s similar. Brown people are “threatening” American jobs and values. The great irony is that imm*gration is healthy for the economy, so when people lash out against it, it’s about things like skin color, funny ways of talking, and funny smelling food.
I have an American friend who recently came back from a trip to Canada and complained that, where he was on Canada Day, they were serving many different kinds of ethn*c foods; he expressed his relief to be back in America, where the “proper” way to celebrate your country’s independence was by everyone eating the same thing and having a raucous fireworks display.
I’m certainly glad there’s a border between Canada and the US!
What’s funny to me is that when certain Americans say things like “I’ll just move to Canada,” they don’t realize that Canada tends to support the very things they despise: multicultural*sm and social*sm. They’d hate it there.
Anyway, fully support Ozil here, and wonderful that he will be welcome in this mult*cultural Arsenal family!
Tim, you can delete this comment if you want (in the interest of declutteration), as it was pasted while its uncensored version (above) was waiting moderation. Cheers.
Fair play to the guy.
Only makes me love him more.
Sorry while I am agree with the sentiment, this article is wide of the mark. Ozil backed a nasty piece of work wannabe dictator just before an election. One where his victory is a disaster for freedom in Turkey.
While I’m sure much of the criticism has an agenda he should take the heat. Don’t get involved in politics unless you are prepared for everything that goes with it. Especially in support of a guy who had been inflaming the Turkish community in Germany.
“Backed him” how? By taking a pic? Do you take that as a full endorsement of a dictator and he is “involved” with him?
And he “should take the heat”? Wow.
Ozil has literally accepted the criticism and explained himself. Might not satisfy everyone but telling Ozil to “take the heat” without acknowledging the form that “heat” has taken is tacit endorsement of the vile racism, xenophobic, and Islamophobic abuse he’s received. Just throw him to the wolves right?
Uli Hoeness did the same thing; by choosing to ignore the racism and comment only on his perceptions of Ozil as a footballer and framing Ozil’s statement as “hiding his poor performances behind the picture controversy” he also endorsed the vile abuse Ozil has received. No wonder the right-wing extremism is surging with attitudes like these.
By the way, whole of Fifa backed that nasty piece of dictator called Putin when they awarded Russia the World Cup. I believe a huge amount of gas to Germany is being supplied by Russia; filling up that nasty dictator’s coffers. Didn’t hear much protest from Germans about that? Where are those righteous fans?
The thing about being a dictator who controls the levers of just about everything, is that a photo op isn’t going to tip the election in your favour. Ozil didn’t throw his support behind Erdogan by taking a photo with him. A number of championship winning players (those who do show) are going to be honoured by Trump. I’d bet that they don’t all support him or his policies.
You point of view is totally legitimate. And a case can be made to criticise Ozil for that photo. But then apply the same standard to all the people busy snapping pictures with dictators. There isn’t much difference between Erdogan and Putin. What about that crazy sword play of Trump with the Saudi wahabi rulers? I don’t see much brouhaha about such photo ops. My point is while Ozil opened himself up to criticism for that photo, the matter should have been settled in March. DFB could have told him clearly that it was not appropriate and he should be more sensitive on this matter.
To continue to belittle a decorated player and make him a scapegoat does smack of racism when the people talk about Germany failing in World Cup due to him not singing the National anthem or him meeting Erdogan.
It’s classic cognitive dissonance for me. I’m an anti-nationalist but I love Canada and proud to call myself a Canadian, whatever that means. But I also hate people wrapping themselves in their particular flags and beating their chests about the their “nationality”.
Like most humans I’m f*&ked up and confused about a lot of stuff. Unlike some humans, I can reach for the nearest guitar and play a few licks of something and I’m good again. For a while anyway.
One of my proudest intellectual periods was when I figured out Keith Richard’s 5 string open G tuning all by myself before the internet. Before his biography where he devotes, like a whole chapter on it (bastard!) I have stories about him which I will tell one day. A lovelier human you will never meet.
COYG!!!!
Oh and BTW, Mesut Ozil is da bomb. Aside from his sublime talent which can honestly, frustrate as much as delight, he thinks and talks and makes mistakes and is out there communicating who he is in an intelligent, considered way.
Why wouldn’t he feel for both his heritage and his upbringing and citizenship as a German?
My parents were born in India but I have been in Canada since the age of 9. I am enamored of my origins and I know who I am: a guitarist, ex-(ice)hockey player and I’ll take some maple syrup on that chicken tikka, thank you very much.
I’m impressed by Ozil in all this, honestly. I’ve always seen him as being a little weak, but I wonder if that’s us applying our homogenous standards of masculinity badly. I have seen first hand how strong characters suffer because of the expectation we put on them to behave a certain way.
