There is no glory in violence

Brian and I watched Green Street Hooligans the other night. While the movie was well-made, the subject matter really bothered me. It was basically a bunch of stupid drunks using soccer fandom as a thinly veiled excuse to act out on their testosterone-fueled aggressive tendencies. Watching these idiots beat the crap out of each other made me wonder if evolution had skipped over them a few generations back. I've always been bothered by the amount of emotional investment people put into a game which is guaranteed to have one loser and one winner, and these guys took it to the absolute extreme--your team playing my team somehow gives me the right to blow up pubs and kill your guys.

I understand that humans have a competitive instinct. However, there are non-violent options for exercising this urge, options which not only don't put people in the hospital or morgue, but benefit society as a whole. Some of the competitions I can think of that would be a better way to channel that energy:
- Who can build a better Habitat for Humanity house? Or more of them in a year?

- Who can grow more food for the poor?

- Who can pick up the most trash in a park?

- Who can deliver more Meals on Wheels?

- Mow the most lawns for old ladies? Or do their home repairs, or drive them to a doctor?

Honestly, with all of the energy and time these nitwits seem to have, there should not be one elderly person without a meal for a day, old lady without heat for the winter, or poor child that goes hungry. I wish there were a way to convince people like this to see honor in helping their neighbors; there's certainly more value in it than pounding the snot out of one another.

Some other ideas I had for these guys:
1. If they're so damn tough, send these violent egomaniacs into the military and let them show how badass they are(n't).
2. Legalize marijuana. Their violence seems fueled by alcohol, and I'd rather see them stoned and lying around than drunk and throwing punches.
3. Stick 'em in the Peace Corps and let them see what a third world country is like.
4. Build them an arena and let them kill each other off in a place where nobody gets caught in the middle.

It bothers me that more resources go toward fighting drugs than toward preventing violence. A guy beats up his wife? He probably won't even get arrested...but if he's got drugs on him? He's going to prison. Ridiculous.