'Racism, machismo and classism' evident in Báez Sosa killing, say sociologists
Buenos Aires TimesJan 27, 2023
A court in the Argentinean town of Dolores has found eight amateur rugby players — who are now between the ages of 21 and 23 —guilty of the 2020 killing of aspiring law student Fernando Báez Sosa.
On Monday, Máximo Thomsen, Enzo Comelli, Matías Benicelli, Ciro Pertossi, and his brother Luciano Pertossi were convicted as co-perpetrators of homicide with premeditation and malice.
The killing of Báez Sosa is a product of classism, racism, toxic masculinity, and violence that have long permeated Argentina's culture. Rugby's "herd mentality" and the normalization of cruelty also played a significant role. The debate should not be about whether the attackers are psychopaths, but rather about the society that has produced toxic conditions.
It's sad that a sport like a rugby is being exploited by some who espouse post-modern "woke" values to discuss virtue-signaling concepts such as "toxic masculinity." This assault was a tragedy and the focus should be on holding violent criminals accountable — not ideological grandstanding.