Hooliganism

This past weekend, while returning to home to Surrey through Greater London, I encountered something different from any of my previous social experiences... Football Hooliganism. My girlfriend and I arrived at London Bridge rail station to an unexpected mass of Riot Police complete with body armour, face shielded helmets, batons, and guard dogs. They were their awaiting the infamous fans of Millwall FC who were on there way across town to play Leeds FC. What an amazing waste of resources to require hundreds of police at the station because the drunk louts where going to be changing trains at the station. Hundreds more travellers where disrupted, scared and inconvenienced by this draconian display of force interacting with the blatant stupidity of this testosterone/alcoholic mix of a mob scene. This brought to mind the social nature of entertainment and the responsibility of the creators and visionaries to realize the impact of their mediums on society and individuals as a whole. Also I was reminded of a very important man Rogan P. Taylor and his fascinating Ph.D. thesis called The Death and Resurrection Show From Shaman to Superstar. - a brilliant analysis of the social roots of modern entertainment. Rogan Taylor is now one of the worlds foremost experts on the social impacts of Football fans consulting with clubs across the globe to help them deal with its problems. His book is a must read for anyone in entertainment, it will change your perspectives on your art profoundly.