The Curious Case of Kurt Zouma
NB: This article is no way an endorsement of Kurt Zouma’s actions.
Finding topics to write about can sometimes be a bit taxing but the vitriol surrounding this surprised me so much that it's only right that I share something .
If you haven't guessed already , it's about Kurt Zouma and his ongoing case with the court of public opinion.
For those who don't know, Kurt Zouma is a French African football(soccer in U.S) player who has drawn some media attention because of a leaked video of him abusing the cats he owned.
As soon as it was released, he was trending on social media sites , and the mainstream media were calling for some punitive action - from a fine all the way to an outright sacking.
He has been fined by his club and the cats have been taken away by the RSPCA( government body that deals with animal welfare) however there is mounting pressure for his club and law enforcement to do more.
Nowadays nothing can escape entering the void of the culture wars. News events are inevitably used as political ammunition to support one's ideology. The same applies here.
There are black people who are concerned that the corporations and the football governing bodies seem more bothered by animal cruelty than human lives.
There are also those who feel, that as he is a footballer and inevitably a role model to many people , that not punishing him severely is somewhat sanctioning his behaviour.
Some observations:
- We are becoming intolerable.
Long gone are the days when people could disagree and still be amicable.
A key part in my opinion is the lack of rational discourse in the public sphere. Irrespective of what side you align with , surely you can listen and try to understand the other person’s point of view?
Jesus' words that the love of many will grow cold seems to exactly fit the times we're living in.
2) It’s not all relative.
My truth, your truth. It's all the same at the end of the day isn't it? Or is it?
A salient question - If it was relative, then why the public outroar? Why do people care about what Kurt Zouma does in his own home if we don't believe that there are some inalienable moral truths? namely that life is precious and those weaker than us should be protected .
It doesn’t immediately follow that this,(our values) are a product of an all powerful God , much more the God of the Bible but it is an interesting insight nonetheless.
3) Reconciliation is a thing of the past.
My concern through all this is that we are becoming so trigger happy to punish people, we have not provided any path for re-entering society once "your sins" have been forgiven. This of course presupposes that punishment can be rehabilitive but that’s another entire debate.
The point still stands that people do wrong- we all will.
We shoudn’t write people off because of this. I would balance out this argument with some objections but it’s quite clear the point I’m trying to make.
Closing Thoughts
This trial seems far from finished. I hope that this doesn’t descend into further ideological battles — especially when we are going through a worldwide pandemic .
We can somewhat get disconnected from reality in this technologic society we live in, and forget there are people who have lost a lot during the last few years and in perspective,this is an isolated event that doesn’t deserve so much media attention.
Sadly a silly mistake from a footballer has captured the public’s attention. Hopefully we can have investigative journalism that actually speaks to the needs of the ordinary working person.