But he just set the damn world on fire. That takes huge balls. And his agen’s response to that idiot Hoeness – savage!
I selfishly hope this drives Ozil to have a career season, because I want Arsenal to do well. Really, I should want that for his sake, not ours. This kind of thing transcends football.
I loved every single word of his agent’s response.
Oh man I haven’t seen the agent’s response!
Was hoping someone at Arsenal would officially answer Hoeness as well. How did Bayern let a tax-dodger who did jail time back into such a prestigious role anyway?
It’s out there. I found it (along with Hoeness’s words) here (website chosen randomly from a bunch of newsnow aggregates):
http://www.livesoccertv.com/news/27034/mesut-ozils-agent-brands-bayern-munich-chiefs-comments-as-foolish-in-massive-rant/
Dr. Erkut Sogut, take a bow son, you’ve had an absolute blinder.
Yup.
Wow, slam dunk!
You know I agree, I think there’s an element to that. How he’s judged by by a standard that puts emphasis on the things he doesn’t excel at (physicality/tackling etc) while handwaving away the things he excels at (the mental side/finding space/creating chances). He’s literally one of the best, if not the best, creators in the top 5 leagues on a consistent basis since he joined Arsenal. I’ve said it before, but if other players had been as good at the things they’re supposed to be good at as Ozil is at the things he’s good at, we’d have won the league at least once recently.
Even from a young age it’s pretty clear he knew what he wanted to achieve. He’s been good enough to play for one of the best teams in Germany and go on to play for Real Madrid. He’s constantly one of the best chance creators in the top leagues and he does it all with the minimum of fuss. While Sanchez was doing all the gesticulating and getting all the headlines and support for his ‘effort’ (which was later shown to be a bit of a case of smoke and mirrors) Ozil was keeping his head down and doing his job. And while Sanchez left us high and dry and went to a rival, Ozil signed and committed to the club. His reward was people saying he only stayed because no one else wanted him or would tolerate his style.
Ozil is one of the best, if not the best chance creators in the top leagues. We’re lucky to have him and if he was any better he wouldn’t be playing for Arsenal. Too many people, including myself, dismiss all the great work he does (the stuff he’s good at) because he’s primarily finding space and getting into good positions as opposed to spending his energy hassling the opposition and and tracking back. Honestly, he’s good enough at what he’s good at that I can forgive the stuff he’s bad at.
The comparison with Sanchez is actually perfect because one of those players put the team before personal glory, respected the shirt and showed loyalty and love to the club………and the other one got all the praise and support because we all loved how he ran around and threw up his arms in constant frustration at the inadequacies of his teammates.
I think Ozil is going to have a great season in a more organized team.
Three thumbs up. Superb post, Jeremy.
Thanks 🙂
Ozil is my favorite player at Arsenal. I actually think one of the reasons I love him is for the same reason some people have difficulty taking to him: he’s an enigma. Barney Ronay once described him as an otherworldly elf prince (think Tolkien rather than Keebler here). That fits perfectly for me. A being from an ancient kingdom who came to show humans that there is another, better way to play, but many of us are too limited in our human perceptions to see it. A haggard, Christ-like, Dostoevkyan “Idiot” whose message is foolishness to the Greeks, an old, fallen angel out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez story, the brooding, dark hero of a…
Ok, I’m letting an already bloated metaphor swell away on me here. Point is, I’m a fan, and it’s not just because I love how he plays. I think it took a lot of courage to say what he did, because he knew there would be a severe backlash (witness today’s response from Hoeness and Matthaus, both of whom miss the point spectacularly if they continue to yap ignorantly about his ability as a footballer or whether he’s too old to make the next World Cup, etc.).
Good comments on Ozil.
However, the idea that we have to slander Alexis in order to praise Ozil is deeply deeply flawed. And it’s really ahistorical. Alexis carried us through periods where no-one else on the team was producing much (especially in the Champions League where he was incredible superhuman) and Ozil wasn’t in peak form. Then when they clicked together, we played some of our best football since the title 2004.
Alexis earned every bit of the praise and support he got (earned some fair criticique too).
Mesut was also showy with his frustrations towards teammates last season! What both of these players needed was a captain on the pitch who was a stronger character than both of them, and for the club’s owners to have shown more ambition. We should have learnt after Henry, Cesc and RVP that you never let star players think you’re unambitious as a club.
Ill clarify a little bit.
My point wasn’t to slander Sanchez, and honestly I don’t think I said anything particularly controversial apart from maybe putting ‘effort’ in quotation marks.
To clarify, I don’t think he put in zero effort while he was at Arsenal and he was often a great player for us who scored important goals, but since he left, the stats suggest a player who’s effort was primarily in service of himself, and when it came to working on behalf of the team, his tracking back, tackles, distance covered etc was comparable with Ozil’s.
