Royal Shrovetide Football
Photograph by Oliver Scarff Chosen by Lars Boering
A man has to be many things these days. Culture and society demand more from him than just to be macho or to tell the world what to do. He needs to be good and kind to his partner. He must have an eye out for other people, even though empathy isn’t always a man’s best trait. And most of all he has to make way for the opposite sex, so that women can at least be on the same level as him at work, while also accepting that in many cases a woman will be his boss. With diversity becoming more and more important, and with clear action being taken to balance the roles that men and women must both play in life, men very often end up confused. Hurray for that, since without this moment of soul-searching we would end up with nothing being changed again. Let’s make this effor t.
Having said that, I can also enjoy a picture like the one taken by Oliver Scarff. It shows men competing, battling for every inch, pushing themselves to the limits and striving to beat their rivals. The image looks like it’s portraying a big fight. But if we take a minute to read about the story we discover that this is a game dating back to the 17th century, and that respecting its rules and each other is very much part of this rowdy contest.
It got me thinking that respecting rules and respecting women shouldn’t be that difficult either, and that if we can apply this principle one day in the future, we’ll be able to look back and see how diversity and gender equality have become a reality in our lifetime. Wouldn’t that be great? If thinking this way gives men an uncomfortable feeling of having to let go of many preconceptions, always keep in mind that we will still be able to play a manly game of Royal Shrovetide Football. There are some things that never seem to change, and this could be a comfor ting thought for you. Lars Boering is managing director of the World Press Photo Foundation. In 2008 Boering founded Lux Photo Gallery. In 2010 Boering co-founded the Photography Masterclass Amsterdam for Advanced Storytelling and acted as managing director of the Dutch Photographers Association from 2010 to 2014. He lives in Amsterdam.