There's no way that $2 plastic horns from WalMart are part of the "South African Culture"

[scheming daemons]

Part of the joy of international soccer is hearing the fans for various team sing and chant during the games.... now that is being drowned out by incessant buzzing of 50,000 killer bees... or what sounds like it.

Television networks around the world have asked FIFA to get rid of the "vuvuzelas" (the South African word for annoying plastic horns from WalMart, apparently) because of the thousands of complaints from audience around the globe.

FIFA has declined, saying that the vuvuzelas are a part of the South African culture and it would be wrong to remove them.


The things are made out of cheap plastic. If they are part of the "culture", they haven't been part of it for very long. I call bullshit.



I want to hear the English fans singing for their team. I want to see and hear the Brazilian fans dancing and partying and singing.

What about THOSE countries' soccer cultures?



Death to the vuvuzelas.

[WinkyDink]

1. Agreed! It was maddening during USA/England! Also, what part of "WORLD" do they not GET?

[HuckleB]

48. The world went to them, and knew the vuvuzelas were a part of it from the beginning.

Vuvuzela: The Buzz of the World Cup
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Vuvuzela-The-Buzz-of-the-World-Cup.html

[QC]

2. Why is everyone so angry about vulvas? They are perfectly natural!

[FSogol]

11. Yeah, I have to say I'm pro-vulva aslo.

They sound like bees? Really?

[QC]

18. If it sounds like an angry bee, you should probably back off.

But I admit that vulvae are outside my area of expertise.

[Lance_Boyle]

3. South Africa guarantees that it will never again host another international sporting event.

Brilliant move, asshole bee-buzzers.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Only 50,000 killer bees ?

If every bee on the planet was there they couldn't create that din. Having said that the locals, who could afford tickets , needed something cheap and cheerful.

[jobycom]

5. Why do westerners want to go to other countries and drown out the culture for the sake of their own?

Would the English fans stop singing their songs so South Africans could hear the vuvuzelas if the Cup were held on the Isles? :shrug:

[scheming daemons]

7. That's just it.... $2 plastic horns aren't part of the SA culture... that's made up bullshit

...

[HuckleB]

45. Bullshit.

Just because it's not ancient, you think it's not part of their culture?

:rofl:

[Bo]

8. THE HORNS DESTROY THE GAME...KILL THE HORN

It is HORRIBLE, here in Ecuador everyone hates them.....

[Codeine]

9. Plastic horns less than a decade old

are not part of a "culture". Let them save the mutant bees for South African sporting events -- this is a world tournament.

I can guarantee two things -- FIFA will henceforth ban horns at all future World Cups, and South Africa will have a devil of a time being taken seriously again as a venue for international football.

[jobycom]

14. Sigh.

You'll probably win. It just makes me sad to be an American.

[scheming daemons]

16. It's not "Americans".... citizens of EVERY country are complaining about it

[Codeine]

20. Why? The entire WORLD is unhappy with them.

This is not an issue about "ugly Americans", and you shouldn't pretend it is. FIFA is taking shit from across the GLOBE on this. The vuvuzela is not South African culture, it's not football culture, it's not adding to the game, and it will not be repeated.

Oh shit! North Korea just scored! That's awesome!

[jobycom]

30. Because I would want this country to be better.

I can't control other countries.

And what's with the "It's not part of their culture" myth? They've been at the games for decades, they caught on for cultural reasons, and they are part of the game atmosphere of the country. That makes it part of their culture by any definition I've read or could imagine.

[Codeine]

31. Not liking stupid droning noises doesn't make us bad.

The only people defending this are people who know nothing of international football and honestly feel like they're defending a put-upon non-Western cultural tradition. If they want to make those headache-inducing, ear-damaging noises during league games in SA then they are welcome to it, but this sound does not belong on the world football stage.

The fans agree; across cultures, from all political perspectives, and in every language football fans want this stupid monotonous noise ended. FIFA fucked up big-time, but as usual they're too stubborn to admit it.

[HuckleB]

46. I don't buy it.

http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/news/newsid=1073689.html

[sinkingfeeling]

6. This says they've been in SA since 2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela

[jobycom]

21. Actually, it says the plastic version has been there since 2001, but it has been there since the 70s

"Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s. Well-known Kaizer Chiefs F.C. fan Freddie "Saddam" Maake claims to have invented the vuvuzela by adapting an aluminium version as early as 1965 from a bicycle horn after removing the black rubber to blow with his mouth. He later found it to be too short and joined a pipe to make it longer. Maake has photos of him in the 1970s and 1980s at local South African games and international games in 1992 and 1996 and at the 1998 World Cup in France, holding the aluminium vuvuzela. He says the instrument was banned as authorities ruled it a dangerous weapon, which prompted him to find a plastic company that could manufacture it."

