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Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship DomA Send a noteboard - 27/07/2012 06:23:17 PM
That is blatant censorship and not the necessary evil sort of censorship but the sort that requires group think and suppresses the free exchange of idea.


This is completely ridiculous. In your argument you seem totally oblivious to the fact the Olympic movement is independent and has values and a code of ethics every athlete wishing to be part of their Games must adhere to. There's no universal right to participate in the Olympics, it's a privilege. If you don't share the values or philosophy of that organization, you keep a lid on it or shut up hypocritically in order to still participate, or you do the right thing and stand by your values and refuse to participate. That's it, that's all. You don't join under false pretense of sharing values you don't share and go complain you're being censored when you make comments incompatible with the values you were supposed to uphold and got banned from participation as a result.

To make it clear, I find the consequences a bit harsh in her case - she probably didn't realize the implications of her xenophobic joke - but the decision followed the letter and spirit of the Olympic code and can perfectly be defended, even more in the current political context in Greece with all the bad press their extreme right xenophobic party already gave them worlwide in the last months = and the IOC could but did not overule the decision, so implicitely agree with it. The Greek OC was certainly not looking keenly to one of its athletes getting booed by the London crowd as a xenophobe for all the world to see.

There's so many things to criticize the Olympic movement over, no need to invent false scandals when they did the right thing.



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Am I the only one who thinks Voula Papachristou should not have been kicked out of the Olympics? - 25/07/2012 10:55:19 PM 1355 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right - 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM 848 Views
So banning blacks would be cool if it was legal in that country? - 25/07/2012 11:08:52 PM 992 Views
If that's how the country wants to run itself - 25/07/2012 11:13:04 PM 870 Views
The IOC can ban nations from participating for that sort of stunt. - 25/07/2012 11:33:23 PM 1013 Views
So that excuses thought control? - 25/07/2012 11:49:58 PM 917 Views
If Hitler could let Jesse Owens run... - 25/07/2012 11:07:19 PM 1062 Views
Yes. Political power should not be used to enforce morals. - 25/07/2012 11:53:19 PM 800 Views
The national Olympic Committees aren't the government. - 26/07/2012 12:02:43 AM 782 Views
Even worse. - 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM 823 Views
Erm - 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM 865 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out. - 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM 860 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM 459 Views
Well, that's absurd. - 26/07/2012 01:09:41 AM 939 Views
As with most things, I doubt the practice matches the theory - 26/07/2012 10:45:55 AM 842 Views
Africans != illegals - 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM 896 Views
Specious reasoning. - 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM 760 Views
Who are you to decide that? - 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM 928 Views
I'm not the one deciding. - 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM 761 Views
Essentially you're saying "there are lots of racists in Europe". - 26/07/2012 08:28:26 AM 881 Views
That's an oversimplification. - 29/07/2012 03:13:14 AM 831 Views
You stated it as a fact. - 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM 817 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them - 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM 835 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it. - 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM 899 Views
It is for me - 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM 812 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM 396 Views
Is that all that happened? - 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM 780 Views
That and some pro-Golden Dawn statements. - 26/07/2012 12:14:25 AM 966 Views
For me it is more than enough - 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM 750 Views
It's not what happened to her that I typically waver on. - 27/07/2012 03:08:45 PM 784 Views
It's not a matter of freedom of expression - 26/07/2012 09:49:59 PM 973 Views
This. *NM* - 26/07/2012 10:26:37 PM 415 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government - 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM 814 Views
How is it censorship? - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM 908 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech - 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM 1038 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed? - 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM 933 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression - 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM 1057 Views
Well - 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM 810 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM* - 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM 472 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home". - 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM 786 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit? - 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM 1103 Views
Um, she referred to them as food? - 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM 842 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM 529 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM 438 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM 860 Views
It was insensitive at best - 30/07/2012 09:25:06 PM 1356 Views
One problem. - 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM 814 Views
Exactly - 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM 821 Views
where do you people get these backasswards idea of what censorship is? PCmart? - 27/07/2012 02:01:29 PM 877 Views
We can have this conversation w/o you being mean. - 27/07/2012 02:57:02 PM 850 Views
I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 04:18:54 PM 928 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 05:01:37 PM 840 Views
OK did I miss read what you said? - 27/07/2012 06:41:51 PM 980 Views
No, but the disagreement is important. - 27/07/2012 07:09:11 PM 822 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 06:23:17 PM 761 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it? - 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM 793 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do. - 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM 846 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else? - 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM 757 Views
Yes, that is clearly exactly what I said. - 27/07/2012 05:10:37 PM 798 Views
i have a feeling you are being influenced by that pic they run with all the articles about her? - 27/07/2012 02:14:13 PM 813 Views
Surely you don't think... - 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM 725 Views
Heh. - 27/07/2012 05:53:07 PM 970 Views
Typo? There are limits to our credulity... or to mine, anyway. - 27/07/2012 06:27:44 PM 810 Views
Looks like Voula Papachristou agrees with Tom - 27/07/2012 07:09:30 PM 836 Views
Quite understandable. But so's the Greek OC's decision. - 27/07/2012 07:11:31 PM 851 Views
And now a Swiss footabller has gone as well - 30/07/2012 08:22:45 PM 855 Views
That's just poor sportsmanship. *NM* - 30/07/2012 08:53:53 PM 535 Views
And an Australian athlete has been sent home now - 04/08/2012 10:12:12 AM 683 Views

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