Foot in the mouth disease

Whether you love him or loathe him, FIFA boss Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter remains one of football's most entertaining characters, even if it is mostly for the wrong reasons.
During his 13-years on the job, Blatter has been embroiled in controversies, allegations of corruption and general idiot behaviour. Some of his blunders were the result of his big mouth and recently, it landed him in hot water yet again. A few days ago, and with the English Premier League still reeling from two recent controversies regarding racism, the great man himself claimed that any footballer who is racially abused on the pitch by another should shake hands with the perpetrator at the final whistle. The timing of his faux pas was priceless - it apparently came on the day that Liverpool FC striker Luis Suarez was charged with racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra (who is black) and just weeks after Chelsea FC defender and captain John Terry was accused of making racist comments at Queens Park Rangers FC defender Anton Ferdinand (who is also black).

Blatter's comments drew heavy criticism, particularly from footballers. Ferdinand's brother, Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand took to twitter to voice his disbelief, calling Blatter's comments 'condescending' and 'laughable', before going on to claim that football's anti-racist stance was a fake. Los Angeles Galaxy player David Beckham accused Blatter of taking a half-hearted approach to the issue and, after Blatter was forced to apologise for his comments, former footballer Sol Campbell made it clear that Blatter's actions were unforgivable and that he should 'do the honourable thing and step down' as FIFA president.

Clearly, Blatter is a man who has fallen prey to the old 'foot in the mouth disease' once too often. I'm surprised he hasn't been given a Foot In Mouth Award or, worse a Golden Bull Award by the Plain English Campaign. This is the same man whose past gaffes include unsavoury comments about gay people in regards to the 2022 World Cup, declared that female footballers should wear tighter shorts to increase the popularity of women's football and, much to the chagrin of female football fans, implemented the rule that players who remove their shirts during goal celebrations (or celebrated too wildly) were to be booked. Throw in allegations of corruption and you have a rapsheet that is sure to be longer and more embarrassing than Lindsay Lohan's.

It's long been the bane of human society, this foot-in-the-mouth tendency. Sometimes we say things that we think is funny or light-hearted when in reality it is the complete opposite. Other times we just say things that we think make us look smart but end up having the opposite effect. A good example of these include trying to cheer people up during a difficult period by trying to put a positive spin on the situation - and coming across as an insensitive jerk instead. Another example is saying something out loud just because you believe it will make you look intelligent but instead coming across as being the total opposite. You've seen it before, where people comment on something that is making news or try to make an intellectual statement only to misuse a word, come off as arrogant and insensitive or get their facts wrong. Remember Justin Bieber's Rolling Stone interview earlier this year in which he inadvertently came across as condescending when commenting on homosexuals, abortion and rape?

And then there are those who say something to insult or correct someone only to end up offending someone else. A good example of this is the Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice, whose current boyfriend is Australian rugby union player Quade Cooper. After watching a rugby union match in September 2010 in which Australia defeated South Africa, she took to Twitter to congratulate the Australian team and taunt the opposition. Unfortunately, she ended up putting the proverbial foot in her mouth instead. Her tweet that day read 'suck on that, f****ts!!!!!' Those four little words got her into big trouble, with one of her sponsors, Jaguar, severing ties with her and many people calling her classless and bigoted. She was forced to make a public apology. Exuberance can indeed be a hindrance at times, clouding our judgement and inflating our confidence. The result can be an increased chance of getting one's self into trouble.


Then there are those who try to flatter people with their compliments but end up insulting them instead. For example, telling someone that they look 'amazing' or 'youthful' for a person of their age. While it definitely serves as a compliment, the recipient might interpret that as your way of saying 'You're an old fart but at least you still look hot'. Same goes with someone's appearance, for example telling them 'Wow!!!! You've lost weight!' The other person might think 'So what? You thought I was a fat pig?' The worse would be trying to compliment someone's personal achievement only to offend them instead. Merely congratulating them would be enough, but sometimes telling them things like 'You proved me wrong' or 'That was unexpected, well done!' can be taken the wrong way.
As it turns out even if you have something nice to say, sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut. Talk about a good deed wasted.

So where does Mr. Blatter's blunder fall under? In a way it falls under all categories. His comments came across as condescending and insensitive to anyone who has been racially abused and while it was his intention to come up with a remedy to a serious issue that would be fair to all parties he ended up insulting others instead. I guess the moral lesson of the story is to think before you speak. People tend to be mighty sensitive these days and so even the most complimentary comments could be misinterpreted and taken as an insult. So even if you have something nice or insightful to say, think before you speak.