Yes, the latest recorded conversation between me and Patrick Crozier is up. It’s about sport. My pet theory, that the rise of professional sport and the ending (for now (fingers crossed)) of great wars between great powers are not coincidental events, gets another airing. I expanded because it sounded like Patrick was having his ear bent on this topic for the first time. I swear I’ve mentioned it before. Should also have mentioned a famous earlier peace episode, the Pax Romana, which gave rise to the custom-built sports arena in the first place, gladiators, etc. Forgot.
Our conversation happened just before the Euro2020 (that happened in 2021) semi-finals. Patrick doesn’t care to watch England games because England have disappointed him so often. I resist watching them because I can’t help getting sucked in and my nerves can’t take it, so I keep half an eye, rather than the usual two, on the game, while internet surfing.
It’s probably time I fessed up.
Up until this most recent tournament my resolution had been going rather well. England watching was limited to the 2018 World Cup semi-final and the 2012 European Championship quarter-Final. This time I succumbed for… reasons.
I am glad to say I didn’t get the slightest bit nervous in the final. Large amounts of booze, the whole racism thing and £20 on Italy probably helped. But I think I’ve become rather detached from England over the years.
I just finished listening to the podcast. It was a good listen. I was pleased to hear that Brian was of the same mind that I came to about the knee thing. I think assuming people mean what they say they mean isn’t a bad starting point. Both sides of that debate seem to be talking across each other and I think it’s because they both assume the other is lying about what they mean.
The war theory of sport makes perfect sense to me. The idea that truth is no excuse for saying something sounds like the sort of wisdom I should be imparting to my children.
I suspect that there is not so much difference between airline pilot psychology and, if not fighter pilot, at least A-10 pilot psychology. I’ve read a few books. There’s very much a plan, you very much want to get the job done and get home. It’s very much about being decisive as the plan goes wrong. The main difference is that this happens most of the time for A-10 pilots and hardly every for airline pilots.
I’ve done a bit of A-10 virtual reality simulator flying too. It gives some sort of insight, I think. Mainly about the scale of things, how far away (or how close) the enemy looks, what it’s like flying the plane while also keeping track of what the target is doing and where the AAA is. And the visceral terror of stumbling across some AAA and hoping you can escape. It’s just a game but it’s different from what you can get from a book.
Rob
Thanks for the kind words.