A perfect recommendation for the world’s most important job, then.
Like I said, an election between spoiled milk and arsenic. Both are bad options. I argued strongly against both. Unfortunately, we have to chose one now. I won’t be choosing a NAZI, so it is, what it is.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
He’s gone. Completely senile. Can only read from a teleprinter or Ipad, even when doing TV interviews, which must be carefully scripted in advance. Cannot answer a spontaneous question. Even when he is reading, if he loses his place he cannot get it back again or correct himself. Look at this clip where he loses his place.
I read a while ago a very good article on why the Democrats have lost the working class, blue-collar America. That's more or less, because they have become the elitist party of California and New York and have forgotten the rest of the country.
Yep, this is absolutely true. Easily one of the biggest reasons I have refused to endorse or join the Democratic Party.
Also, the party is much more divided than the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is split between Moderates, Liberal Elites, Liberal Working Class, Democratic-Socialists, and other Far-Left groups. The Republican Party is Conservatives and Far-Right Conservatives, and they generally tend to be a united front against anything progressive, liberal, or against Christian religion. The Democratic Party isn’t so much a party, as much as, a lose collection of everyone not Republican. It has a serious identity crisis they we continue to see play out as moderates and progressives battle tooth and nail against each other in hotly contested primaries and party elections.
26 minutes ago, Federer91 said:
When the forefront of your campaign is climate change, "transgender bathrooms" (article quote) and constant scandals about different agendas, while the GOP is giving you (the perception) of jobs, trade deals, security and some plan for the future, then it's no surprise how the working class person is leaning. Also there is this feeling that Democrats look down on the ordinary persons problems and always have this grandeur program of things, that again only people in California and New York care. It's not that different on how people from those states usually look down on people from the smaller (not so fancy) states.
This is also true. Californians (speaking as one) and New Yorkers very much view themselves as better than most of the other states. In fact, we have a biter rivalry with New York for this reason. This does lie at odds with our core social beliefs, and it’s an interesting phenomenon.
The GOP isn’t giving people shit, but they are great a showing what the Democrats aren’t giving people. Plus, like I said above, they stand as a strong, united front, and voters like that.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Democrats have lost the blue collar workers. It's as simple as that It's very unfashionable to look after those people in modern politics and social media trends and guess even four years of Trump hasn't learned them anything.
That’s only part of the reason. It’s honestly a little hard to pinpoint one reason, since we’ve seen such dynamic demographic shifts over the last few election cycles.
Two big things are:
One: People aren’t enthusiastic for Biden. We eliminated the candidates most people were enthusiastic about, so that the moderates could have party control and Biden as a candidate. People are mainly only voting for Biden because they don’t want Trump. That’s not the greatest selling point for a candidate to have. People have made the analogy that this election is like being asked to choose between spoiled milk and arsenic, that’s not great.
Two: Trump has gained support amongst African Americans. Trump won a laughable 8% of the African American vote in 2016. Right now, he polls at 19%. I don’t know why that support has gone up, especially since Biden was basically elected as a candidate by the African American vote, but it has.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Whelp, the newest national poll by Emerson confirmed my worst fears. Support for Trump is up, though marginally, and he now sits only 2 points off Biden.
Biden 49%
Trump 47%
We’re going to give that NAZI a second term. We’re so fucked.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Yet another American has been killed in political violence this week.
A right-wing group organized a drive through protest in Portland. Counter-protestors immediately showed up, and took up spot along the route to try and halt the caravan. There were reports of widespread fist fights, people throwing objects at each other, people using bear spray on each other, etc. It sounds like someone was shot after an altercation. It’s pretty chaotic right now, so it’s hard to get any reliable details.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
The man who played Jackie Robinson died at age 42 on Jackie Robinson Day
I’m on the verge of tears right now. First we lose Kobe, and then we lose Chadwick. Two of the most iconic African American voices of my generation. It’s just a horrible, unfair, and tragic loss. I have more I want to say, but I just don’t have the words. Now I am crying writing this.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
There is a decent amount of football fans. There is a large Middle Eastern presence near Detroit which helps with that. The main issue is we don’t have a MLS team. Our best team in the Detroit area is Detroit City FC (4th tier I believe). The one match I went to was at Comerica Park (MLB stadium) between Roma & PSG. There was close to 40,000 people there which is close to selling out. There is definitely a passion for football here, but American football, baseball, basketball & hockey are still the top 4 by far. If we did have a MLS team, we could draw decent crowds, but over time I think the passion would start to die. I would love a MLS team, but they would be better off in other cities.
