World Cup Fever and Enfants Terribles                    World Cup fever is just  sweeping the whole nation.  At           last, 2-0  victory over  Poland gave  Korea's supporters           something to shout  out. On  that Tuesday  night when           Team Korea achieved  its first  ever World  Cup soccer           victory,   hundreds  of   thousands  of   Korean  people           swarmed  the  main  streets  all  over  the  country  to           celebrate the glorious milestone  on home soil. It  was a           moment that touched the hearts of many from all  walks           of  life  and   brought tears   of  joy  to   the country.           Particularly,  the  streets   of metropolitan   areas  were           covered  with  people,  mostly  young,  dressed  in   red           T-shirts, which looked like a sea of red.                    At the very  heart of  this fever  were the  Red Devils,           fervently screaming   and shouting   "Dae-Han-Min-Guk           (South Korea)." It is true that the energetic spirit of the           Red Devils has been successively playing a vital  role in           inspiring both Team  Korea and  the whole nation.  The           Red Devils,   who have  formed a   group in  1997, are           mostly in their  20s and  30s. Youth  is pure,  energetic,           and full of  fresh ideas, always  challenging the untried;           youth   is  also   impetuous,  unpredictable,   and   even           rebellious, always being  discontented with their  present           situation. They  are the   future of our  society,  a new           force, enfants  terribles, whose  driving,  but inebriating,           ambition  can  be  possibly  funneled   into a   powerful           interest group in the political arena.                    Leaving aside   all the  enthusiasm for   a moment  and           cooling down our heated body  and mind, we must  look           into the  seamy  side of   this World  Cup frenzy.   The           politicians are already calculating  their gains and losses           in this election  year--how to  capitalize on  this World           Cup fever. What kind of  change such excitement would           bring to  us? It  could be  a positive  phenomenon only           when  group   behavior  without   political  ideology  is           involved. It could be beneficial to us,  as John Dickinson           said, "United we stand, divided we fall." It could be also           highly dangerous because there is  a possibility of artful           blend  of   nationalism and   populism   manipulated by           "invisible hands." It is awful to imagine that  somewhere           in the hind sight some extreme power-mongers, whether           they are rightists or  leftists, are scheming  and plotting           to exploit the energy of young  people, full of vigor and           vitality.  They  may   bide their   time  to   seize their           opportunity with "privy paw" behind the scene.                    What makes   humans different   from animals   is that           humans have  rationality to   balance their instinct.   We           must not abuse  the dreams,  passions, and  energies of           young people.  Rather,  we must   show them  who are           seeking to manipulate and  exploit information and  even           knowingly   dispense   false    information   that   their           maneuvering could backfire on  themselves. Cheering for           the victory  at the  World Cup  should be  a cry  for a           healthy, moderate, and mature society where  reason and           commonsense should be social rules.  Or, the excitement           that filled up  the nation could  be a  nightmare for our           future.
저작권자 © 대학미디어센터 무단전재 및 재배포 금지