The guy ‘looked’ like he was putting in lots of effort harassing the opposition, tackling and closing people down but the stats didn’t back that up. He was actually doing very little ‘defensive work.’ But all the huffing and puffing and gesticulating and finger pointing made it look like he was doing more than he was. I’m not saying he did nothing….I’m really just saying that his demeanor made it look like he was doing MORE when in fact he was doing LESS.
Yet it doesn’t matter how many times Ozil tops the chance creation charts, not just in England but in Europe, or how many goals or assists he gets in big games against the top six (compares well with any midfielder in England) , or how many times he’s won German player of year (3 times in the last 4 years), or how many chances he creates at the World Cup (more than any other player), some people will always see him as lazy or half hearted or even a liability.
Anyway, i’ve no real axe to grind with Sanchez (apart from the fact that he showed no loyalty, went on a free and went to United 🙂 ) But if lack of defensive application and unwillingness to do the dirty work is such a mark against Ozil, I think it’s worth asking why we never noticed it in Sanchez or why we were all convinced that he was doing way more than he was. How much did Sanchez’s theatrics protect him and how much does Ozil’s demeanor condemn him irregardless of the work he does? And at the risk of sailing into choppy waters, how much does Ozil’s lack of physicality offend us as an affront to masculinity in general? 🙂
Ich bin zufrieden und stolz dass Mesut Oezil das gesagt hat.
I am happy and proud that Mesut Oezil has said this.
As someone who has lived in Germany, I can say that I was always well treated. However, I was a good foreigner. I am fair skinned, my German is not quite up to the Goethe standard, and I come from a perceived benign country (Kanada) so people could feel unthreatened by me. My Turkish and African friends, however, had a more difficult time of it…no matter how well they spoke German…no matter where they were born.
I hope that Mesut and by extension, Arsenal, can take this incident and use it as fuel to excel this year.
I’ve never really liked Bayern. Now I f****** actively dislike them. Thank you, Uli, your royal Hoe-ness. Way to go, sweeping the racism under the carpet, and nastily personalising the issue. And he couldn’t even get his central charge right.
Thank you for yet another wonderful post, Tim. The jingoism and tribalism rampant in the US and Europe is disgusting (and dishonest because, as you say, we are ALL immigrants (even the Native Americans)), and it’s our duty to stand up to it.
Kudos to Ozil for a thoughtful, reasoned statement — though I am sad that “the terrorists won” (in bullying him off the team). Let’s all stand with Ozil. I will actively root against the German team until they all stand in unison with Ozil and invite him back in a gesture of goodwill and humanity.
https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/former-german-footballer-lothar-matthaus-shakes-hands-with-news-photo/992657590#/former-german-footballer-lothar-matthaus-shakes-hands-with-russias-picture-id992657590
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20180707/281681140633984
Celebrities get their photos taken with all manner of people and no one said,”boo” to Lothar. Rio got some stick for the timing of that photo following the Novochuk poisonings.
To Özil’s point, you win, you’re beloved and when you don’t you’re a bum. Özil is our immigrant, one of many on our team and we’re damn proud that he is.
Özil’s agent responded to Hoeness who comes off like a cranky old man who gets’s forgiven for the asinine things that he says because well people suspect his mental faculties are deteriorating as he constantly embarrasses himself.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/ozils-agent-offers-stunning-response-to-foolish-criticism/1fl6943vtlndxzal991a1slri
I thouht the photo was unfortunate but its part of the life of a celebrity who gets all manner of people coming up to them for selfies and what not. What’s he suppose to do, pull a Seinfeld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0_0aeIO2Sk. In Özil’s case, maybe his family in Turkey is subjected to government reprisals for something stupid photo rejection.
Erdogan was always bad. The coup attempt against a supposed ally and Nato member was worse, and as it turns out, counter-productive. So now Erdogan is a dictator, a photo with whom can be enough to condemn anyone’s values, or at least be troublesome. Pish posh, I say.
Ozil explained why he took a photo with Erdogan. It was not with Erdogan’s person or in support of his politics, it was with the President of Turkey. A nation he identifies with. He also said it is a distinction people seem confused by, which is strange to me because I always thought that was entrenched in the Western political view. Differentiating between the person and the office.
I think Tim was the first person I heard voice the view that borders and immigration policies were capital controlling labour and I loved that. It makes so much sense. I wouldn’t go so far as to say borders are inherently bad. I mean we’d like a world where there was no need for them, but that’s not the world we live in. And even in a borderless world, surely administratively we’d need some demarcations (which is how some countries’ borders exist now). So, I’m not sure it is a truly achievable goal, or even desirable. People need a sense of belonging. Sadly, often this comes from a sense of something they don’t belong to. This doesn’t have to take a violent, or racist connotation. But it seems to do that way too often. Maybe people also need a sense of superiority. I mean, people in poorer nations also talk about their values and history to mark themselves as superior to richer nations. If it isn’t national boundaries, it would be religious, racial, or other pseudo-cultural identities, and this will never end. Borders are ok. The economy isn’t.
