Racism

The most prominent form of differences among humans is probably racial differences (which include the differences of skin color). Racism has been so common throughout the history of humankind, for hundreds or even thousands of years. The most common definition of racism is probably when members of one racial background consider themselves intrinsically superior to members of other racial groups. Traditionally, there are three different types of race on earth: white, black, and yellow racial stocks. As racial differences are shown physically, they can easily be a source of prejudice and conflict.

Racial mockery or racial slur may originate from any sources. If one is not mature enough to understand what diversity means, such mockery can easily occur. What makes it even worse is when the problem escalates from racial slur into racial conflict that can even take human tolls. Sadly, racism is a latent problem that can happen anytime and anywhere.

Soccer field is a place where racialism often shows its effects. In many professional soccer clubs in Europe, the players come not only from Europe itself, but also from other continents. Consequently, diversity, which includes racial diversity, becomes an integral part of many professional soccer teams. Supporters also come from various backgrounds actually. There is an anecdote saying that there is only one group of supporters: those who come and watch the games to enjoy the beauty of the games.

Unfortunately, there are times when the beautiful game can be incredibly ugly. Some people are just not smart enough to know that racism can ruin the spirit of fair play in soccer and other sports. Several racism incidents have been occasionally reported in some European soccer leagues in the past few years. Early in 2006, a racial slur was directed toward Samuel Eto'o, a striker who plays for Barcelona. The incident occurred when Barcelona was having a match against Real Zaragoza at Zaragoza's home stadium. Eto'o, a Cameroon national, had to endure monkey chants and peanuts thrown at him from the crowd, mainly Zaragoza's supporters. This incident happened toward the end of the game, when Barcelona was scoring better than Real Zaragoza. Eto'o got angry and wanted to leave the field until fellow players convinced them to stay and play on.

Such racist incident breaks the concept of social justice that we all value. Just because someone comes from a different place and may belong to another racial group, it doesn't mean that we have to treat that person differently. Discrimination to "different people", including migrant workers should be accepted as an outdated notion, an idea that should no longer exist in the 21st century. It is now time to acknowledge all differences and move forward to create a better living space for everyone.

References :
http://www.zonabola.com/detail.php?lokasi=spanyol&node=15832
http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ras_manusia
http://ligaeropa.com/index.php?action=news.detail&id_news=2176&judul=Zaragoza%20Buru%20Pelaku%20Rasis
http://www.liputanbola.com/laliga/?id=833&page=99
http://youtube.com/watch?v=36OPNTJGUMU