My thesis on the World Cup

A little thought experiment. Picture writing a thesis. Not the easiest of jobs, but with the right mix of concentration and endurance it is doable. People have done it before, people do it all the time. So, theoretically speaking: No biggie.
Good. Now add being bombarded for months with slogans like “Live it! Love it! Louder!” and “Feel it, IT IS HERE!”, screaming and cheering people in advertisement for products ranging from soap to insurance and a 1/3 of every news bulletin dedicated to the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cop. Things build up.

Ok, we’ve got it so far. Now note that the things mentioned above start influencing the direct everyday world around you. People start asking you: “Can you feel it? It is here!”, people rock up to formal work meetings in football jerseys, strangers stop you in the street to discuss the chances of the home side. Soccer becomes the norm.

And then the final blow: the structure of the outside world changes accordingly. Roads are blocked off, bands of foreign nationals, recognised by their flags and colours, roam the streets. On familiar places unfamiliar things arise, like stadiums, fan parks, marimba bands and the never ending supply of paraphernalia. And the vuvuzela’s. Morning, midday, afternoon, evening. And night. Oh, the piercing sound of a vuvuzela penetrating the confines of my bedroom at five in the morning.

There’s a limit to what a person can handle. And the meaning of some words gets lost in the above process of transformation. Like the word ‘thesis’. It rings a bell. Somewhere. But it is drowned out by the trumpeting sounds around me, the enveloping madness of a people unitedly excited. So I don’t know what you are going to do with your day, BUT I’M OUTTA HERE!