The world cup is here, and I don’t know about you, but I am excited beyond belief. The chance to see the great players like Messi, Ronaldo, Salah, and Jordan Henderson strut their stuff is too good to miss.
Despite my feeling that there are too many teams in there which dilutes the quality (just wait until it is 48 in a few years) for me it is a real festival of football. It is a time where, for the most part counties and different ethnicities come together and celebrate what we have in common, not what divides us. It does seem an awful paradox however that we are in Russia where it has to be said, tolerance isn’t something that immediately springs to mind when you think of the country.
Shocking
As if this needed an exclamation point, women in the countries have been told not to have sex with people of different races due to the fact mixed race kids will face discrimination.
Even when Russian women marry foreigners the relationships often end badly, said Tamara Pletnyova, head of parliament’s committee for families, women and children. She says that women are left either stranded abroad, or in Russia but unable to get their children back.
She spoke in response to a question from a radio station about the so-called “Children of the Olympics” after the Moscow Games in 1980. This was a time when contraception was not readily available in the country.
This was a term from the Soviet era to describe non-white children conceived at international events after relationships between Russian women and men from Africa, Latin America, or Asia. It is true that they did face discrimination.
“We must give birth to our children. These [mixed-race] kids suffer and have suffered since Soviet times,” Pletnyova told Govorit Moskva radio station.
“It’s one thing if they’re of the same race but quite another if they’re of a different race. I’m not a nationalist, but nevertheless I know that children suffer. They are abandoned, and that’s it, they stay here with mum,” she said.
To be fair, after reading behind the headline, it isn’t as bad as it sounds originally. They always say live in the world you are, not where you want to be. If Russia is a bona fide racist country where mixed-race kids face prejudice, then I can see why warnings are being given. But my word, this is clumsy. When I say better, I mean she isn’t saying these people are ‘dirty’.
Wouldn’t it be far better to just say if you have sex use contraception? It is irrelevant who you have sex with when you come to think about it. If you have casual sex, put something on the end of it. That stops unwanted pregnancies, and STI’s.
A New Era
It does go to show that there are really serious problems in Russia when it comes to racism. Mixed race children in many countries have issues, and I suspect over there they have it worse.
With any luck, in this post Communist age, this tournament will act as a way of changing attitudes for many of the people who live there.
This is a country where there are allegations that LGBTQ people are being tortured by the state. On Thursday, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was arrested campaigning against this. I admire him for standing up for his community. It is only by seeing our revulsion at their conduct in certain areas that they will look at themselves and hopefully change.
I have no doubt that millions and millions of Russians agree with me. Just because a country has a problem with an issue, doesn’t mean the whole country is at fault. When you stand up for minority rights, you stand up for the minorities in the affected country, and the numerous people in the country who feel attitudes and policy aren’t right. It is the right thing to do.
Well, away from ridiculous views on interracial sex and LGBTQ rights. I hope, if you are watching, you all enjoy the tournament. With any luck, in one month we are talking about great football and not racism.
I think that would be something that makes us all happy.
Since then, he has specialised in articles on the battle for equal rights for sex workers, sexual health, as well as bringing the readers fun news from around the world. He also has a major interest in LGBT rights, and is an active campaigner in this field.
When he isn't fighting the good fight, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, and young daughter. He also enjoys reading and taking long walks.
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