Eye opening lines on borders, Tim. Thanks. And well done Ozil: too much racism going on, too many people letting their frustrations get the better of them and blaming the Turk instead of the footballer.
I however completely disagree with some of the comments on one point: as far as I’m concerned, a local legend posing with a politician, just before an election, is indeed endorsing that politician, even if no word is spoken. Basic marketing: a star lending his image and associating it with a product will promote that product, regardless of the fact that he even uses that product. Ozil must have known that.
I do however accept all kind of mitigating factors: he did not see it coming, he is too polite to refuse, he is fearful of the consequences for his family… Or, maybe, just maybe, he actually likes Erdogan’s politics. That doubt should have stopped him from accepting the photo.
Anyway, the photo thing does not justify the insults and general unfairness. Quitting was brave and justified.
If I were him, I would deliver my most stellar seasons for Arsenal now, just so that they beg him to come back.
See the response from DFB, trying to take the moral high ground and not at all acknowledging what their “esteemed” staff have said over the past few weeks and months.. Its appalling to say the least..
https://www.dfb.de/en/news/detail/dfb-statement-on-mesut-oezil-190112/?
I stand with Ozil a 100% on this issue, much like our larger community.
Full agreement with the sentiments you expressed, and would share a few observations about what started the imbroglio and how it’s reached this point.
Ozil’s background (Turkish and German) and his ethnicity are not a matter of choice. They should be for him – and others – neither a source of pride nor shame. Decisions he makes about how emphasize his background – or not emphasize – are another matter altogether, … just as decisions by others to evaluate him on that basis, positively or negatively.
I commend Ozil for standing up for something he apparently feels strongly about and making the decision to retire, which was probably not that easy. That took some guts and merits respect. But to praise him for that without considering the rest of the story would not be fair.
This all began with a photo-op he made with Tayyip Erdogan, one of the most despicable rulers on the world stage, exactly what Trump is trying to become. Like Putin and others of his ilk Erdogan has blood on his hands, lots of blood. His rise to power is on the back of a conservative religious movement than the ‘Christian’ evangelicals in the US. There are many parallels, and for those in the US who wonder what might happen if Trump and his movement continue unchecked you needn’t look beyond Turkey.
Ozil made a decision, a choice to pose with Erdogan. Why? Does he really support that scum? I would hope not. The impression I get from him – and this is based entirely on the various ways he’s portrayed in the media – is that of a person who is sensitive in a positive way and who would resent the kind of oppression Erdogan represents. Perhaps I’m wrong, but maybe not. Perhaps there are other forces at play here that might explain why Ozil and the other Turkish footballers lent their apparent support to Erdogan. Perhaps they have family, or friends, or financial interests in Turkey that would suffer if they had declined a request to pose with Erdogan. Haven’t heard anything along those lines, but even if true I doubt they would reach the public domain. But this is something to consider.
As a Turkish footballer Ozil for sure knows a lot about Hakan Suker, one of the top forwards ever to play anywhere for anybody. I’m sure Ozil considered him his biggest idol (before Zidane came along, … and Zidane notwithstanding).
For those who follow football Hakan Suker’s name is certainly familiar. Politically he belongs to the group of people who have stood up against Erdogan, and like the others has risked a similar fate. For those who are interested here’s what he’s doing now https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/sports/hakan-sukur.html.
So Mesut, hats off to your decision to stand up for what you believe, … and that’s not insincere. But unless there’s something nefarious going on behind the scenes that’s not generally known, your sense of judgment of judgment about the people you choose to associate with and support … REALLY SUCKS!!!
My favorite bit of this article…
“The world is heating up. Water is drying up. The oceans are full of plastic. The fish are going away. Food, safety, and shelter are the only things that really matter and they are the things that people will send their 10 year old child 1000 miles on top of a train to get. Imagine how horrible your life is if you are willing to pack into a crowded boat and risk drowning, or ride on top of a train with your small child, or literally walk across a desert, to escape.
The history of humanity is migration. From Africa, we walked all over this earth and landed on nearly every single piece of it. We have always and probably will always move from place to place. We are all immigrants and the only true border is the planet itself.”
SPOT ON!
“why should a child born in Nogales Mexico be relegated to a life of poverty while a child born in Nogales USA be afforded all the riches the USA has to offer?”
– Why Nations Fail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Nations_Fail )! Probably the greatest book of this millennium.