camelcoat said:
SWP's back said:
It was, you are right.
You don't think you have a monopoly on it, you're simply the only club to merchandise and market it.
What a prick
I have no time whatsoever for Liverpool. I find most things about their club to be distasteful, moronic and entitled. However the way they handled Hillsborough, both at the time and over the proceeding years, has been pretty much impecable. I'm not talking about the events on that day and Liverpools role in them, I'm talking about the aftermath. Liverpool handled themselves with dignity, and respected those who died in a sympathetic manner. They are still fighting for the truth to come out, but apart from that, and the anniversary of the actual event, they keep themselves to themselves over the incident, a truly remarkable feat when you consider their propensity to grasp for anything to grieve over.
The you have the Munich air disaster, an equally tragic event, albeit 30 years prior to Hillsborough and with a lower death toll. Now if United simply acknowledged the anniversary with reverance each year people would have no issues whatsoever with it. After all, it's only right to remember those who died at that time. It's the seemingly weekly references to it in the media, both from United and non-united affiliated individuals which rankles and, ultimately, isn't doing United any favours on the sympathy/empathy front. It's like "that balmy night in 99" but with a tragic twist, a tragic twist that should see the event treated with respect and not used as a bi-line for articles, or a segway between unrelated points.
Add to that the increase in Worldwide appeal which has an undeniable link to the events of 50+ years ago and people start to feel apathy rather than empathy. United's profile, like it or not, was increased by the tragedy. That wasn't anyone's fault, it was inevitable. However there are ways of dealing with that, as time passes the association, in none United fans minds, between United and a specific disaster, diminishes, or at least should. Fans born 10 or 20 years after the air disaster have no reason to make the connection to any great degree, yes it happened, but so long ago it doesn't really factor into their view of the club. That natural distance between people now and the events of over half a century ago simply hasn't been allowed to happen. Rather than going for the more sympathetic approach, the more respectful approach of actually allowing the dead to rest in peace, in the way Liverpool have, United over the years have made constant reference to Munich. No-one has been left in any doubt as to just how tragic it all was. Without wishing to sound overly callous, the Munich air disaster shouldn't really matter to my life, or the lives of anyone under the age of about 40, maybe more. It was so long ago, JFK was killed more recently! Man landed on the moon more recently. Hell, England won the World Cup more recently! The only reason it does matter is that the club won't let it lie. I can accept Bobby Charlton talking about, after all he lived through it, it actually happened to him, although it gets slightly galling when, unprovoked and unprompted, and entire unrelated to whatever he's talking about, he starts to reference it. In every interview he ever gives. I really can't stand Kenny Dalgliesh, he's a truly vile man, but he was at Hillsborough that day, he experienced the tragedy first hand, and far more recently. I can't remember, unless the actual topic of conversation was Hillsborough itself, him bring it up. In fact, he kept quiet about it for 20 years.
Basically, for many football fans, the constant referencing back to something that happened over 50 years ago and demanding attention, respect and compassion in relation to it wore thin a long time ago. The time gap between present day and the Munich air disaster is more than the time gap between the Munich air disaster and the Titanic sinking. Do you honestly think, in the 1950's, people thought about the Titanic at all, yet alone talked about it on a seemingly daily basis? And why would they? Disasters where people died or are killed occur each and every year. Do the respectful thing, keep it in-house. Remember and respect the dead, but don't make the mistake of thinking anyone else has to feel the same way, or wants to be involved. It's a United thing, from a long long time ago, it would be best to keep it that way.
