Yeah, mob mentality definitely plays a part too. I brought tribalism up mainly because I think it's a good part of football when harmless, but I hate when it goes against logic and objectivity (a point where I've had some disagreements with people here, where thinking like that is akin to being a killjoy).
That absence of logic and objectivity is where ugly stuff like racism thrives.
I absolutely love the tribal aspect of football and always have. Especially in the 70s I spent more of my time on the Spion Kop / Anny Road verbally sparring with the opposition. The football itself almost came second in a way. The whole pomp and ceremony of it was captivating. I know there were plenty of dodgy goings on back then too, but there was also a sense of pantomime about the whole thing.
I remember we had Coventry up for a night match, in a cup game if I recall correctly. Not sure if it was 70s or 80s but they brought thousands up and there were loads of them in the Kemlyn. Some Coventry fan in a white top was giving us loads, so the whole Kop sang ''We're gonna fuck that fella in the white'' at him. It was really funny, and he soon shut his mouth. Reality was, no one would have touched the guy. He was having a laugh. We had a laugh in return. Personally, I just loved the whole thing. We'd sing how we all hated Leeds, but I never
really hated Leeds. It was a pantomime kind of 'hate'.
These days there seems to be less perspective. People often really do hate. We actually live in more enlightened times than we did back then, but the undercurrent is far more disturbing and sinister than it used to be. Take the derby for instance. If you look at the Everton fans, where is their humour now? It's pretty much all genuine hatred bordering on the pathological. I remember in Anfield derbies before kick-off some of them would walk across the pitch with a big Everton flag right in front of the Kop. We'd all drown them with boos and abuse. We'd walk down their end and do likewise. Again, tribal, but pretty harmless posturing and panto.
Now, you can encounter Blues in daily life who are decent people, but when in their mob they turn into absolute lunatics. As horrible as they act, and as ugly as it looks, the whole thing is fascinating on some level too. I suppose deindividuation plays a part there somewhere. The hardcore loons will get the ball rolling, then that mob mentality kicks in with many others in the group who then follow suit and do/chant things they wouldn't normally. This may see some join in with the death fetish style of chants they currently indulge in. With the Stamford Bridge incident it could see people who may not normally act in a racist manner suddenly joining in with or even starting a racist tirade.
I don't know what it is, but in society generally there seems to be a gloves off approach these days. So many people have no filter whatsoever. They think it, so they say it. Regardless of the consequences.
Anyway, I'm going off on one now. Basically, I agree with you. Tribalism in football can be fantastic, but we have to know where and when to draw the line. If it's a gloves off thing with no filter, it can go rancid pretty quickly. When that happens you get tit-for-tat and a downward spiral that is very difficult to halt.
