Jonathan Barnes5
Active Member
191 messages
joined Jul 2018
I’ve always been one of those people who didn't feel the need to push my way to the front or fight for attention in the stands; my motivation was much simpler. I went to the games because I had a genuine love for this club and felt every high and low on the pitch personally, mostly just to enjoy the atmosphere, the camaraderie, and the company of good friends.
Once you start going to away games as a kid and meet certain people—sharing those specific experiences both inside and outside the stadium—you develop a bond. Even if the more intense aspects of the culture never really appealed to me, you still encounter those moments and those individuals in a way that stays with you.
It honestly escapes me why anyone would resort to such pathetic insults against Endsieg, regardless of their current stances. I’ve stood right next to some of these guys in various situations, and I can tell you firsthand that they aren't the villains people are making them out to be; if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't even bother mentioning it. It isn't just them, either—there are plenty of others who essentially sold their souls to the opposition, switching sides just to save face, despite having once been a core part of a group that could hold its own against anyone in Europe. While some might just be loudmouths, it goes deeper than that. What I find truly baffling about Endsieg, however, is how they sometimes champion other groups, much like how it bothered me when certain people started siding with the Romini crowd.
Another thing that bothers me is this constant attacking of Donnie Munich. It seems like some people are struggling with basic logic here; if you can't control your impulses and try to explain things to someone reasonably, it's probably better to just stay silent.
I realize he’s writing from a comfortable distance abroad, which makes it hard to grasp the reality of blacklists, police repression orchestrated by the club and a single individual, or the heavy toll that being banned takes on your daily life. But at least try to have a civil conversation instead of immediately jumping to insults.
The third reason why the internet is such a wasteland for these debates is seeing how people's convictions seem to shift overnight. It's hard to wrap your head around how someone can insult and belittle a group so intensely, only to end up sitting in the same stands with them a short while later. Or conversely, how people who were calling everyone "traitors" just a few months ago are now acting like nothing happened. It’s like something straight out of a surrealist comedy sketch. Ultimately, seeing people flip-flop on their allegiances is what gets to me; it makes it look like they were just a fifth column waiting within the ranks all along.
