A beautiful humiliation

Photo: Jamie McDonald/AP

I love that Brazil crashed out so spectacularly against Germany last night. Not that Brazil in particular lost, but the way in which they did it. There is stark reality in a 7-1 football defeat. A score this humbling can’t be argued away.
Imagine instead if Brazil had lost 1-0. The usual commentary would have ensued about the ref, about the loss of Thiago Silva and Neymar, about the hapless Fred, flight times, ill-advised substitutions, faked injuries, etcetera. All the disingenous tactics of humans preserving their sense of not having done anything wrong.
But 7-1? There is a cleansing quality to those numbers. A liberating clarity that the Brazilians will see when their mourning period is over.
When they do, I will be there rooting for them again.