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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 1206 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right - 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM 710 Views
So banning blacks would be cool if it was legal in that country? - 25/07/2012 11:08:52 PM 865 Views
If that's how the country wants to run itself - 25/07/2012 11:13:04 PM 738 Views
The IOC can ban nations from participating for that sort of stunt. - 25/07/2012 11:33:23 PM 893 Views
So that excuses thought control? - 25/07/2012 11:49:58 PM 787 Views
If Hitler could let Jesse Owens run... - 25/07/2012 11:07:19 PM 930 Views
Yes. Political power should not be used to enforce morals. - 25/07/2012 11:53:19 PM 671 Views
The national Olympic Committees aren't the government. - 26/07/2012 12:02:43 AM 653 Views
Even worse. - 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM 700 Views
Erm - 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM 729 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out. - 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM 729 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM 402 Views
Well, that's absurd. - 26/07/2012 01:09:41 AM 803 Views
As with most things, I doubt the practice matches the theory - 26/07/2012 10:45:55 AM 713 Views
Africans != illegals - 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM 802 Views
Specious reasoning. - 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM 637 Views
Who are you to decide that? - 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM 774 Views
I'm not the one deciding. - 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM 639 Views
Essentially you're saying "there are lots of racists in Europe". - 26/07/2012 08:28:26 AM 751 Views
That's an oversimplification. - 29/07/2012 03:13:14 AM 698 Views
You stated it as a fact. - 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM 690 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them - 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM 711 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it. - 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM 779 Views
It is for me - 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM 689 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM 345 Views
Is that all that happened? - 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM 648 Views
That and some pro-Golden Dawn statements. - 26/07/2012 12:14:25 AM 838 Views
For me it is more than enough - 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM 627 Views
It's not what happened to her that I typically waver on. - 27/07/2012 03:08:45 PM 663 Views
It's not a matter of freedom of expression - 26/07/2012 09:49:59 PM 831 Views
This. *NM* - 26/07/2012 10:26:37 PM 364 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government - 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM 682 Views
How is it censorship? - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM 787 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech - 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM 909 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed? - 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM 805 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression - 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM 923 Views
Well - 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM 689 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM* - 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM 425 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home". - 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM 662 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit? - 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM 953 Views
Um, she referred to them as food? - 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM 707 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM 462 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM 380 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM 767 Views
It was insensitive at best - 30/07/2012 09:25:06 PM 1196 Views
One problem. - 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM 684 Views
Exactly - 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM 698 Views
where do you people get these backasswards idea of what censorship is? PCmart? - 27/07/2012 02:01:29 PM 742 Views
We can have this conversation w/o you being mean. - 27/07/2012 02:57:02 PM 690 Views
I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 04:18:54 PM 791 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 05:01:37 PM 697 Views
OK did I miss read what you said? - 27/07/2012 06:41:51 PM 854 Views
No, but the disagreement is important. - 27/07/2012 07:09:11 PM 677 Views
Re: I never claimed I was against repercussions and people here are denying it is censorship - 27/07/2012 06:23:17 PM 635 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it? - 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM 668 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do. - 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM 721 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else? - 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM 624 Views
Yes, that is clearly exactly what I said. - 27/07/2012 05:10:37 PM 673 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 686 Views
Surely you don't think... - 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM 599 Views
Heh. - 27/07/2012 05:53:07 PM 813 Views
Typo? There are limits to our credulity... or to mine, anyway. - 27/07/2012 06:27:44 PM 692 Views
Looks like Voula Papachristou agrees with Tom - 27/07/2012 07:09:30 PM 716 Views
Quite understandable. But so's the Greek OC's decision. - 27/07/2012 07:11:31 PM 715 Views
And now a Swiss footabller has gone as well - 30/07/2012 08:22:45 PM 729 Views
That's just poor sportsmanship. *NM* - 30/07/2012 08:53:53 PM 484 Views
And an Australian athlete has been sent home now - 04/08/2012 10:12:12 AM 547 Views

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