Furious or Curious? How to React to the Flag

C1 VOCABULARY | 22 Advanced Level Adjectives to Describe Feelings and Emotions.

Taken from the podcast Study 4 English with Tom Hollett.

1. Find the correct synonym for the adjective in the left column (multiple choice A, B, or C)

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2. Listen to the audio to confirm your answers from exercise 1.

You’re watching a __________ football match on the telly. Suddenly you feel __________ as your team scores a goal. You check the score in the corner of the screen feeling __________. And then you notice it. Next to the text is the blue and yellow Ukraine flag. It raises an __________ question: how should we feel about it? 

Pro-flag

Some football fans will feel __________. They believe that we need to pay more attention to the conflict in Ukraine because innocent people continue to suffer in ___________ conditions. War is ___________ so the flag reminds us to help its victims. It also sends a strong message that people are __________ by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which many consider to be illegal.

Neutral

Some fans will feel __________ because they don’t know enough about Ukraine to have clear opinions. They might feel ___________ about sharing their thoughts, or __________ because of their lack of knowledge.  For some of them, foreign war is a __________ topic of little interest, while for others it’s a __________ topic that makes them feel __________ in case they say the wrong thing.

Anti-flag 

Some fans will already be __________ of the situation in Ukraine, and they might feel __________ when they see the flag. They might consider it to be __________ propaganda because it presents a simple message that one side is good and the other is evil, when the conflict appears to be not so ‘black and white’. 

Some fans might feel __________ because they see the flag as part of a psychological operation to create the impression that everybody is in agreement. This results in the silencing of different views as many will feel __________ about expressing their own doubts about the situation.

And some might get __________ by the hypocrisy of the major football leagues. The Ukrainian flag is used to promote the use of public resources to support a war. However, symbols like the Catalonian ribbon which promote the decentralisation of power, are quickly banned and its wearers punished. It would appear to be a double standard.

The Right Arena?

The Ukraine flag symbolises a complex situation and fans will have many different feelings about it. With so much emotion already present in football, is this really the right arena to be adding more?

Every football governing body like FIFA, UEFA and the FA, has strict rules that ban political messages from football events. So fans who believe that the flag promotes war-mongering politics will feel ___________ about the rules being broken.

My Own View

Part of me feels selfish if I complain about the Ukraine flag on our TV screens. Perhaps I should try to interpret the flag as a positive symbol that can help me feel more ___________  for the blessings in my life. But I also watch football to escape from the worries of conflict and war. And that part of me looks forward to the day when the only colours on my TV during a match, are the football kits of the two teams competing.