European Football Championship: Illusion of a sick country

“DFB-Elf ignites euphoria rocket with Hungary victory,” said the ZDF text department after the second group game of the FRG selection. She then excellently demonstrated how a term that is currently being used in an inflationary way can be effortlessly integrated into a skewed linguistic image when she rejoiced that “the wave of enthusiasm” is likely to get even bigger. A little later the time had indeed come: “Füllkrug saves Germany’s group victory – and the European Championship euphoria,” sighed the Germany editorial network after the last preliminary round game.

The next day, the “Südwestpresse” was stunned: “Where is the German EM euphoria? The majority of Germans still do not expect the DFB team to win the European Football Championship title. A survey revealed something absolutely shocking: “Despite the national team’s good performances in the European Championship group phase, many German football fans do not yet believe in a fourth title.” But where there is danger, the saving grace also grows, that was the case the courageous filling jug has already proven this. “But the trend is increasing,” one reads in the “Südwestpresse”, So there is no reason to despair for now.

But alas, the bravest ones can’t live in a peaceful state of euphoria if their evil media neighbor doesn’t like it. The “Frankfurter Rundschau” had to report on June 25th that a family member of the German midfield director had expressed harsh “criticism of the ARD broadcast” after the equalizing goal in the last group game against the kickers from Switzerland. »Felix Kroos wrote on his I’m enjoying it all.’ Despite the disappointing game on Sunday, Felix Kroos is against the fact that the good atmosphere that prevails throughout the country during the European Championships will be dampened.”

Yes, the wave of exciting euphoria rockets must under no circumstances be dampened, most people in this country agree on that. Even if it’s not that easy to imagine how to dampen rocket waves. In any case, the DFB management was able to see this confirmed by the course of the public fever curve. “Rudi Völler rubs his eyes in amazement at the new euphoria surrounding the German national team,” the “Hamburger Morgenpost” reported on June 23rd. »›I was there at the last home European Championships in 1988. I was 28 then,” the DFB sports director told “Welt am Sonntag” and emphasized: “The enthusiasm in the country was great there too. But what we are experiencing now cannot be compared with that.”

No, of course that’s not possible – that would be like comparing apples with oranges. Which is logically not a problem, because, and this is crucial, there is a tertium comparisonis, since both cases are about fruit… And do “enthusiasm” and “euphoria” actually have the same meaning?

Be that as it may, Völler’s astonishment should be limited. Because the German Football Association had issued the euphoria language regulation well before the start of the tournament. It was loudly trumpeted that “we” and “the country” now “need” euphoria – either “one” or “the euphoria”. Who knows, maybe Völler was simply amazed at how smoothly such campaigns work. There may have been a confusion with enthusiasm in the wording, who knows. Either way, the euphoric conceptual confusion has now also been included in the Federal President’s repertoire of announcements.

Conflicts and contradictions are becoming more and more evident, the authoritarians are on the rise, the governing parties are fueling sadistic fantasies when dealing with refugees – but the mood in the country is great. That’s something, isn’t it? It really depends…

Despite ourselves, the ideological slogan of euphoria conveys a real moment. The venerable term “euphoria” is ambiguous. According to the reliable “Historical Dictionary of Philosophy,” “in the medical literature of antiquity,” this meant, among other things, “the illusion of a sick person that he is actually doing great.” Aha.

Well, that was then. In ancient times there was no evidence-based science. What was the situation like in the 20th century? “In the tradition of the 19th century, Karl Jaspers and many others,” we continue to read, “call ‘euphoria’ any abnormal cheerfulness, whether it occurs as an innate temperamental peculiarity, in a manic phase, in physical illness or in poisoning.” And for today, the “Historical Dictionary of Philosophy” states dryly: “Euphoria is currently generally understood as an abnormal or pathological cheerfulness.” This shows once again how true to life the philosophical-scientific terminology can be.

If the FRG selection is eliminated from the tournament on Saturday evening against the Danish kickers, embarrassing memories of the supposed embarrassment of 1992 could be awakened. At that time, Chancellor Kohl had scoffed before the final: Denmark doesn’t want to join the European Union, but does it want to become European football champions? That would be even nicer. Then it was. And if things go south for the Germans again today, the manic phase of football poisoning fueled by the media could come to an abrupt end.

It is to be feared that it will then turn back into that widespread (not innate, but socialized) “temperamental peculiarity” that makes the mood of all those in this country so subdued who want the perhaps impossible: a life free of resentment, nationalism and Competition. And last but not least, the mood of those who (like the author of these lines) love the ball game and don’t want to let go of the idea that one better day it might be possible to play and watch it without the ideological apparatus of the national competition state.