feminish

At Paris Gare du Nord yesterday, I saw in The Times that Zidane’s broken his silence: Materazzi slandered his Mum and his Sister. I thought, Phew! last Sunday’s post wasn’t way off the mark. But it was when I read Zidane’s exact words explaining the headbut that I leapt up and down in the tabac, fluttering the paper at whoever would hear me (a drunk young man who needed some cash):

“The words he said concerned my mother and sister. I heard them once, then twice, and the third time I couldn’t control myself. I am a man and some words are harder to hear than actions. I would have rather been knocked down than hear that.”

“I am a Man”. Soon the French will forget how close they were to winning the World Cup - and they will remember their suave and chiselled captain on Canal+ defining his manhood, guarding his status as hero. “I am a Man”. Not only was Zidane saying that he wasn’t an idiot to have lost control, but that his headbutt somehow proved his masculinity, his heroic, manly power to defend ‘his’ women’s honour: any decent man would have done the same.

It’d be nice to think that had his Mum gathered what was going on with the headbutt, she’d have been back at home watching the telly and thinking ‘Yeah, give him one in my name.’ But I wonder if she wouldn’t just think: ‘I can take care of myself thank you very much Zizou; Materazzi should just wash out his mouth with soap. Don’t worry about me, just get on with it and win the darn Cup.’

At Paris Gare du Nord yesterday, I saw in The Times that Zidane’s broken his silence: Materazzi slandered his Mum and his Sister. I thought, Phew! last Sunday’s post wasn’t way off the mark. But it was when I read Zidane’s exact words explaining the headbut that I leapt up and down in the tabac, fluttering the paper at whoever would hear me (a drunk young man who needed some cash):

“The words he said concerned my mother and sister. I heard them once, then twice, and the third time I couldn’t control myself. I am a man and some words are harder to hear than actions. I would have rather been knocked down than hear that.”

“I am a Man”. Soon the French will forget how close they were to winning the World Cup - and they will remember their suave and chiselled captain on Canal+ defining his manhood, guarding his status as hero. “I am a Man”. Not only was Zidane saying that he wasn’t an idiot to have lost control, but that his headbutt somehow proved his masculinity, his heroic, manly power to defend ‘his’ women’s honour: any decent man would have done the same.

It’d be nice to think that had his Mum gathered what was going on with the headbutt, she’d have been back at home watching the telly and thinking ‘Yeah, give him one in my name.’ But I wonder if she wouldn’t just think: ‘I can take care of myself thank you very much Zizou; Materazzi should just wash out his mouth with soap. Don’t worry about me, just get on with it and win the darn Cup.’