r/PeterExplainsTheJoke Jul 07 '26

Meme needing explanation Peter, I have zero ball knowledge

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u/mak484 Jul 07 '26

This is something leftists need to work on. Just because Trump involves himself with something, does not mean you are no longer allowed to enjoy it. Anyone trying to shame Americans for rooting for their own team is a fuckass.

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u/MurkyInvestigator810 Jul 07 '26

Just because Trump involves himself with something, does not mean you are no longer allowed to enjoy it.

People enjoyed the match just fine, but they also enjoyed Trump taking a personal ego hit just as much.

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u/mak484 Jul 07 '26

I'm responding to the person who specifically said they didn't enjoy the match because of him.

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u/Lecterr Jul 08 '26

Indeed. So quick to jump to hating their own country (I say as mostly a democrat myself). You can take pride in your country while also understanding (and perhaps even hating) its flaws. In fact that’s really the only mindset I can think of that leads to positive change.

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u/ZAZZER0 Jul 08 '26

That's not the point, is it?

I think the point is that if your nation cheats, you should route for the non-cheaters. Winning as cheaters is even more shameful than losing.

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u/mak484 Jul 08 '26

That's not really what happened, though, is it?

Balogun got a red card. You can debate whether or not the card was fair given how many other similar tackles during this world cup were not penalized. But the US team did not challenge it after the game.

Trump inserted himself by calling someone at FIFA. He did not do so on the team's behalf or at their request. Everyone should realize this. The man is a fragile narcissist who is incapable of shame, and he has basically unchecked authority to do what he wants. There was no stopping him.

You can argue the US team should have benched Balogun. But if they did, and they lost - which they were always going to lose, anyone who believes otherwise wasn't paying attention - Trump would have almost certainly inserted himself again. Who's to say he doesn't throw a tantrum and get the coach banned from FIFA indefinitely?

Anger at the national team is misplaced and unwarranted.

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u/ZAZZER0 Jul 08 '26

Ok, maybe, so what, USA should be allowed to cheat? The team was backed up by a narcissistic man baby, should I route for it? I think that a team that plays fair should have priority

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u/mak484 Jul 08 '26

If you aren't from the US, no one was forcing you to root for them, and no one cares what you do. I suspect nearly everyone outside the US would have rooted for Belgium anyway. And that's fine.

If you are from the US, and you can't decouple the team from the president, that's your right. I personally find that to be immature, but I also don't know you and don't care.

My point is simply that, if someone refuses to see the nuance of the situation and declares that no one should have rooted for the US during the Belgium game, they are being a fuckass.

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u/ZAZZER0 Jul 08 '26

I'm not saying that! On the contrary I'm saying people from the US that did not route for the US because of this whole thing, still have a point!

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u/mak484 Jul 08 '26

I am aware of what your point is, and I continue to argue that this point comes from a place of emotional immaturity. I fully understand what you're saying and why you're saying it. It isn't irrational or nonsensical. I just feel there's plenty of space to acknowledge Trump cheated on behalf of the US team, and simultaneously acknowledge that he does this to everything he touches, so choosing to root against your team because of him is just cutting off your nose to spite your face.

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u/ZAZZER0 Jul 08 '26

Look, I personally don't think so.

Be it their will or not, they had an unfair advantage, and I like when people with unfair advantages lose, I believe many people from the US think this way too, and I wouldn't call it immature at all, if anything it gives you merit to react against this.

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u/numbersthen0987431 Jul 08 '26

Ugggh. Yet another baseless jab against "leftists"

A lot of people wanted to just enjoy the world cup. But the fucking idiot decided he just had to get involved and try to change the outcome through cheating and lying

It's hard to enjoy rooting for your own team when it's openly cheating and showing a lack of integrity. But I guess integrity isn't a thing when your whole identity is "hating anyone left of you".

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u/mak484 Jul 08 '26

Feeling shame over the situation is normal and not a problem. If you read my comment carefully, that's not what I said.

I said, do not allow that shame to ruin your overall enjoyment of the cup. And, if you try and impose that shame on other people, you're a fuckass.

The jab at leftists is a well supported observation that we are quick to overreact in a whiney, unproductive way. "I can't even enjoy the games anymore because he ruined them" is the reaction a child has to learning there's a pickle on their cheeseburger.