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Olympics 2012


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Against my better judgement, I have had the olympics on in the background whilst I'm computing and have been listening to the tennis since it 's one of the few sports on offer that I'm vaguely interested in.  Am I the only one who is finding the crowd reaction really sickening?  This isn't about sport it's about the worst sort of rank nationalism and is why I detest the games so much.  Yuk.
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I think Clair (that paragon of French rationality combined with perfect English) summed this up in a related thread

Glad I am not there.

I couldn't have supported this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/05/london-2012-olympics-loud-music

Nor the Tory hypocrisy of celebrating an achievement which they continue to undermine for ordinary people by selling off school playing fields

http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/other_news/stop_tory_selling_playing_fiel.aspx

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[quote user="cooperlola"]Against my better judgement, I have had the olympics on in the background whilst I'm computing and have been listening to the tennis since it 's one of the few sports on offer that I'm vaguely interested in.  Am I the only one who is finding the crowd reaction really sickening?  This isn't about sport it's about the worst sort of rank nationalism and is why I detest the games so much.  Yuk.[/quote]

At Wimbledon (a few weeks ago) the crowd were very quick to applaud Fedderer and actually he is a bit of a favorite with British fans. Murray lost the last Fedderer match and in his reaction endeared himself to the British crowd ( he is not universally beloved)

Of course the Brits are excited - how long have we waited for  Murray to win at Wimbledon ? Apparently the crowd are behaving like a Davis Cup crowd, they are partisan, and really Fedderer is not at best today, and there is less excuse to cheer for him than usual.

Its a novel experience to see Muray in this position, I can hardly look !

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[quote user="NormanH"]I think Clair (that paragon of French rationality combined with perfect English) summed this up in a related thread

[/quote]I missed that (although I second your summary of our illustrious mod' of course!)

Every time I hear somebody say "we" have won this or that medal I want to chuck the computer/newspaper/tv whatever out of the window.  You'd think these beggars had actually put some of the effort in themselves.  What b*l*x. 

@R/H : I have turned it off.  I cannot take the jingoistic commentary any more.

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[quote user="cooperlola"]

Every time I hear somebody say "we" have won this or that medal I want to chuck the computer/newspaper/tv whatever out of the window.  You'd think these beggars had actually put some of the effort in themselves.  What b*l*x. 

@R/H : I have turned it off.  I cannot take the jingoistic commentary any more.

[/quote]

I am so glad you are here, Coops. I thought it must be just me, feeling SO uncomfortable - didn't seem right somehow, and I turned it off too. 

The "we" does get my goat too - I heard it last night from a Frenchwoman - proving that the French can be just as chauvinistic as anyone - , and I wanted to spit.

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 [quote user="NormanH"]I think Clair (that paragon of French rationality combined with perfect English) summed this up in a related thread

[/quote]

Indeed she has

[quote user="cooperlola"]  I cannot take the jingoistic commentary any more.

[/quote]

Nor I, It's worse than religious fervour, and about as valid.[+o(]

 

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[quote user="cooperlola"]

@R/H : I have turned it off.  I cannot take the jingoistic commentary any more.

[/quote]

Do you have a mute button on the TV? I find it quite useful if I don't want to listen to the commentary, you should try it.

It works well until McCartney appears on the TV and then I use the OFF button to rather good effect.

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The main problem is that all competitors are part of national teams and the winner's national anthem is played at the medal ceremony. IMO this just encourages nationalistic/jingoistic behaviour with all the negatives that that brings. Makes a bit of a nonsense of the  "better to take part" philosophy.

Perhaps no national flags or anthems at the medal ceremonies would calm things down a little. In general while listening to BBC commentaries I have found the expert summarisers much less nationalistic than the BBC regular commentators.

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On that basis I need to support the French as that's who gets my tax euros!  Oh, that's OK - Seb won again in Finland yesterday.

But on second thoughts, perhaps not a good idea to get me started on wasting tax money on sport when people are living below the poverty line.

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Regarding ''jingoistic commentary'', first let me say that I haven't watched / listened to any of the Olympic broadcasts.

but.... the definition of 'jingoism' is '' Definition of JINGOISM

: extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy''

Lets discount the foreign policy aspect because that is not involved in Olympic sport reporting ( I assume ), so I think we are left with 'extreme nationalism', now, given that the Olympics are a competition between individual countries or nations I would expect each nation to be considerably 'nationalistic' in the support and praise of its athletes. After all, that's the nature of inter-national competition surely.

