on pride

Some time ago, there was the FIFA World Cup, featuring the national team of Poland. Their performance went according to the plan. Well, not so much: it went according to the pattern.

In the group stage, each team plays three games. And so, the pattern is:

the opening game [mecz otwarcia]

the all-in game [mecz o wszystko]

the honor game [mecz o honor]

A quick clarification: the opening game is simply so-called due to being the first that is played. This game is subsequently lost, hence it all comes down to the result of the second game: one about everything (namely, whether the team advances out of the group stage). Finally, that game also turns out to be a disgrace, so what is left is honor, basic dignity, perhaps we can win when it does not matter anymore. And we do. Last World Cup we deviated from this pattern (L-L-W) was in 1986 (well, we've only qualified for three of them ever since).

However, this year I've come across some of the international media commenting on the Polish team. They did not, however, utilize the terminology I proposed above, but a slightly different one. Namely, the last game was described by many as "playing for pride".

And with that, I disagree. Pride stands for the feeling of superiority to others. That it is a sin may not be a convincing moral evaluation, nevertheless, it seems negative in its nature.

The Polish team couldn't convince anyone of their superiority, even by winning. What they played for was basic dignity, or salvaging whatever remains were of it. They did not play for pride.

And I just fail to see the context in which pride of a mob (Polish supporters, in that instance) is a positive phenomenon. Which, of course, leads us to the most basic connotation with the word 'pride'.

It's OK to be gay (that one rhymes). But it is no valid reason for pride. You are not superior to others by the virtue of your sexuality - whether you are straight or not.

Does it take balls (pun intended) to come out? Yes, it does. But in this instance, one could feel superiority merely to those, who have been to afraid to do that. I don't think that's really the point. The pride experienced is the pride resulting from a brave act, not your sexuality`per se.

Feel free to demonstrate your sexuality, feel free to advocate for equality. Feel free to be proud of your actions, if you believe in free will. But I cannot sympathize with pride with something both abstract and independent of the agent (obvious symmetry potential, diy).