Giant Insects in Your TV

If you turn on the World Cup you will notice this strange sound coming from your tv. It may sound like a giant mosquito is circling you, but have no fear, there are no insects about to swarm you. No, that's the sound of the vuvuzela, a plastic horn used by South Africans during soccer games. Talk to fans (who are watching on tv) and they will say these should be banned because they are annoying; talk to players and they will say it is affecting their performance. They really are becoming the talking point of the Cup, which is really sad (of course that wouldn't be the issue if the soccer wasn't so poor so far).

I think I am in the minority here when I say that they don't bother me. Sure it's strange not to hear any chanting, but songs and chants are a cultural thing and considered normal only because that is what American fans are used to. While the English like to sing (we know how many EPL fans there are in this country so the influence is wide), the Brazilians like to dance and the South Africans like to blow horns. At the very least, even if you find the horns annoying, they should represent a welcome look into another culture. You can respect their right to blow horns, but obviously you don't have to listen - if they bother you so much, just turn the tv down.

I don't agree with FIFA very often, but for once I think they got it right. In response to talk about banning the vuvuzelas, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said "I don't see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country. Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?" He's right on target with this one - FIFA decided to hold the World Cup in South Africa. The decision has been applauded worldwide, yet now the world wants to ban something of cultural significance because other fans don't like it. I think you need to take the bad with the good.

Now that I am done opining, I will admit that my one concern about this is that the horns will infiltrate the rest of the sports world. I may not mind listening to the horns during the South African World Cup, but I am not excited about listening to them outside of this tournament. They should NOT be brought to England and replace the songs. They should not be brought to the US and be used like thundersticks as artificial noisemakers. This is one cultural phenomenon that we should not adopt. Let South Africa have it. We don't need it.

Unfortunately, I imagine little kids will be into them, which means they will make money, which means some company will begin manufacturing them. Sorry to say but they will be making their way stateside soon.