Seriously?! This
type of (mis)information is being broadcast for all (including the educated
world!) to see?! But it’s not on a handwritten cardboard sign; it was displayed on a high-dollar
big screen in a multi-million-dollar, “world class” stadium in a nation that is
recognized globally as a leader in logistics?! As an educator,
I’m aghast! Where was the “research” done that is being publicly displayed?
Of course we have
house numbers here in Uruguay – with exceptions on both extremes of the
socioeconomic curve. Yes, it’s true that “vacation homes” in small coastal
communities (incidentally, the ones that tourists love to visit!) are given
names by their owners. And underdeveloped neighborhoods are works in progress,
as would be expected anywhere...
And did those doing the “research” actually play through the alleged eleven stanzas of the national
anthem – and time how long it takes to perform them all? (If you’re going to
make a claim, do your homework first!) Was any of this information checked
for accuracy? If so, please explain the gross error three days ago in the
University of Phoenix Stadium when another nation’s anthem was played in place of Uruguay’s?
Could CONCACAF (the
organizer of this Copa América Centenario) really have chosen to severely limit the “public relations” budget for this international tournament? Or is
something more insidious going on? Are the recurring claims of corruption true
in this event, too? Whatever the case, it’s sad that the USA, as the host
country, is on the receiving end of most of the criticism and/or blame...
We live on a
broken planet and, therefore, have to expect that “mistakes” will be made. But
as Christians, as ambassadors for Christ, we have to choose to care about “details”
that could build cross-cultural bridges – or, on the contrary, burn them! Ours must be a markedly
different attitude.
During the World
Cup in 2014, John Mark shared thoughts to that end:
...if I am
unwilling—and a willing or unwilling attitude,
I think, is key—unwilling to discipline myself to care about tennis, or
cricket, or soccer; unwilling to listen when I have the right to speak;
unwilling to learn which way is north (or south!); then I am exercising a right
that may hinder me from being the global-minded, useful Christian that I
otherwise might have been...
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