When I drive through the city & parks I don’t see anything but basketball courts. Football is just not part of American culture like it is in SA & Europe. Pay to play is another issue in football, but that is with every sport pretty much.
Quote
Also,pretty much every sport you play at a super competitive level is year-round. This doesn’t allow for kids to play multiple sports at that high level. We are seeing more 1 sport athletes than ever before. This is hurting football a ton because it is not a “mainstream” sport in America. People say it’s boring, “they just pass back and forth”, “soccer is for pussies”, “soccer isn’t a real sport”, etc. I have heard it all. This discourages some kids from playing & they switch to another sport full time. They might be good at football/soccer, but their parents don’t like watching it, so they encourage them to do something else. Nothing against my dad, but he never offered to pass the football/soccer ball around. He always wanted me to play catch or shoot baskets. Most American parents are like that. Football isn’t in our culture. It will never be in our culture. My rant about football in America is over
Yeah, it’s interesting to hear the differences between the Great Lakes and West Coast.
We have a FIFA certified Football center in my town (complex of 40 or so pitches for youth and senior level competitions). Our sister town also has their own large park they use as a football center (probably 10-15 pitches). There’s also 3 additional parks that have full size pitches available for use. Football is definitely the most played sport around here.
Basketball courts also dot all of our parks as well. I can’t think of a park that doesn’t have a Basketball court. We probably have more youth Basketball clubs than American Football clubs as well.
Some of our Football fields double as American Football fields. We have a couple of youth clubs in town, but I think they’ve seen a steep decline in membership as tackle football has become less popular due to the serious risk of major injury.
Many of our parks have quality skate parks as well, as California is essentially the spiritual home of Skateboarding.
No ice rinks in town, nor in our sister city. We do have a bunch of melted ice rinks (swimming pools) though
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
I can’t believe it honestly. What a horrible fucking year.
This man played so many iconic African American roles. I had no idea he was fighting cancer. My heart pours out for all of his loved ones and friends. He is gone way too soon.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
I feel like Hockey is hit or miss. Either you like it or you don’t. There are some diehards, but not many “casual sports fans” will watch hockey. It is popular in certain cities, but I have noticed that interest around Detroit has gone down. Fans aren’t filling the seats like they used to at Joe Louis. The atmosphere isn’t the same in “Hockeytown” anymore. The game I attended Joe Louis might have been the best sports experience I have ever had. Crowd was wild & into the game. The Wings were average that year as well. Now, the atmosphere is dead at the new arena. The venue is pretty much half empty at every game.
What about the popularity of Football (Soccer) in the Detroit area? Many of my friends and classmates in California watched/followed European Football. Is it the same in Michigan, or is there less interest there?
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Not me. Winter season officially starts after Formula 1 season is over
The so-called "summer sports" isn't even a thing for someone who watches soccer like me (but of course that one remains a niche sport in USA so I can't blame you here).
Okay, the “not ice/snow sports” season
Yeah, there’s some sports that are weird. Some of the combat sports have championships that start well into autumn. Track Cycling and Indoor Athletics have that late winter season.
