The saddest thing I ever saw

In the 1920's and early 1930's, Germany was recently devastated from World War I and was a country in need of rebuilding. The people of Germany, especially the youths were desparate for new leadership, a better economy and a better way of living. Adolf Hitler then emerged.

This man came out of nowhere and almost miraculously took to the head of the ranks of Germany. In many ways, he was a brilliant politician. He is considered one of the better public speakers in history and had a way of lifting people's spirits that is almost unparalleled in recent time.

One of Hitler's main agenda's was establishing the great race. In establishing this great race, he gave people who emodied this superior race pride and an overwhelming sense of power that many had never felt before.

All of a sudden you could be a fat, pudgy, social outcast and all of a sudden that was ok. Because you were better than all minorities. Germans became Nazis because Hitler made them believe that they were better. All of a sudden the herd was developed. Anyone who wasnt a nazi was inferior and Nazis needed to let them know this.

Before i go on, i hope am not offending anyone by discussing Nazi Germany.

Anyway.

About three years back, me and a friend of mine went to Yankee Stadium for a Mets vs. Yankees game sometime in the middle of the summer.

I had bought a couple of tickets on ebay in section 41, home of the bleecher creatures.

So we showed up in our section to sounds of boos and chants of "faggot, faggot." I thought to myself, this isnt the best thing to be saying at all, but especially not in front of the groups of children sitting smack in our section.

I looked around my section at who was chanting. Most of them were male, late 20's early 30's, ugly and kind of awkward. If you were to put me in a room individually with any of these people i would destroy them. But as a group they were tough to outwit.

They had more chants to say about how "gay", "bad," "fucking shitty" the mets were that i almost couldnt get a word in. I was hoping the Mets would help me out by scoring some runs, but, C'MON, this is the Mets here.

There was one man, 5'9, 210 lbs, really annoying who stood out as the groups leader. I think his name was Joe. I guess he was the head of the bleecher creatures. Everyone looked at him to lead in completely irrational and annoying banter that lasted pretty much the entire game.

Finally, when YMCA came on in the 5th inning(note: that one is a huge winner), we caught the best of it.

This entire section of grown men and women stood up and sang.

"Young men..." etc... until the chorus came. Here's where they got brillant. So instead of YMCA they all stood up and pointed at me and my friend and said " You are so gay, " which clever enough, rhymes with YMCA.

I sat there and could only laugh. Sure these guys were having some fun at me and my buddy's expense, but this was honestly the saddest display of humanity id ever seen.

and then it happened. Right as they were pointing at me i h ad a flash back to a 10th grade history video on WW II.

And here we had them. This generations nazi youth.

As individuals they were all weak, sad, demoralized people. But with the yankees and the bleachers as their foundation. They felt strong.

They rallied around one irrational terrible leader, Joe, who got off on the power.

They picked on the smaller defenseless men, us Mets Fans, and there was really nothing we could do.

If we were to fight them, their SS, aka stadium security, would throw us out of the stadium and arrest us. Instead, all we could do is take it, without a fight.

They would point us during YMCA, as their leader sang, just like the nazis would Zig Hile (sp?) Hitler.

It was really an amazing thing to watch.


While the Yankees and their fans are not murderers, they share so many of the qualities that young Germans did upon the rise of Adolf Hitler. In their sad lives with little else going on, the Yankees, their overpowering army of resources and their constant domination, provide these people with some hope.

They make winners out of loser and give a community to those who would otherwise be outcasted. I guess in some ways, this makes the Yankees a symbol of hope, right?

Better to have pride in yourself than hope in someone else.

To each his own i guess.

Sippy Momo