I am very caught up in the Oiler's amazing play-off run and can't wait for tonight's game, wanting desperately for this team to overcome the odds and complete the come-back, it is such a compelling narrative, and this Panthers team play the perfect foil, but...
But in the back of my mind, even as I envy the sense of community, camaraderie and coming-together in Edmonton, I can't help but shake the thought that it can all turn so dark, so quickly. We all know that a hypothetical loss tonight could turn the cheerful, hugging, back-slapping, high-fiving, chanting crowd into a destructive and violent mob in the span of a beer chug.
If a McMansion is a cheap ersatz of an actual Mansion, then I'm afraid as great an athlete as young Connor is, he is no saviour. We can enjoy this historical performance and get caught up in the hype, the atmosphere, the festivities, but our ultimate hope, our worth, our love of neighbour and even our joy cannot depend on the outcome of a Game 7 Stanley Cup Final.
You are right. McDavid is not the real savior. The ease with which people adopted the nickname McJesus suggests to me they know this isn't a serious proposition, that joy in hockey is a far poorer form of other joys. When I mention that there would be a gaping absence in our culture without hockey, this is what I am trying to get at. This is the best thing we have got in our current society with its void of meaning. On days like today, it feels pretty OK, one day away from a big thing happening. But it is still just a McMansion when compared to an actual mansion!
Let's go Oilers! (he shouted without irony)
I am very caught up in the Oiler's amazing play-off run and can't wait for tonight's game, wanting desperately for this team to overcome the odds and complete the come-back, it is such a compelling narrative, and this Panthers team play the perfect foil, but...
But in the back of my mind, even as I envy the sense of community, camaraderie and coming-together in Edmonton, I can't help but shake the thought that it can all turn so dark, so quickly. We all know that a hypothetical loss tonight could turn the cheerful, hugging, back-slapping, high-fiving, chanting crowd into a destructive and violent mob in the span of a beer chug.
If a McMansion is a cheap ersatz of an actual Mansion, then I'm afraid as great an athlete as young Connor is, he is no saviour. We can enjoy this historical performance and get caught up in the hype, the atmosphere, the festivities, but our ultimate hope, our worth, our love of neighbour and even our joy cannot depend on the outcome of a Game 7 Stanley Cup Final.
You are right. McDavid is not the real savior. The ease with which people adopted the nickname McJesus suggests to me they know this isn't a serious proposition, that joy in hockey is a far poorer form of other joys. When I mention that there would be a gaping absence in our culture without hockey, this is what I am trying to get at. This is the best thing we have got in our current society with its void of meaning. On days like today, it feels pretty OK, one day away from a big thing happening. But it is still just a McMansion when compared to an actual mansion!