It would hardly be expected that ( say ) the BBC would be less than enthusiastic ( ie Nationalistic ) in the support of it's national team of athletes.
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[quote user="powerdesal"]I would expect each nation to be considerably 'nationalistic' in the support and praise of its athletes. After all, that's the nature of inter-national competition surely. .[/quote]Exactly.  This is why I detest the olympics and that aspect of all sporting competition, to be honest.  Why can't we just admire greatness, regardless of where it was born?
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[quote user="cooperlola"]Shame.  Federer's far better looking.  About as good  reason for supporting him as being born on the same land mass, imho.[/quote]

Just goes to show it takes all sorts, Coops. Federer has one of those faces that I always think would look better with my fist in it. He has that supercilious sort of look (I'm sure he can't help it) that affects me in the same way as Michael Schumacher. I'm sure his mother loves him, but I cannot overcome an urge to smack him.
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I agree, not mad about his demeanour either, but I do think he's got gorgeous hair!  I certainly prefer my sportsmen modest - it was just a comparison between the two guys.  Seb Loeb's far more my type, as it happens.[:P]  But rallying's not an olympic sport (more's the pity.)
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[quote user="powerdesal"]. It would hardly be expected that ( say ) the BBC would be less than enthusiastic ( ie Nationalistic ) in the support of it's national team of athletes.[/quote]The BBC has historically always prided itself with giving accurate unbiased accounts of the events it is reporting. That is why it has been trusted across the world. IMO it does not diminsh a british performance to give credit to a good or excellent performance from somebody from another country. By and large the experts on BBC have done this. Excessive nationalistic commentary merely dinishes the reputation of the BBC.

Yes, I am delighted by a british win but I also enjoy seeing excellent performances from other nationalities.

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[quote user="cooperlola"][quote user="powerdesal"]I would expect each nation to be considerably 'nationalistic' in the support and praise of its athletes. After all, that's the nature of inter-national competition surely. .[/quote]Exactly.  This is why I detest the olympics and that aspect of all sporting competition, to be honest.  Why can't we just admire greatness, regardless of where it was born?[/quote]

I'm not sure why you  think we don't admire greatness, no matter which country - the BBC are forecasting huge numbers of people watching Usain Bolt this evening and he is certainly not British!

Federer has certainly had his share of admiration from this country over the years, win or lose, and the commentators were very generous to the guy who beat Louis Smith by the very slimmest margin in the pommel horse.

BTW Piers Morgan has pledged £1000 donation to Great Ormond Street hospital for every British athlete who actually sings the National Anthem !

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[quote user="Cendrillon"]Nobody is forcing anyone to watch, if you don't like it switch your T.V. / radio off and don't read the newspapers until it's all over.
[/quote]True, and this is the first I've watched since the 3 day event.  But the reaction of the crowd totally spoilt what is normally a sport I can have on whilst I doing other boring stuff in order to pass the time.  Fear not, it's the last event for me as I won't be watching any live telly now until it's over as I'm off on my hols on Tuesday.

As for avoiding it in the papers I have to scroll through about 15 articles going on about Britain's successes in the Kindle in the mornings before I get to any non-olympic news and that's the Grauniad.  I dread to think what the DM's been like!

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[quote user="Rabbie"]

[quote user="powerdesal"]. It would hardly be expected that ( say ) the BBC would be less than enthusiastic ( ie Nationalistic ) in the support of it's national team of athletes.[/quote]The BBC has historically always prided itself with giving accurate unbiased accounts of the events it is reporting. That is why it has been trusted across the world. IMO it does not diminsh a british performance to give credit to a good or excellent performance from somebody from another country. By and large the experts on BBC have done this. Excessive nationalistic commentary merely dinishes the reputation of the BBC.

Yes, I am delighted by a british win but I also enjoy seeing excellent performances from other nationalities.

[/quote]

Once upon a time, long ago, the BBC 'may' have been unbiased, sadly those times are long gone. It is not referred to as the ''Biased Broadcasting Corporation'' ( by a large number of the British population ) without reason. It is difficult to think of anything that can diminish it's reputation any further.
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I think I must have been watching a different Olympics to a lot of you! I've been impressed by the way the crowds have behaved - especially noticeable in the 3 day eventing, where every rider got lots of applause, and todays marathon with enthusiastic (wet) spectators cheering on the non-UK finishers . The only slightly 'off' thing today was the number of Scottish flags displayed at the tennis final - not seen any England flags at other events.

Of course the commentators get excited by UK success; they're British and they're commentating to a British audience, but they certainly give unstinted credit to good performances from other nationalities.

I think Britain is putting on a great show (and I don't even like sport!)

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