[Codeine]

23. A vuvuzela was, not a stadium of them.

Some dude made a trumpet that played one monotonous tone, finally convinced a Chinese company to pump out a bazillion cheap plastic versions after years, and FIFA lacked the guts to ban them.

[jobycom]

28. That's not what it says.

It says they were popular in the early 90s, but they switched to plastic ones when officials ruled the metal ones could be weapons (probably for just reasons, given soccer fans).

[backscatter712]

10. The vuvuleza makers may be changing their horns.

From what I've heard, they may be changing the mouthpieces to reduce the volume by 20 decibels.

Of course, the fans will go apeshit when their noisemakers only make 1/100th of the noise they used to make... :evilgrin:

[Turborama]

12. Imagine what it would sound like if the stadium was full of these?

NB: A noise that's not safe for work at any volume level...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qegs7qK6eVI

[blogslut]

13. Are air horns banned from American football games?

[Lance_Boyle]

19. I think it varies by venue

but anyone blasting one near me in a stadium will be wearing it as a suppository shortly thereafter.

I think even the NFL might object if 50K fans blasted air horns nonstop for entire games.

[blogslut]

25. I was just wondering

As for the horns in question, I distinctly remember one of my brothers owned such a horn in the 60's. It was red, plastic and was for use at football games.

Personally, I should probably stay out of this argument since I'm not a much of a sports fan.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

35. Remember when the Seahawks banned fans from cheering?

Yeah, that was pretty stupid too.

[jobycom]

24. They banned cowbells from Mississippi State games, the bastards.

They've just lifted that ban, but back in the 70s cowbells were a tradition at Mississippi State. One year, when MS beat Bama, Bear Bryant blamed it on the noise of the cowbells, and they were banned (can't remember if it was the SEC or NCAA).

[Ernesto]

15. My call is that they are a product of

China's export culture!

[QC]

17. The native people there used to use kudu horns to call people to meetings

over long distances.

So yeah, I guess one could make the argument that this is rooted in tradition, but it seems like people are more interested in being loud and obnoxious than honoring their ancestors.

[Lucian]

22. I read that as "blowing on vulvas."

Gee, where's my mind? :eyes:

:rofl:

[Codeine]

26. Exactly where it should be. nt

[mokawanis]

27. I thought I could get used to the noise

but I can't. I hate those fucking horns. I watch the games with the sound off and that sucks too, just not quite as much.

[Codeine]

29. They brought this shit to the Home Depot Center

at Galaxy games for a while. The stadium had the good sense to ban them. Ridiculous and obnoxious. They add nothing but a droning noise to the game.

[Riftaxe]

32. Apparently it is part of SA culture

Much as *insert current fad* is part of American Culture. Just out of curiosity, what did you think the word culture meant?

[Codeine]

34. If that's all it is,

then there shouldn't be any outcry about telling them to knock it the fuck off during the World Cup.

[Riftaxe]

41. I agree, it is a distraction for the players

that goes beyond normal crowd noise and chanting that they would normally encounter.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

33. Apparently they were invented by a South African in the 1960s.

By modifying a bicycle horn. The early versions were made out of tin, and presumably other cheap metals.

I see no reason by just because they're also made of plastic and sold at Walmart that they cannot be part of African culture.

Reminds me of the people who would ban Native American casinos because poker and slot machines "aren't native american."

[HuckleB]

47. +1

[Nailzberg]

36. The Chicago Sting used to sell similar horns in the 80's.

Its nothing new.

[TZ]

37. Jeezus

This thread is why people talk about the ugly American. No wonder my international friends have a low opinion of us

[Codeine]

39. This is international.

The entire world is irritated by these things. The BBC had to double the filter on their crowd mics to cut down on the drone.

[TZ]

40. Irritation with the noise is understandable

Bashing a countries tradition as "two dollar Wal-Mart horns" is ignorant and foolish.

[Crabby Appleton]

38. Shofer horn

[cherokeeprogressive]

42. So correct. But... We're not talking about "South African Culture". We're talking South African

SOCCER Culture.

Live with it.

[HuckleB]

43. Pfft.

Mike & Mike kick your butt.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5287552/ce/us/bbc-mulls-vuvuzela-free-option-viewers?cc=5901&ver=us

[HuckleB]

44. Vuvuzela: SA football's beautiful noise

http://www.southafrica.info/2010/vuvuzela.htm