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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 1429 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right - 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM 900 Views
So banning blacks would be cool if it was legal in that country? - 25/07/2012 11:08:52 PM 1042 Views
If that's how the country wants to run itself - 25/07/2012 11:13:04 PM 921 Views
The IOC can ban nations from participating for that sort of stunt. - 25/07/2012 11:33:23 PM 1073 Views
So that excuses thought control? - 25/07/2012 11:49:58 PM 980 Views
If Hitler could let Jesse Owens run... - 25/07/2012 11:07:19 PM 1114 Views
Yes. Political power should not be used to enforce morals. - 25/07/2012 11:53:19 PM 848 Views
The national Olympic Committees aren't the government. - 26/07/2012 12:02:43 AM 831 Views
Even worse. - 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM 877 Views
Erm - 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM 920 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out. - 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM 911 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM 483 Views
Well, that's absurd. - 26/07/2012 01:09:41 AM 991 Views
As with most things, I doubt the practice matches the theory - 26/07/2012 10:45:55 AM 889 Views
Africans != illegals - 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM 951 Views
Specious reasoning. - 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM 816 Views
Who are you to decide that? - 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM 981 Views
I'm not the one deciding. - 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM 819 Views
Essentially you're saying "there are lots of racists in Europe". - 26/07/2012 08:28:26 AM 939 Views
That's an oversimplification. - 29/07/2012 03:13:14 AM 892 Views
You stated it as a fact. - 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM 863 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them - 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM 888 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it. - 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM 955 Views
It is for me - 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM 867 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM 418 Views
Is that all that happened? - 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM 834 Views
That and some pro-Golden Dawn statements. - 26/07/2012 12:14:25 AM 1023 Views
For me it is more than enough - 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM 802 Views
It's not what happened to her that I typically waver on. - 27/07/2012 03:08:45 PM 839 Views
It's not a matter of freedom of expression - 26/07/2012 09:49:59 PM 1030 Views
This. *NM* - 26/07/2012 10:26:37 PM 437 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government - 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM 873 Views
How is it censorship? - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM 967 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech - 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM 1092 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed? - 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM 994 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression - 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM 1110 Views
Well - 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM 869 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM* - 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM 502 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home". - 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM 837 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit? - 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM 1157 Views
Um, she referred to them as food? - 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM 911 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM 555 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM 465 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM 912 Views
It was insensitive at best - 30/07/2012 09:25:06 PM 1429 Views
One problem. - 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM 872 Views
Exactly - 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM 875 Views
where do you people get these backasswards idea of what censorship is? PCmart? - 27/07/2012 02:01:29 PM 931 Views
We can have this conversation w/o you being mean. - 27/07/2012 02:57:02 PM 914 Views
I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 04:18:54 PM 981 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 05:01:37 PM 894 Views
OK did I miss read what you said? - 27/07/2012 06:41:51 PM 1038 Views
No, but the disagreement is important. - 27/07/2012 07:09:11 PM 871 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 06:23:17 PM 818 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it? - 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM 860 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do. - 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM 899 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else? - 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM 809 Views
Yes, that is clearly exactly what I said. - 27/07/2012 05:10:37 PM 855 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 867 Views
Surely you don't think... - 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM 774 Views
Heh. - 27/07/2012 05:53:07 PM 1025 Views
Typo? There are limits to our credulity... or to mine, anyway. - 27/07/2012 06:27:44 PM 878 Views
Looks like Voula Papachristou agrees with Tom - 27/07/2012 07:09:30 PM 896 Views
Quite understandable. But so's the Greek OC's decision. - 27/07/2012 07:11:31 PM 911 Views
And now a Swiss footabller has gone as well - 30/07/2012 08:22:45 PM 910 Views
That's just poor sportsmanship. *NM* - 30/07/2012 08:53:53 PM 566 Views
And an Australian athlete has been sent home now - 04/08/2012 10:12:12 AM 735 Views

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