Evil signals of manliness

Now you would expect me to get annoyed at something like this:

A pub chain is banning its managers from flying England flags during next month's Euro 2004 Championships for fear of driving away female drinkers.

The pub chain in question is Arena and it seems that in the mind of the chain’s executives the St. George’s flag (the flag of England for those that do not know) is an unwelcome signal to females. Yes, bizarre I know.

It’s all because Arena want to show all the Euro 2004 football matches on the screens in their pubs.

Now there are basically two reasons why they might want to do this. Firstly out of some kind feeling of patriotism or national pride. England are playing and pubs are a traditional place for supporters to express their support. Arena may feel patriotically inclined to provide venues for this expression.

The second reason is profit. If they don’t show the matches they might feel that their chain may suffer a loss in profits at a time when other establishments are cashing in on the action.

But Arena’s decision to abolish the national flag from their venues does not sit well with the first of these two reasons. Certainly not to my mind anyway. How can they be in the slightest bit patriotic whilst abolishing the flag at the same time?

So it’s basically an exercise in profiteering. They want to show the matches to increase revenue and that’s all fine and dandy because that’s what business is all about.

However the poor darlings are torn. Caught between a rock and a hard place.

You see they are worried that because they are showing the matches their pubs may develop a male-dominated, highly charged, terrace-style football atmosphere during the tournament. This would be an unwelcome signal to females which would presumably discourage said females from putting business their way.

Like I said, a rock and a hard place. In their mind, if they show the football they will put off female customers hence reducing revenue. If they don’t they will put off football loving customers again reducing revenue. What to do, what to do?

Well ban the flag of course because the flag, to their mind, not only has negative connotations of football violence but is also recognised in this way by their female customers. Get that girls? It must be, otherwise what is the point of banning it on the basis that it would put the them off?

Never mind that there will be all these boys sitting and standing in the pub oooing and ahhhing at the TV, shouting at the referee, hooting at the English defence, screaming their undying affection for the English goalkeeper and buying all Arena’s beer. That’s not the issue. The issue is the flag. THE FLAG. Everything else is somehow not so unwelcoming to their female patrons.

Perhaps the flag itself is responsible for creating a male-dominated, highly charged, terrace-style atmosphere? Perhaps girls do actually pick up unwelcome beep beep signals from it, what with their special intuitive skills and what-have-you? Perhaps only men watch football?

Perhaps if Arena didn’t want their pubs to develop the kind of atmosphere that football fans across the land, both girls and boys, love to drink and support their team in they should change their minds about showing the football altogether.

Then they could put the flag up, like I am sure they do each and every St. George’s day without sending out those evil signals of manliness.

Scared yet ladies?

Boo!