Weekend Talk | Deformed "fan circle culture", lost humanistic spirit
2024-08-24
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As someone who has been completely isolated from sports and idol-chasing since my mother's womb, I really can't understand how the so-called "fan circle" chaos has been "stuck" to the Olympics. However, this does not prevent me from talking about this topic. Being isolated from both may have given me the advantage of being unbiased.
I first heard about the Olympic Games in the summer 20 years ago. I was still in primary school at that time, and I firmly believed that there were Sun Wukong, Ultraman and Saint Seiya in the world. During that time, whether it was TV news or the streets, everyone was talking about a concept that was mysterious and attractive to me - the Athens Olympic Games. Naturally, I understood it as a ceremony to commemorate Athena in "Saint Seiya". Although this wonderful association was eventually shattered, the many humanistic values it gave to the Olympic Games in my heart have never diminished. These humanistic values can be summarized by Winckelmann's comments on ancient Greek art - noble simplicity, quiet greatness.
Therefore, when I saw the chaos in the "fan circle" being linked to the Olympic Games, I even had an instinctive aversion - something holy and noble was being defiled. I think people's heated discussion on this topic may have similar psychological roots to my feelings.
A scholar once said that the air in ancient Greece was clean. In addition to the myths and art that emphasize humanity, and the philosophy and science that emphasize rationality, the cleanest thing about it is probably the sportsmanship dedicated to all mankind. For the ancient Greeks, sports are related to almost all careers in life. In philosophy, Parmenides and Zeno once debated movement and stillness while watching the Olympic Games; in literature, Homer used a sports meeting at the end of "Iliad" to let the heroes forget their grudges; in art, Myron's famous sculpture "Discus Thrower" was inspired by sports events... In addition, many ancient Greek celebrities participated in the Olympic Games, and it is said that Plato once won the free fighting championship.
This "clear" sports spirit has been passed down from the ancient Olympic Games to the modern Olympic Games, which is a miracle in the history of human civilization. No matter how much the form changes, its humanistic core remains unchanged. Every Olympic Games and every sports event reminds us: use tolerance to eliminate fighting, use reason to drive away bigotry, use sincerity to resolve barriers, and use magnanimity to eliminate narrow-mindedness... But unfortunately, the chaos makers in the "fan circle" have cast a shadow on these precious values.
Being outside the "fan circle", I have no way of analyzing the deep psychology of "fan circle members", and can only explain it as collective unconsciousness. This has long been common in human history, and Jung even attributed the UFO phenomenon to group psychology. However, the prevalence of the chaos in the "fan circle" today and its extreme manifestations seem to have exceeded our historical experience.
As a way of chasing stars, "fan circle culture" can be said to have existed since ancient times. But compared to today, the ancient "fan circle culture" did not present an incomprehensible morbidity. Even the allusion of "watching Wei Jie being killed" would not make people feel disgusted. On the contrary, the ancient "fan circle culture" even presented a unique beauty with its elegant expression. Lin Yutang once told a story in "The Biography of Su Dongpo": An admirer of Su Shi used ten kilograms of mutton every day to "bribe" Su Shi's secretary and asked for a handwritten note from Su Shi. When Su Shi learned about it, he smiled and said to the secretary: Slaughter is prohibited today, no notes...
Compared with the past, the deformed "fan circle culture" of today is more irrational, group-oriented and even aggressive. The ignorance and dark side of human nature have been unprecedentedly magnified to the point of becoming a chaos. From a technical perspective, this deformity and loss of control may be related to the mobile Internet. It makes it almost costless for people to connect and "group" with each other. The benefits are of course obvious, but the disadvantage is that it has given rise to various collective unconsciousness to a certain extent. For people who already lack independent will, it is difficult not to be led astray when they are in it.
Faced with these chaos, we should regain those humanistic ideals that seem to have long been out of date - whether it is the rationality and self-reflection that Socrates repeatedly emphasized, or Confucius' admonition to his disciples that "gentlemen gather in groups but do not form parties", it is still worth our lifelong pursuit with extraordinary courage, returning from the deformed "fan circle culture" to the "clear" humanistic spirit.
The ancient Greek poet Pindar wrote in a poem celebrating the Olympic Games: "May you fly high in your lifetime! And I wish to look around for all mankind with wisdom on the same day." May you and I always recite this poem.
Text｜Reporter Xie Yangliu
