Růžička and other fallen heroes

10.06.2015 - EB

The Foundations had a hit in the late 1960s with the lovely tune "Build me up Buttercup." It was about unrequited love, or perhaps about something slightly more sexual in nature, but it could also be an anthem for the excesses of the 2000s. With lyrics that begin, "Why do you build me up Buttercup, baby, just to let me down," it could be sung by any number of politicians, bankers, FIFA executives or even hockey coaches (the Růžička of the title) who have been revered for years despite their widely known failures, only to be reviled in equal measure when their status is reversed. We build them up, pretending they really are so infallible, not merely to eventually let them down, but to tear them down with a vengeance. Nothing is too sacred to be destroyed: Individuals, oligarchs, companies, international associations and even entire countries. From their ashes arise more imperfect heroes, to be slated later for shame and slaughter.

Glossary of difficult words

Růžička - Vladimír Růžička, who resigned yesterday as head coach of the Czech national hockey team after more allegations of bribe-taking surfaced; 

to build something up - (in this context) to bolster or strengthen the confidence or status of someone (or perhaps the sexual expectations of); 

unrequited - (of a feeling, esp. love) not returned or rewarded; 

to revere - to feel deep respect or admiration (for something); 

to revile - to criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner; 

infallible - incapable of making mistakes or being wrong; 

with a vengeance - to a strong degree; 

to be slated for - to be scheduled or planned for; 

slaughter - the killing or butchering of an animal.



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