The Irony of a Word and its Misguided Battle

Article by Nathan Durec

Before the controversies that erupted last year over the use of the word, I had never heard it before. Yid. While a Tottenham supporter and fan, I do not hail from the northeast of London, am not Jewish, and do not have a history in referring to myself as part of an “Army” of any sort. As the FA ramped up their vocal opposition to such chants, I have watched more with interest to what the responses would be from all sides of the debate. Even Prime Minister Cameron has now had his say.

The history of the term “yid” in the context of Tottenham Hotspur is one of controversy. There is no denying it. The club’s strong Jewish support in the early part of the 20^th Century made fans a target for anti-Semitic slurs from other clubs’ supporters. The goal in adopting the term as a badge of honour was meant to take ownership of the word, to change its meaning, and to re-brand its power. At the time and with the supporters who were involved in the process, that is commendable. It takes courage to stand in front of anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and any other form of social division. I applaud these early pioneers of non-violent protest.

However, I must ask if this is still the case today. Are the people who are trying to re-brand the term synonymous with those who attempted it 100 years ago? Many of the supporters who argue that their intention in using it as a positive cannot say they belong to the original group its derogatory use was for. When other supporter groups used it against Spurs fans way back when, it was because they were Jewish people who happened to cheer for Tottenham. Specifically, this term would have been used at White Hart Lane and elsewhere, down at the pub, or just walking down the street. It was not specific to football.

The reclaiming of a word or symbol is normally done within the group that is being oppressed by it. I highly doubt a white guy would use the N-word and then argue that he was trying to re-brand it for a positive use. That’s an audacious statement. Similar could be said for those who are trying to reclaim the swastika for its original message, as a symbol of peace. The one thing both of these examples have in common is that the people trying to reclaim them are those who had the original control of its message.

I find it strange that some want to hold onto the term as a reference to the club when its usage was against a people. Not only are some supporters trying to reclaim the word in a positive light, they are also trying to change its entire means away from being Jewish and to one of being a supporter of a football club, sort of as an all-inclusive chant. Commendable? Maybe. Probable. Not likely.

Tottenham Hotspur is a global club. Yes, their roots are deep within London and their support within the Jewish community, but it has become much larger than this. I agree that it should be all-inclusive, but a reference to a specific group of people, especially in such a derogatory manner, I wonder why there is a need to taunt. It was used to taunt Spurs supporters historically. We are better than this behaviour.

Hotspur. Spurs. Lilywhites. There are many other completely acceptable references for supporters of our famed club. Why is there a need to throw into someone’s face, “Hey! Remember when you called us Yids? Well now we wear that badge with honour!” Perhaps it’s just me, but I don’t see the honour it demeaning a people, regardless of well intentions.

It is a simple act to stop using the word as a club reference. Yet, it may mean the world to my Jewish neighbour. That’s fine by me.

 

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