When Germany beat Brazil 7-1, an entire nation was stunned. On live TV. In front of the entire planet. What did it mean in practical terms?
There is merit in defeat, should it come, if one knows how get back on his feet, dust himself off and get moving again.
Sad! That’s what the entire country of Brazil morphed into over the course of 90 odd minutes. And it was all caught on camera. After their national team’s biblical defeat against Germany (1-7), an array of images of Brazilians crying their hearts out made the media rounds, and it was no joke. Fans across the proud football nation were truly and utterly devastated by the match result, letting their tears flow in a massive display of emotion that was as uncanny as it was fascinating.
A bunch of memes followed. An image originally making fun of the World Cup 2014 logo, depicting a fan’s face being buried inside his palm to lament a negative score, took on new meaning by typifying the Brazilian fan with his yellow-green colors and the year 2014 etched on the side of his head like a fresh wound.
Then came the website Sad Brazilians — a Tumblr page featuring fans’ reactions during and after the fateful game.
Then came the jokes — harsh ones too. First, a urologist friend of mine likened the whole incident to Brazil having had a colonoscopy on live TV.
Then a Facebook friend wrote about Scolari and how he had led Portugal to defeat on home ground against Greece in Euro 2004, which evidently set a great precedent for Seleção 2014 — not!
And, of course, Sickipedia, the bastion of cynicism, boiled over with jokes:
What’s the difference between Snow White and Brazil? Snow White had the excuse of being asleep when she let seven in [are rape jokes ever funny? this one is borderline — discuss!]
and
What’s the difference between Brazil and Oscar Pistorious? Oscar Pistorious has a better defence and more shots on target.
| Religião is Football |
Brazil is a place where football is not just a sport, but a religion. The Brazilian national football team, known as Seleção (the Selected Ones), is revered with adulation normally reserved for gods. Their victories are celebrated in ecstasy while their defeats, few and far between, scar the Brazilian psyche.
When Germany thrashed Brazil, the result was heartbreaking. Hysterical Brazillian . . . Sad Brazilian . . . Shocked Brazilian . . . Mad Brazilian . . . Horror film Brazilian
Quite a dramatic array of emotions. (images from Sad Brazilians)