There is a fairly even mix in my family between City and United. Mam's side: Mam+1uncle=City, 1uncle=United. Dad's side: Dad+1aunty=City, 1unlce+2aunties=United. And all of my cousins followed their parents. About half of the family are regular attenders or seasoncard/ticket holders at either the CoMS or OT! So a mix and a big opportunity for a hell of a lot of banter, and there is, loads! But one word you never hear mentioned in a derogatory way in my family is "M?n?ch" because we have respect!
However, from about 1999/2000 or so i was 17 and old enough to go watching City without my Dad and started going a lot with one of my cousins. We'd hear all the different songs and views of a lot of think and moronic people who follow City who took pleasure in singing all sick shit about M?n?ch and i thought it was funny and part of being a City fan! so being young and impressionable i'd start to sing the songs and use M?n?ch as a common-use word!
But now as i've got a bit older, more intelegent and wiser and i saw the programmes on the air disaster from the 50th anniversary - i've realised that it takes some sort of special twat to take pleasure in singing and taking the piss about people who died in a plane crash!
So what if United sing songs about Hillsborough or the Leeds fans who were stabbed in Turkey! So what if they are the fucking most moronic set of fans in the whole world! What is it you think of them when you hear all the shit they say/sing? It makes you think they are twats doesnt it!? We've got to be better than these Rags, we've got to rise above all this backwards shit and get some intelegence in our heads and act as proper human beings and take the piss out of them for anything but M?n?ch (and there's loads of stuff!) because the moment we sing that word we're as bad as them!
Besides - i know i have, and im sure plenty of you are the same - we must all know, be friends with, have family members or even wives/girlfriends who are United fans!?? And its true, as City and United rivalry is really only a friendly local rivalry when you compare it to other big rivalries like Rangers and Celtic (religion, Protestant v Catholic, wars in Ulster), Sevilla and Real Betis (class, rich v poor, massive conflict and oppression), Galatasaray and Fenerbahce (the European side of Istanbul v the Asian side of Istanbul, nuff said!) and Barcelona v Real Madrid (scirmishes, battles, even wars faught, politics, Facist regime, etc etc etc)!
I think a lot of City fans have tried to stoke up a fire that isnt really there between City and United! apart from the fact they are a world-wide club, they arent all that different to us! they might have different views but when it comes to the Macunian element of both sides, we are the same as each other! but some people cant have a friendly rivalry so they have used this M?n?ch shit to try and make something more of it, to try and stir up some hatred between us!
But to be honest, even they've now got to the point where they think its funny when we sing the songs - they laugh at us and think it's so pathetic! and do you know what, they are right, it is pathetic!
CTID! but i'm a City fan, not a United hater and M?n?ch singer!