I wouldn’t say Football is niche in the United States. It’s definitely mainstream now. MLS might not enjoy the same level of popularity as the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, but it’s not that far behind anymore. Almost all of my friends in high school, who were into sports, had European Football clubs they supported (EPL or various other popular teams like Barca, PSG, Madrid, etc.). Football doesn’t really have a season though, right? It sort of is just always going.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Does anyone else get the urge to watch winter sports when September/October rolls around? I swear it’s a like a switch is flipped, and my mind goes “You must watch winter sports now.” Same thing happens with summer sports at the beginning of March
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
@Olympian1010 90% of annual malaria deaths happen in Africa and that's counted in millions and you want support for building ice rinks there? In what kind of a world do you live in? Africa hasn't solved its health & water supply issues and you talk about ice rinks. Africa need fresh water to drink not to waste it for ice rinks.
Wild Polio was just cured in Africa, and there are many people working on clean energy and water solutions for Sub-Saharan Africa. I would agree our focus should be there, but it wouldn’t hurt to introduce some more feasible winter sports in Africa. Dry curling rinks, temporary ice rinks in big cities, etc.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Please stop. Can't you accept one thing, without insinuating stuff that have nothing to do with the subject...
Where did i say, there have never been black people in winter sports?
“Black people and snow/ice don’t mesh.” You didn’t explicitly state that black people haven’t practiced winter sports, but you did say that “black people and snow/ice don’t mesh.” when their is zero biological difference between the body of a white and the body of a black person. If black athletes don’t mesh well with winter sports, how come there are black athletes practicing winter sports?
11 minutes ago, Federer91 said:
If you line 10 000 black people and offer them all expenses paid to any sport they wish, how many will choose a winter sport? 5-10-20 out of 10 000... Will they choose to be a snowboarder, a curler, an ice hockey player, a skier? They don't like winter sports and that's it. If there were more Shani Davises, they can have their chance too.
Also, about the participation in winter sports. I am sorry that the bad, rich, white europeans have taken all the spots. It just comes with tradition, interest and and a big fortune like you said. After all when they started in the 40s,50s,60s having a pair of 2 wooden skies was top class stuff. FYI There are big mountains in Asia, South America and Africa too. And i'm pretty sure they can build an ice rink.
Well no duh. These sports have never made an attempt to be present in these communities, and many of those people would have never seen a successful athlete that looks like them in any of those sports.
You’re bottom statement does match my point. We should encourage countries, who can afford it, to build some ice facilities. European, North American, and East Asian countries should offer their help and expertise in introductory courses, coaching, facility maintenance, good equipment, etc. There should be more support for initiatives initiatives like the Brazilian Roller Ski Races, and SEA ice rinks, and African ice rinks/curling centers/ski slopes.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Racism? You’re saying some sports forbid blacks? Can you be more specific?
Micro-aggression. We take away continental quotas. We make statements like “Black people and snow/ice don’t mix” to justify not making an effort to expand the sport to those communities. We don’t give minority communities the same resources. When minority athletes win they represent our country, when they lose they are ridiculed as a bunch of immigrants. IFs have weak policies for dealing with racially based abuse. We discourage minority participation by criticizing minority athletes for their different approach to a sport, or for their body type, or because their ragged equipment “ruins the image of the sport.”
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Have the police crossed the line on multiple situations. YES, there is no denying that. They should have handled the situations much, MUCH different.
But, were those people not obeying their orders. YES. When the police tells you to do something you just do it. Especially american police, who are like real life movies, where shoot first, ask questions later is how they train them to react. I guess, i haven't been there, don't know how much danger they are in everyday. Should they react that way, no!
Disobeying order doesn’t give the police the right to commit summary executions though. American police are honestly more weaponized and harbor more extremist positions than our military. LAPD school resource officers have fucking grenade launchers. I’m not joking, some idiot allowed them to have a big enough budget to buy grenade launchers. School officers armed with grenade launchers. First off, we shouldn’t have police in schools, and they sure as hell shouldn’t have a need for fucking grenade launchers.
53 minutes ago, Federer91 said:
Not walk away, go to your car, trying to leave or grab a knife, like this guy in Wisconsin. You are not provoking the police in any country..
