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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 1287 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right - 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM 766 Views
So banning blacks would be cool if it was legal in that country? - 25/07/2012 11:08:52 PM 932 Views
If that's how the country wants to run itself - 25/07/2012 11:13:04 PM 804 Views
The IOC can ban nations from participating for that sort of stunt. - 25/07/2012 11:33:23 PM 958 Views
So that excuses thought control? - 25/07/2012 11:49:58 PM 860 Views
If Hitler could let Jesse Owens run... - 25/07/2012 11:07:19 PM 990 Views
Yes. Political power should not be used to enforce morals. - 25/07/2012 11:53:19 PM 734 Views
The national Olympic Committees aren't the government. - 26/07/2012 12:02:43 AM 722 Views
Even worse. - 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM 766 Views
Erm - 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM 806 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out. - 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM 799 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM 431 Views
Well, that's absurd. - 26/07/2012 01:09:41 AM 872 Views
As with most things, I doubt the practice matches the theory - 26/07/2012 10:45:55 AM 780 Views
Africans != illegals - 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM 832 Views
Specious reasoning. - 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM 698 Views
Who are you to decide that? - 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM 856 Views
I'm not the one deciding. - 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM 700 Views
Essentially you're saying "there are lots of racists in Europe". - 26/07/2012 08:28:26 AM 815 Views
That's an oversimplification. - 29/07/2012 03:13:14 AM 768 Views
You stated it as a fact. - 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM 758 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them - 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM 776 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it. - 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM 840 Views
It is for me - 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM 754 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM 368 Views
Is that all that happened? - 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM 711 Views
That and some pro-Golden Dawn statements. - 26/07/2012 12:14:25 AM 900 Views
For me it is more than enough - 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM 694 Views
It's not what happened to her that I typically waver on. - 27/07/2012 03:08:45 PM 726 Views
It's not a matter of freedom of expression - 26/07/2012 09:49:59 PM 900 Views
This. *NM* - 26/07/2012 10:26:37 PM 390 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government - 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM 745 Views
How is it censorship? - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM 849 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech - 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM 973 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed? - 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM 875 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression - 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM 995 Views
Well - 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM 747 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM* - 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM 444 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home". - 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM 727 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit? - 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM 1021 Views
Um, she referred to them as food? - 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM 776 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM 496 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM 406 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM 802 Views
It was insensitive at best - 30/07/2012 09:25:06 PM 1255 Views
One problem. - 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM 756 Views
Exactly - 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM 760 Views
where do you people get these backasswards idea of what censorship is? PCmart? - 27/07/2012 02:01:29 PM 812 Views
We can have this conversation w/o you being mean. - 27/07/2012 02:57:02 PM 758 Views
I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 04:18:54 PM 861 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 05:01:37 PM 771 Views
OK did I miss read what you said? - 27/07/2012 06:41:51 PM 912 Views
No, but the disagreement is important. - 27/07/2012 07:09:11 PM 758 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 06:23:17 PM 702 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it? - 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM 727 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do. - 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM 777 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else? - 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM 689 Views
Yes, that is clearly exactly what I said. - 27/07/2012 05:10:37 PM 740 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 751 Views
Surely you don't think... - 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM 673 Views
Heh. - 27/07/2012 05:53:07 PM 902 Views
Typo? There are limits to our credulity... or to mine, anyway. - 27/07/2012 06:27:44 PM 753 Views
Looks like Voula Papachristou agrees with Tom - 27/07/2012 07:09:30 PM 781 Views
Quite understandable. But so's the Greek OC's decision. - 27/07/2012 07:11:31 PM 783 Views
And now a Swiss footabller has gone as well - 30/07/2012 08:22:45 PM 796 Views
That's just poor sportsmanship. *NM* - 30/07/2012 08:53:53 PM 505 Views
And an Australian athlete has been sent home now - 04/08/2012 10:12:12 AM 624 Views

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