Right Thinking From The Left Coast
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it - Henry David Thoreau

Removing The Gag
by Hal_10000

That didn’t take long:

Britain’s sports authorities have backed away from a plan to prohibit athletes representing the United Kingdom in the Beijing Olympic Games from making any comments critical of China’s human rights record.

Reports on the plan, published in a London tabloid Sunday, caused an uproar, and the British Olympic Association (BOA) agreed to revisit language in the official contract athletes must sign ahead of competing this summer.

The Mail on Sunday reported that the contract included a new clause saying that athletes “are not to comment on politically sensitive issues.”

The clause cited a section of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Charter, which states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

The section also bars the appearance on athletes’ person or apparel of any “publicity or propaganda,” with clearly-specified exceptions for the names of clothing or equipment manufacturers.

The newspaper said the BOA had told it that any athlete who refused to sign the agreement would not be allowed to travel to Beijing, while anyone who signed but violated it would be sent home.

In other words, they’re falling back on the IOC Charter. You’d think the British would be a little more circumspect about this sort of thing, given their 1936 debacle.

Posted by Hal_10000 on 02/12/08 at 09:08 AM (Discuss this in the forums)

Comments


Posted by dwex on 02/12/08 at 10:41 AM from United States

OK, I think that’s now the FIFTH Nazi reference in the last 2 days.

WTF, people? Just rename the blog “Godwin’s Place”

Posted by on 02/12/08 at 10:51 AM from United States

With due respect, sometimes references to Nazi Germany are legitimate. In the “Stupidity is Only 6,000 Years Old” thread, for example, the original article made such references, so continued references would seem to be unavoidable.

Posted by dwex on 02/12/08 at 10:55 AM from United States

Maybe. It doesn’t change the fact that people keep making explicit nazi references, both authors and commentors. I wasn’t even counting the Coulter one in my count of five. It’s getting ludicrous. Hitler was bad. We get it. Move on.

Posted by on 02/12/08 at 11:24 AM from United States

It’s getting ludicrous. Hitler was bad. We get it. Move on.

Is there a “Godwin’s Law” for Communism?

Posted by on 02/12/08 at 11:43 AM from United States

It doesn’t change the fact that people keep making explicit nazi references, both authors and commentors.

Mine was an accident. Frankly, I think you’re obsessing over it. When it’s done for hyperbole or to derail a debate thread, sure, Godwin’s law. When it’s relevant to the topic, it’s not.

Are we not suppose to ever discuss that part of history?

Posted by dwex on 02/12/08 at 11:59 AM from United States

No. But 5 times in 2 days? And several times to make the “oh, if we keep doing X, then HITLER!!111!one!!!” point. It’s weak.

Posted by on 02/12/08 at 12:00 PM from United States

Just rename the blog “Godwin’s Place”

That might make a good sitcom though. Hitler opens a pizza restaurant and rents the apartment upstairs to two wild college boys. Hilarity ensues.

Now that the writers strike is over, I can finally move forward on writing the pilot.

Posted by on 02/12/08 at 12:02 PM from United States

And several times to make the “oh, if we keep doing X, then HITLER!!111!one!!!” point. It’s weak.

Dude, it’s just a coincidence.

Posted by Thrill on 02/12/08 at 01:52 PM from United States

Is there a “Godwin’s Law” for Communism?

We went through a long period where every thread devolved into “torture” if given enough time.  I advocated calling it “Padilla’s Law”.

Posted by Hal_10000 on 02/12/08 at 04:06 PM from United States

dwex, I’m not making a Hitler reference here so much as a point about playing nice with killers.

Godwin’s Law in the Circumstance would be: “the British don’t want their athletes to speak out! That’s just what Hitler wanted!”

My point is: “The British are trying to make nice with a dictatorial government. This can end up being embarrassing.”

I *rarely* make comparisons to the Nazis for the simple reason that it immediately loses the argument. It tends to be relevant to torture since we were the chief war crime prosecutors after WWII and we insisted on treating German prisoners humanely while they tortured ours.

But I’m a big believer in what Jon Stewart said. Comparing everyone to Hitler is insulting to Hitler. That guy worked too hard to be a monster for every Tom, Dick and Harry to be compared to him. I never (or very rarely) compared Bush or Bin Laden or Mahmoud or Saddam to Hitler. There are much more appropriate examples to use.

Posted by Hal_10000 on 02/12/08 at 04:06 PM from United States

I don’t think there’s a Godwin’s Law on communism yet because too many people still think commies are swell. Not the Che flag in the Obama office the other day.

Posted by on 02/12/08 at 08:24 PM from United States

We went through a long period where every thread devolved into “torture” if given enough time.

Wasn’t that the week before the long period where every thread devolved into “religion”?

All we need is the arrival of a sadistic communist sky pixie named Hitler who tortures his believers.  What a field day *that* would be!

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