The world is going through turbulent times. The Russian-Ukrainian war worried the entire world, fearing that this conflict could turn into World War III. The images portrayed by the media of injured civilians suffering the aftereffects of the bombings are truly disheartening. As a Mexican, I was heartbroken and deeply concerned about the possibility that this armed conflict could push our civilization eighty years into the past, to suffer bloodshed on a scale only witnessed by our late grandparents and ancestors. As the days go by and the conflict fails to reach a peaceful resolution, I fear the worst.
Unfortunately yesterday I was violently dragged into the past, not for eighty years but for at least half a millennium, and this time not having Europe as the setting, but rather my homeland.
On March 5, 2022, a soccer match took place in the city of Querétaro, between two teams: “Atlas” from the city of Guadalajara and the “Gallos Blancos” from the city of Querétaro. Even before the match could conclude, violence broke out. Fans of the Querétaro team attacked the opposing team. I couldn't describe the gruesome images as anything other than barbaric. Videos shared on social media show fans violently beating their already unconscious rivals on the ground, stripping them naked and ridiculing them. Preliminary figures speculate that the number of dead could reach twenty and the number of injured is several dozen, even one hundred, this includes families and children. A barbaric spectacle that had not been seen since the times of the Spanish conquest.
Yesterday's event truly left me speechless and deeply alarmed by the rotten social fabric and future of Mexico.
As Mexicans, we love to blame others. It's almost a sport for us. We attribute the underdevelopment of our country to the Spanish conquest or the influence of the Yankee government. We blame our politicians or organized crime for everything bad that happens, as if those individuals were of another nationality. As if they were foreigners, intruders or invaders. We cannot recognize that all of them are actually Mexicans, and that same politician or criminal that we hate so much, many times end up being our acquaintances, friends, or worse yet, our own family.
Let's speak clearly. The “fanatics” who appear in the video beating other human beings without the slightest trace of empathy or remorse have a name, they are psychopaths (sociopaths at least). He Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines this behavior as Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), and its most severe form is called psychopathy. “Psychopath” is someone whose hurtful actions toward others tend to reflect calculation, manipulation, and cunning; They also tend to be emotionless and imitate (rather than experience) empathy for others. We are talking about cold-hearted people, incapable of putting themselves in another's shoes, even when the other is under terrible suffering or on the brink of death.
We have psychopaths and sociopaths among us. People like these criminals who, after committing their crimes, will return to the quiet comfort of their family and friends. They will experience no remorse, unconcerned with the reach of the law, living in a country with a useless and corrupt judicial system and facing condemnation from their inner circle of family and friends, who will not hold them accountable for their crimes, and this despicable event will end. becoming just an anecdote to brag about for years to come.
We Mexicans are responsible for what happens within our country. It may seem impossible to change the government or the laws, but as civil society we still have a powerful weapon: the repudiation.
So, I call on my Mexican brothers and sisters to repudiate the criminals. Even if they are your friends or family. I call on you not to condone the owners of the team and stadium, government and police who allowed (by opening the doors and allowing them to enter the stadium with weapons) this to happen. I call on you if the soccer tournament is not canceled and the responsible team is not banned, and FIFA does not eliminate Mexico's participation in Qatar and the hosting of the 2026 World Cup, do not watch and do not attend the games!
Because if they watch or attend the games, they will turn a blind eye to crime, just as we complain about our officials every day.
The power to change things is in our hands. Let's stop making excuses and change our reality unless this is the future you want for you and yours.
M. Ch. Landa
