You’ve got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made. And people whose skin is a different shade. You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year. It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear. You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught, before it’s too late. Before you are six, or seven, or eight. To hate all the people your relatives hate. You’ve got to be carefully taught. You’ve got to be carefully taught.
Rogers & Hammerstein South Pacific
Ever since Blackburn Rovers were formed, there has been one never-ending disagreement splitting our fans. Which side of Rovers’ shirt should be blue and which should be white?
The first known picture of Rovers was taken at their Alexandra Meadows home in 1878. This shows the team in halved shirts, but some of these players have their colours on different sides of their shirts. There has never been anything definitive written down in Rovers’ 143 year history saying which side these colours should be placed on the shirt. This has led to inevitable arguments between our fans over many years.
Meanwhile two Blackburn Rovers fans have spent years pursuing each other through time and space, each one trying to outwit the other with their view over which side of the shirt colours should be placed. These two fans also paint their faces blue and white in half designs. One has his blue on the left side and white on the right of his face, the other has his colours in an opposite formation. Both claim they are right, each of them dismissing their rival as a charlatan and an imposter and not a true fan of our club.
This obsession has led to other fans following suit, turning on each other and questioning their rival’s loyalty and commitment to supporting our club. There have often been cases of families and friends falling out over this issue, some ultimately taking their ball home with them. It has even led to couples throwing tantrums and sending their partners to the doghouse.
This issue is such a serious one, it bodes the question of our very identity. Are Blackburn Rovers the Blue and Whites, or are they the White and Blues? Perhaps one day peace will break out between our fans. Now you know why there were never any mirrors in the Ewood Park toilets. Some Rovers fans would find their reflections very offensive.
Fortunately for our protagonists, there is a mysterious creature which dwells at Ewood Park, some kind of goat, which diverts attention away from petty infighting. Over the years it has taken various forms and many names. Its latest is Ben. At least he can rest assured, knowing he has helped bring about a temporary truce between those who would still be battling over where the colours should be placed on the Rovers shirt.
Don’t let us get started on what shade of blue it should be!
