Galtov klanac

Istina je potpuno drugačija od onoga što piše Branko Milanović. Fudbal, nasuprot Milanovićevim tvrdnjama, nikada nije bio bolji, dinamičniji i čistiji, nikada pre u njemu nije bilo toliko majstorstva i kreativnosti. I ne da ne zamire nego se proširio po celom svetu i igra se više nego ikada. Kada bi hteo, Milanović bi to mogao da vidi u zemlji u kojoj živi već nekoliko decenija. Kada je on naime, 80-ih ako se ne varam, došao u Sjedinjene Države tamo fudbal (osim „američkog“, tj. ragbija) nije ni postojao. Danas ga igraju deca u osnovnim školama, a reprezentacija SAD učestvuje na svetskim prvenstvima.

Iskoristio bih, međutim, kad sam već uzeo reč, ovu priliku da nešto više kažem o razumevanju odnosa sporta i novca, pre svega u domaćoj javnosti. Kada naš igrač potpiše „basnoslovni“ ugovor, onda se o tome piše kao o velikom uspehu ne samo dotičnog pojedinca nego i čitave nacije. Ali će malo potom neko – često isti autor – osuti drvlje i kamenje po ulozi privatnog kapitala u sportu.

Da li je privatni kapital, od kako je pre 75 godina (6. juna 1946) osnovao NBA, upropastio američku košarku. Očigledno nije nego – naprotiv. Ne samo da je unapredio ovu igru na severno-američkom kontinentu, nego je podsticajno delovao na razvoj košarke u čitavom svetu. Pomalo paradoksalno, delujući kao magnet i privlačeći najbolje igrače iz celog sveta, on je istovremeno delovao disperzivno. Rezultat: danas svi igraju košarku.

You know, what is particularly interesting about her and what makes her, in my opinion, the breakout icon that she became, is that she doesn’t just stop at promoting the complacent view of the superiority of European civilization, white supremacy, and capitalism. While she does do that, her personal experiences as a Jewish person in Russia and as a woman meant that she herself faced exclusion and was unable to achieve many of the things she believed she deserved. She was bitterly angry about her own situation, despite having antisemitic views herself and holding a view that femininity ultimately required submission. People patronized and dismissed her due to her Jewish heritage, Russian immigrant background, and gender. She resented not being accepted into the privileged, complacent elite of capitalists and intellectuals she aspired to be a part of.

So her fiction and her thinking are a combination of advocating the deep hierarchies of Western civilization and expressing her anger about feeling like an outsider. Her plots and characters are influenced by these experiences, providing points of identification for those who also feel marginalized. It is worth noting that she has a significant following beyond just the right-wing. She has a large queer fan base, including those who write fan fiction. An article in a recent issue of Gay & Lesbian Review explored the homoerotic themes in The Fountainhead — without delving into the broader context of the book, which is quite common.

Her representation of marriage in her works emphasizes it as something that holds individuals back, despite her own marriage, which was for citizenship purposes, not producing any children. She portrays the limitations imposed by family, state, and church, and the desire to break free from them. Many teenagers identify with this notion, feeling that the family, church, and state inhibit their true selves, and her work is about how a creative individual can rebel against these constraints. As a result, she has garnered a sizable following, even among progressives who may overlook the broader context of her book.