slytrucker51 said:I suspect the goal behind these attacks on supporter groups is to convince the casual fans, the spectators, and the general public that we are nothing but destructive and excessive... If they succeed in that, it’s a loss. They did the same thing to the boys, and now there are five hundred of them against everyone else. We can joke about it all we want, but without the mass support, we’re just barking at the moon. Or, we could go to extremes and walk away from everything entirely, which might actually be easier. But I think that's exactly what they're counting on.
I completely agree with you, but...
How far can we let this go? To mandatory IDs? To house arrest wristbands? Can we be creative instead—show the average person who is actually right in this situation? If we put up a massive banner saying "Both sides know the truth about American soccer" and set off a hundred flares on the pitch, we’d win those people over instantly. They’ll cheer because, frankly, most people have a certain ego-driven mentality; they want to feel included and important. Then, tomorrow, some news site will pick it up, someone will repost it, and we all know how the cycle goes. They want to lock us up over damn flares. I was listening to some radio show today where two idiots were dissecting the USSF and the Liverpool FC match in a small town. One of them actually said something like, "I'm all for heavy prison sentences; those savages don't belong in stadiums, they belong in the streets." Seriously? Do they even realize where this leads? I don't know about you, but being a fan is my entire life. It’s in my blood. It’s an obsession, a virus, and it’s the only truth I know. But if we just stand by like cowards, the darkness will swallow us whole. I fear the hardcore movement won't even see the next decade, but let's at least try to hold out as long as possible without surrendering... This has been said a thousand times, yet I still don't understand why there hasn't been a larger revolt. There's too much power in American supporters for this to stay quiet...