Samoa VsTonga Hate Card A Sick Promo

Written by Pio Sioa
Saturday, 01 November 2008
Whoever or whatever is responsible for waving the SamoaVsTonga hate card to promote last night’s World Cup Rugby League game between the two national teams should be severely admonished. Playing up how the Samoans and the Tongans have always hated each other, and that one country once ruled the other, is inciting violence between two very passionate, and seriously patriotic sporting fans. This editorial opinion is being written with crossed fingers that the fired up emotions on and around the paddock from last night has stayed on the field. The whole promotional gimmick if it was deliberately done was reckless and irresponsible. In a sports setting where national pride is involved the hype is already fired up without going into overkill. All this publicity attention , if it was deliberately intended to stir any bad blood between the Samoans and the Tongans, to draw them out to the playing ground for commercial gains is dangerous, and should be illegal. What if the passion on the sporting field flows out onto the streets. Who will shoulder the serious repercussions of racially incited violence. Ignorance of how racial rivalry could turn seriously deadly between Samoans and the Tongans is no excuse for g this kind of promotional drive in any sporting event. Whoever started it should be charged for any form of violence that may be blamed on the outcome of last night’s rugby league game. The Rugby Union World Cup has never resorted to this kind of emotional incitement, so for its rival code to do so, if there were any hidden intentions they should be guilty of, is really scraping the bare bottom of the decency barrel. This kind of insensitive and recklessness behaviour can easily spark emotional reactions more serious than resulting in a few bruises, as incidents in the past will show. The game last night was indeed an enjoyable spectacle, even for non-rugby league fans. Both sides played with passion and fervor that are trade marks of Pacific Island attitude towards sports. Maybe that is new for many but not to us the people involved. Whether it is Samoa, Tonga or Fiji facing across from each other on the paddock, the atmosphere is always charged . Much have changed since the early days when rugby and other introduced sports were first played competitively on an inter-country basis. The exposure to new and higher standards of professionalism has fostered in the players a determination to win through better training and improved skill levels have. In just over a few decades the players have moved beyond swinging closed fists into a rival’s face to exploiting the special skills of making accurate open passes that can lead to scoring tries. These days also, when the boot shoots out it, is either to send the ball between the uprights to score points or to win good field positions. No longer is the boot on a search and destroy mission on a rival player rib cage or even worst his head. Sporting fans have also learned to appreciate the joys of better playing skills and the display of winning talents, without looking for any take home enemy scalp (Tongan or Samoan) to be mounted as a trophy on a staff in front of the house. The days of chopping off your arch-enemy’s head on the battlefields, are no longer acts of valour to be idolized and worshipped. They are simply the acts of people not worth the head on the shoulders Comments (9) Subscribe to this comment's feed Concerned fan written by Maximiilian, November 01, 2008 Thank you for such a great overview of the issue. Its ashame that we as a people still have to contend with this type of ignorance. Fa'amalo le onosa'i. 100% Pio written by Popo Uli, November 01, 2008 Malo Pio. Gr8 Editorial. 100% for this. Hate card not good at all written by Tufuga Fagaloa Tufuga, November 01, 2008 Thanks for the analysis and I agree with views and concern. When I first read pre match publications I was amazed at views expressed and presumably reported accurately and fairly by media relating to both camps.In disbelief one Tongan player is reported to have said something along the lines that every child born in Tonga will be instilled into him that Samoa is the enemy and deserves to be hated especially on sporting arena.This is not true in Samoa apart from the fact we respect Tonga and Fiji as our arch rivals and am sure the feeling is reciprocated. I believe there is always an element of pride and to some extent envious involve when our Pacific neighbors play against each other. But for someone born to instill hate against heighboring islands is wrong, twisted and irresponsible. It is bad promotions! Malo lava ma manuia galuega. Nice write up! written by Another American Samoan, November 01, 2008 Thumbs up Pio. Beautifully written! I agree with all the way! problem written by sao, November 01, 2008 the problem is, the business people and their commentators love it. they are propably copying the big time wrestling style. 100% agree with you written by Samoan in Brisbane, November 02, 2008 Thankyou !! With all the things happening here in Brisbane between the Samoans & Aboriginies that was the LAST thing I wanted to hear on the television..... Pacific Pride? written by Robert, November 02, 2008 Great read! I guess when you’re a Pacific Islander and celebrating your culture, you’re celebrating everything beautiful about it until you get to the Tongan and Samoan issue? Gangs and young Polynesian youths have corrupted and hijacked the history between the Tongans and Samoans. They’ve turned this into some twisted battle between the two Islands and countries that have normal, hard working and loving people from both Islands. I think they need to do more community and educational activity of informing the youths of both culture and people in NZ, in abstaining from hatred and negative ideas of each other. Sad to see this is happening. ... written by sole, November 09, 2008 It is the rugby league bozos trying to stir up attention for their poxy 'world' cup. They were trying to drum up support from rugby league and non-aligned fans who don't rate international rugby league as anything but a farce. stopp fightin ndd make uppp!!!!!!!! written by roro, November 21, 2008 omg!!!yurr paragraph is do damn longg butt im still gonna leave a comment! i think tongans and samoans should respect each otherr!!!cuzz like i mean were both polynesians just different cultures!!!wat im tryna say is in gods words we are both familyy no matter wat culture we are!!!!so just eff every drama...ndd makeupp trust me u wont regret ittt im tongan byy the way!!!!butt i do respect samoans nd i love em!!summ of my fwenzz are samoans!!!!lol...we both rock!!! Write comment Name Email Title Comment
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