Olympian1010

#BringBackClassic

I know. Part of it is the way immigration has been handled in Europe I think. European governments allow a limited number of immigrants in, which puts pressure on the system. More immigrants try to come “illegally,” which puts more pressure on the system. Those immigrants (for both groups) are settled in ghettos and inner city areas. They have high expectations placed upon them by Europeans, yet they are given very little to get economically stable, on top of other needs like food security, social services, healthcare, etc. They aren’t given the same opportunities as other people within the country, and so they have to resort to other methods of making ends meet. The added xenophobia of Europeans works to justify their beliefs that the system does not care about them, and so they don’t feel bad about fucking the system. Crime rates go up because people have no other way of making living. Then, over time, as more people are born into these communities, these values are taught to them by their families, through a lack of proper education, through a further lack of opportunity, and, of course, police brutality towards their communities. It’s no different in the U.S. People around the world seem to have this concept that strict punishment, forceful action, and militarization will stop crime. These actions have suppressed crime rates (I.e. they do keep people in line), but they’ve done very little to solve any of the actual issues that lead people to crime. If we actually wanted to prevent crime, we’d try to find and solve the root causes. However, they would take a lot of effort, and it wouldn’t yield instantaneous results. It would require, most likely, a lot of trial and error. It require a massive amount of research, and policy adjustments. However, it would make a lot of serious progress towards making our communities safer, towards providing more opportunities for the general populace, towards a more educated society, etc. But that plan requires time, effort, commitment, sacrifice, legislation, etc. People want a better society, but they don’t want to have to put in the work to archive it, so I’m not helpful we’ll ever get to point where that’s possible. Also, I don’t want to get rid of police. They have an incredibly important job, and they do provide security for many communities. I want a system that uses social services, research, and legislation to investigate and attempt to prevent the root causes of crime, while utilizing our police forces to fight crime and keep peace. That’s what I mean when I say “Defund the Police.” I’m saying we should reform the system.

How can anyone in Albania afford to travel to Qatar?

Tried to read another Games Bids Ceremony thread. This time for London 2012. I couldn’t even make it to the rings reveal because of how toxic that thread was. Someone literally wrote “I’m bored” midway through Pandemonium ?

My college’s lab classes are hybrid, meaning a mix of online and in-person. For in-person classes, the capacity is reduced and safety measures have to be followed. Luckily, I’m not a science major, so it’s not a problem

The people who built those statues were 100% Democrats. The Democratic Party has a dark past, and it’s absolutely a discussion the party needs to have. They need to figure out a way to best makeup for their past failures. Tearing down those statutes would be a good way to start. And because you seem to think this was clever: How important is it to remember, though, that all these people - those who are defending the statues, the subjects of the statues, the builders, and those who paid for them - are 100% Republicans? That all the white supremacists are now Republicans? Because you seem strangely reluctant to mention that. See how easy that game is to play?

We’ll probably never get past step #1 without falling apart as a country, but here’s what I think needs to be done. These are very simplified points, but hopefully they get my thoughts across. Defund the Police. This doesn’t mean get rid of them. This means that we take money from their budget, and put it towards initiatives and services that will uplift our communities and make real progress towards preventing crime, instead of merely suppressing it. Police in this country are severely overworked, so this should actually help improve the quality of their jobs, and allow them to focus more on crime, rather then mental health services, solving small domestic disputes, responding to medical calls, etc. Improve education standards about slavery and the treatment of Native Americans. These concepts need to be further discussed in history classes. We should learn from our past, and not continue to repeat the same behaviors. In California, all 4th graders are required to visit a Mission, and learn about the way the Spanish treated Native Americans when they first settled California. More states should follow our example. Take down monuments and statues that were erected after the Civil War to glorify white supremacy. The majority of controversial statues were built during surges in white supremacy in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. They aren’t meant to teach history. They are meant to glorify people who wished to impose a system of white supremacy upon this country. The point above would include renaming places/teams that are downright racist to groups of people they supposedly represent. That would be a good start.

And the award for idiotic decision of the day goes to... OC = Orange County.

Easily the most in-depth discussion we’ve had on a podcast. I don’t always feel proud with our podcast, but we really acted like the skilled and knowledgeable sports journalists we are today. I’d really love for y’all to give this one a listen. If you only ever listen to one episode of our podcast, please make this one. Here’s the link: https://anchor.fm/twu/episodes/TWU-11-UK-Sports-Scandal-Discussion-egncv6 I think the intro isn’t the best, but it gets good soon after that

So you’ve answered your own question. The name “Fighting Irish,” while racially motivated, is seen with pride from people with that background. If Irish Americans weren’t okay with that name, it would need to be changed as well. However, as you say, they seem to be okay with it, so the name can stay.

All of my classes will be fully online for my fall semester. I prefer in-person instruction, since I actually enjoy learning and being around academia. However, I also enjoy not having Covid-19...so I’m very happy my college went this option.

Drop the number of judges per match to 7

You first point is 100% correct. The name is itself is incredibly racist though. It doesn’t hurt anyone to change it. It does add to centuries of pain for some to keep it though. So the right thing to do is change it. Allowing the name to remain, is allowing racism to remain. Removing name won’t “cure” racism, but it will be a step in the right direction towards a brighter future for this country.

Probably should have done this two weeks ago, but here we go again...

That’s what the Native Americans probably thought when they named themselves the “Redskins” in the first place. You wouldn’t name a team the “Chicago Blacks” or the “New York Caucasians”, so you shouldn’t name a team the “Redskins” either. Hear me out. Maybe professional sports teams shouldn’t name themselves after a specific race. In fact, you probably shouldn’t steal a tribe’s name (or any another for a group of people) without their permission first. These feel like some pretty basic/easy rules to follow.

I’m not talking about Russian affiliation when referencing the return of the Iron Curtain. I’m talking about Eastern Block countries openly choosing to elect leaders that will take away their personal liberties, and rule with heavy-handed authoritarian policies. Hungary fell first, and now Poland is poised to do the same.

No, actually it is about the rights of Native Americans. They got those big companies to stand behind them, with help from a large part of populace, for the greater good. Also, the statement “Who gives a damn what the Seminole(s) tribe has to say?” is incredibly xenophobic.

Yes, hopefully the Indians and Braves will change their disrespectful names as well. Seminoles are fine since the Seminole tribe said they are okay with the name.

Finally.

2022 CAC Games mascot announcement:

Alright, never mind, that’s not the weirdest thing I’ve seen. That title now goes to Cameroon, who spun the footballs on a pencil, and the held those pencils by inserting them into their ass cracks. I mean, what is this event!?! Photographic evidence for those who need it...

Like I said, I and rewatching the 2017 Jeux De La Francophonie. The last event on my schedule today was Freestyle Football. I’m on the second battle, and let’s just say things got weird. It started normal with France doing their little performance, and Vietnam started their circus act. They brought a fricken balancing ladder act to freestyle football. They barely touched the football at all, and instead failed at attempting to climb the ladder multiple times. France then decided, instead of taking an easy victory, to just breakout a Basketball, and do some tricks with that not football for a while. Vietnam then concluded with more weirdness, and then left the stage early. It’s called “Freestyle Football.” The event seems pretty self-explanatory. Apparently it’s not.

So I guess the real question is: Will Poland become the second Eastern Block nation to fall behind the Iron Curtain once more? The exit/late polls aren’t encouraging at the moment, but it’s still close enough to change.

I’m very happy for Crazy Cats Eyes. @Vojthas and myself weren’t that impressed by the event though. There could easily be questions raised about the scoring method.