The argument isn’t that this guy was completely innocent in all of this. The argument is that no one deserves to shot seven times in back when there are multiple police officers capable of over-powering them on the scene. From the video I saw, he could have easily been detained before opening the car door.
57 minutes ago, Federer91 said:
But the thing that really bugs me, is that there is this mass hysteria that comes out of USA, for the rest of the World to see, fueled by twitter, the media, the Hollywood celebrities and now the sports athletes, that there is this open season for killing black people.
It's like all cops wake up in the morning and go out to kill black people for fun. It's like, if white people are not throwing themselves for the black people, they are major racists and white supremacist. This extreme thinking is what is destroying America in the last 5 years.
Well duh, it is a white sport. Black people and snow/ice don't mesh. They are just not that into or comfortable with winter sports. Don't you know your sporting history. It has nothing to do with money and class.
I mean we are witnessing summary executions, and police brutality aimed at people merely because of the color of their skin. Watch videos of how police have dealt with white nationalist protests. Watch videos about how they respond to anti-mask protest. Watch videos of white protestors being allowed to storm state capitol buildings. Watch videos of how they deal with climate change, women’s rights, pro-life/pro-choice, anti-gun/pro-gun matches. Compare that to response police have to BLM protests.
I don’t think all cops wake up wanting to shot black people in the morning. I don’t think all cops are racist. I don’t think it’s an “open season on black people.” My problem is the unwillingness, failure of those so-called “good cops” to stop these bad cops. Do you know how many police officers have been caught as part of white nationalist organizations, how many cops have been allowed to get multiple strikes on their conduct record, how many cops have been let off the hook in the court using various legal loopholes, do you know how often police unions work against policies like body cameras, de-escalation training, sensitivity training? The number are appalling. I do believe there are good cops, but they have failed to “protect and serve” their communities by allowing bad cops to remain.
1 hour ago, Federer91 said:
If you are a black person, who is living a normal life, doing your thing, raising a family, being a good citizen, not committing crimes, obeying the law and not provoking the police, when there is some situation, they will not shoot you. Nothing bad will happen to you.
If the athletes want to make a difference, they should preach to the black communities to obey the law and not commit crimes, not F the police, F Trump, take their guns and become lawless cities. The change has to happen on both sided, but boycotting sport games is bringing nothing. It's easy to jump on the twitter/TV bandwagon for a minute and then go your mansion and live your millionaire life.
Why should the onus to solve racism or “black issues” be solely on black people? Why should African Americans have to put in more effort to be a good citizen than a White American? This notion that black people are responsible for all the problems their communities face is ridiculous. Also, black people aren’t always safe in their daily life as multiple police brutality and racial violence incidents point out.
Trump has failed miserably in his leadership role. He’s passed zero reform in policing, housing, healthcare, education, etc. that has benefited minorities (or really anyone not rich and white). He has played more rounds of golf, than he’s been to black communities during his presidency. He blames the left for violence, while he knows full well that his policies strengthened the far-right to dangerous levels.
The police have railed against any possible reform. They want to protect their communities, but they don’t want any input from their communities on how they’d like to protected. Most of the people who support police reform aren’t pushing radical policies either. Most, advocates are asking for things like increase training requirements, more focus on non-lethal methods of detainment, and maybe not arming our school police with fucking grenade launchers.
”The change has to happen on both sides.” Gee, I wish African Americans would have spent the last century engaging in peaceful protest and inviting dialogue for all sides that aimed to curb these issues. I wish minority athletes would shut up about problems that affect them because it really bums me out while to trying to enjoy a sport event that I have the luxury of watching.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
It's very unfashionable to look after those people in modern politics and social media trends and guess even four years of Trump hasn't learned them anything.
Posted
Like I said, an election between spoiled milk and arsenic. Both are bad options. I argued strongly against both. Unfortunately, we have to chose one now. I won’t be choosing a NAZI, so it is, what it is.
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair” - Nelson Mandela
Link to post
Share on other sites