About Representing the Mambo
This particular artistic endeavour began when one of us, got embroiled in an argument on his work’s email marketplace about the British riots in the summer of 2011. A long, slightly gauche response was written to a crowd of knuckle-draggers that were talking bollocks about what the causes were and what the political response should be. The article pissed a lot of people off, but also got a lot of praise.
Following this unexpected success a lapsed leftist got thinking and decided that this could become the beginning of something special. Representing the Mambo was born.
DC, who brings to the table his specialist interest in the Beautiful Game (we mean football obviously) is the joint administrator of the site and regular contributor. His articles are the well written ones.
Other contributors are coming on board and we hope to create a diverse, non-partisan, well-informed progessive space where people angry about the world but not particularly interested in the po-faced norms that characterise so much left-wing discourse can sound off. We also think that football, as the main interest of so many working class people everywhere, and the prism through which they often perceive the world around them needs to be taken seriously.
We also want to encourage informed discussion about other important cultural issues (like music) and the dross that passes itself off as popular entertainment.
We apologise in advance for the frequent foul language.
We will run a liberal comment policy and obviously encourage debate. But right-wing trolls don’t really interest us and from time to time we will just tell you to fuck off. We are also more than happy to provide a platform for any interesting articles if you wish to submit them to us.
Clearly there are endless left-wing blogs on the web and we are just one of many. But we hope to carve out a niche and stand against the mainstream, ‘common-sense’ consensus on the Right and Left.
Feel free to contact us, if you have anything to say or even wish to contribute, and be a part of journalistic history:
representingthemambo@yahoo.com.
We intend to be making appearances on twitter and facebook shortly. Not because we have any interest in them, but because we want people to read what we say and respond enthusiastically, or angrily.
We all have fairly similar worldviews but the opinions expresed within an article are the opinions of the author, and no one else, unless we suggest otherwise.
Jan 20, 2012 @ 22:04:01
Just thought I’d leave a quick message to say I’ve been reading through your articles and I think it’s a smashing blog. Great work. I only started blogging and I’ve written a few articles you’ll either love or hate, but I seem to share similar political opinions to you nonetheless. Keep up the great and interesting work.
Jan 25, 2012 @ 17:55:30
As an old working class socialist who grew up going to the dell, I suggest this blog misunderstands the relationships between football, football fans and socialism.
Maybe once, long ago, there were working class fans who would discuss the injustice of their lot in the pub after the match, who then translated their solidarity into some cohesive action. Maybe, I don’t know enough to say. What I do know is that this is not the case these days.
Football is now a tool of oppression. It epitomises everything that is wrong in our society. The working masses drooling over the antics of a few greedy, soulless multi-millionaires to line the pockets of media moguls. Tax evading bureaucratic managements marketing franchises. Pundits enriching themselves further by advertising snacks to make our children fat…you know the stuff I’m talking about.
Most football fans don’t actually attend matches but watch on Sky instead. Not much solidarity found on the sofa. Even if AFC Wimbledon are ever featured you know that any politics will never be addressed. Do you listen to 5live? The socialists I know who still attend are the type of socialists who believe the Guardian and Independent are on their side.
Football has long become part of the (situationist’s) ‘spectacle’. It is a disease that preoccupies the masses – a diversion easier to analyse, in endless detail on endless media outlets, than the machinations of the ruling elites.
Your site is an own goal. With this football stuff you become, if not ignored, part of the spectacle. You could take the time to see what Chomsky has to say on this but actually your comment count says it all.
Feb 11, 2012 @ 14:20:22
I’m a Canadian currently doing a study term abroad in the UK. I came across this blog by accident, but I wanted to leave a quick note saying I’m rather glad that I did! I’ve been trying to wade through the confusing waters of British politics, and this site has provided a great progressive source.
Jun 07, 2012 @ 10:24:32
I have just linked to this site from a Grauniad blog (David Pleat on 6 talents to watch for in the Euro champs). I have several articles and enjoyed them. Congratulations on some interesting work.
I am torn over Peter Piman’s comments. He is probably right in his view that football, at the higher levels, is symptomatic of much that is wrong with our society. It is the circus part of bread and circuses – not sure where the bread is these days, possibly benefits and tax breaks, but that is something you cold explore in one of your articles perhaps? Anyway, I love football, but I have found diminishing levels of enjoyment from it over the past 20 years. Where once there were numerous teams who could hope to win the league, now there are realistically perhaps 3. Where world cups were an opportunity to see players you had only read about, now you are overfamiliar with all the top names having seen them either domestically or in the european competitions. The attitude of players, frequently retiring early or making themselves unavailable for their country suggests that the obscene earnings have undermined the sport and turned it increasingly into a branch of the entertainment business. Sport may entertain, but it should be more than entertainment.
Sep 13, 2012 @ 02:41:25
I feckin’ hate football, but I love you all the same! ‘You’re all doing very well’, so said Young Mister Grace…. Keep up the good work.