Torchwood

[Griffin NoName]

I have been keeping a sort of deliberately disinterested view of this Olympic Torch / Tibet stuff to preserve some sanity as I am not up to much at present.

But I finally lost my cool with it tonight when the news man (BBC) went on and on about the Torch's "disastrous" (sic) journey and on and on and on.

Although there were many shots of protesters (well naturally there were) they barely got a mention in the story line which was all about the destruction of the "branding" (sic) of the Torch and the Olympics.

I love the idea of the Torch, have always (albeit it is a fairly recent thing). I love the idea of sport being above politics. etc etc. 

But it makes me sick listening to it all when the reason it is being "spolied" (my word this time) is such a huge humanitarian tragedy. IMO what is spoiling it is more important than it being spoilt. Branding can be re-instated. Human lives can't. Which deserves more airtime?

I'm not getting at whether the Games should be boycotted etc.

I'm bothered about attitudes.

Or am I at odds with the sensible (wo)man in the street's priorities ?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

How they dare to mud the Olympic Brand (TM)?!?!
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IMO the Chinese brought this to themselves (as the Olympic committee by choosing China as a host). The games are -or more accurately, should be- a symbol that goes beyond politics, but in reality have been since its modern inception a geopolitical tool. What are the medal counts but a symbol of the strength of a nation over others, a hint of what 'we can do'?

Nope, they have been playing the silly game of idealism with the games and now it has bitten them in their collective @$$.

Deserved, if you ask me.

[The Meromorph]

BTW, the Olympic Torch thing was started by you know who for the Berlin Olympics... 

[Aggie]

Ayuh, I don't quite get China's reaction to all this.  They want to portray themselves as a harmonious, unified country, and are busting dissident heads to prove it?!

[Griffin NoName]

Yes Mero - hence my albeit recent thing .... I was shying away from pointing the finger LOL.

I also rather like my typo. (my typos indicate extent of tiredness).

all very "spolied" - pronounced with a long "o" I suppose as it has only one "ell" not two.

<sigh> you gotta laugh


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and yes Zono....  a nice idea sport being above politics - except you can take the sport out of the man but you cant take the man out of the country - or some such phrase

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I tend to agree that the Olympics ought to be above petty politics.


But what's going on in Tibet is not politics--it's a humanitarian crisis!
It would be politics if it was something more innocuous, like, I dunno, trade issues. Or Indonesia not chasing pirates in the Strait.
This is human lives at stake, as Griff pointed out.

[pieces o nine]

I was flipping channels for the news and caught Pat Robertson pontificating on the headlines. (Damn! I thought I had successfully deleted  his channel from the remote scanner.)

Anyway, he was fake-bemoaning the terrible disgrace  of all the protesters (he kept repeating the word 'protesters' to drive home how terribly disgraceful  they were) sullying the symbol with politics and -- gasp -- trying to douse the torch. But nary a sigh for the atrocities that are prompting the brouhaha.

Well natch. Peasants are notorious for not supporting abusive governments, neocon businesses, and hypocritical churchianities.

[Darlica]

I for one cheered when I heard that the fire was put out on the way through Paris due to the demonstrations.

Even if they have a backup fire it has become taboo to put out the flame so any action resulting in the fire going out is bound to cause a ruckus.

This whole Olympic thing is IMHO just one big hypocritical, political, publicity stunt, it has been since at least 1936. If I want to see good athletics I'll just watch a World Championship competition instead, more sport less politics. 

[Swatopluk]

Interestingly in the beginning athletes in some countries were banned from participating by their government because an internationalist (or even, oh horror, pacifist) conspiracy was suspected (in Germany in particular because it was seen as a French plot).