The 'Toxic Packaging' Theory: Rubiales, Bosé, and Padilla

The toxic packaging theory: Rubiales, Bosé, and Padilla

On August 20, 2023, during the Women's World Cup medal ceremony, Luis Rubiales kissed a player and grabbed his genitals from the stands in front of officials. On September 1, he signed a note acknowledging "obvious errors" and humbly asking for forgiveness. The facts end there. What begins is interpretation: a thesis circulating in analysis circles and social media suggesting this spectacle was not euphoria, but a scripted role.

The pattern: uncomfortable content, unpleasant packaging

The thesis repeats with three names and one structure. First, choose content to deactivate in public discourse: doubts about pandemic management in 2020, vaccine skepticism in 2021, and criticism of official feminist narratives. Then find someone to embody it with immediate revulsion-inducing packaging.

In this reading, the packaging is always the same character type: a singer presented as unstable, drug-using, and uneducated; a presenter depicted as ignorant regarding vaccines; or an official grabbing his genitals publicly. The conclusion drawn—and attributed to less attentive audiences—is that doubting the official narrative marks you as crazy, stupid, or rude.

A second goal accompanies the first: cooling relations between men and women. The argument notes the pandemic ended the two-kiss greeting, now adding distrust between sens.

The speech before the assembly deemed unusual by the thesis

The thesis leans heavily on the speech's content. Before the Federation assembly, Rubiales defended his version with reasoning that, according to this view, had never been voiced by an official: questioning the dominant feminist narrative and pre-judgment in media. They argue it was the only such speech from a sports institution.

The problem is the sender. Alongside the speech are the stand gesture, the kiss, and episodes like offering a €500,000 annual renewal. Thesis defenders are clear: the packaging is chosen precisely so no one wants to sign the content.

From Orwell to Escohotado: ridicule beats argument

The mechanism has precedents cited in the discussion itself. In Orwell's 1948 novel, the system's official enemy is created by the system: a focus for daily hate, associating dissent with repulsion. Laughter and ridicule are irrational, hence their use.

The Spanish reference is Antonio Escohotado and the 1980s drug debate: a highly prepared intellectual defending consumption against dialectically poor opponents, silencing contrary positions. The cultural demolition of 1968, they add, wasn't done with arguments, but by mocking decency.

The cracks: script or simple character?

Here the narrative breaks. Some argue there is no role, that Rubiales is exactly who he always was: an effusive, classless official who celebrated titles with similar lack of restraint two months prior. The stand gesture and speech tone fit this persona without a script.

It is also noted he records everything, making him an inconvenient witness for others, explaining external interest in removing him. The montage thesis predicts a specific outcome: no firm complaint or conviction, but silence and a discreet, well-paid position years later for services rendered. Time will tell, concludes the text.

Past management reports and the blackmail factor

The key piece considered by the thesis emerges later: journalistic reports on alleged irregularities during his tenure at the Federation. None have been proven, nor has he been convicted. For this reading, they fit as the perfect lever: those with pending issues are easiest to direct.

The cited parallel doesn't close the case: officials who resigned in 2021 after jumping the vaccination queue. According to this analysis, all, one by one, ended up in the same position or promoted.

Where the analysis stalls

With this, the interpretation stays where it started. There is no human way to verify intent, and without proof, the difference between a script and character rests with the observer. The facts are dated. The role, for now, is not.