Crazy Days and Nights: Your Turn

Monday, August 19, 2013

Your Turn

Do you think the world should boycott the Winter Olympics in Sochi next year because of Russia's new anti-gay laws?

46 comments:

Jeff B. said...: Yes.; 10:02 AM
Orvilla Bedinbacher said...: i boycott the winter olympics anyway. i will just do it extra!; 10:03 AM
Christopher Cruz said...: *nods*; 10:04 AM
Cathy said...: No. Athletes from around the world have been training for years in preparation for this. It's not their fault that Russia was chosen nearly a decade ago.; 10:04 AM
Count Jerkula said...: Way to much money involved for the US to ever boycott another Olympics. This aint 1980, there are billions of dollars involved. Russia could be feeding beating infant hearts to the luge team and we would be their to make sure Nike and Coke get their air time.; 10:06 AM
Amartel said...: Apparently it's asking too much of a nonlawyer to say what the laws provide.; 10:07 AM
Murphy said...: Then we'd have to boycott the World Cup also. Then again when its in Qatar.; 10:10 AM
di butler said...: No. Sadly, it's the wrong decision.; 10:10 AM
Cathy said...: To expand on my previous post, the majority of olympic athletes come from families that spent all their money on training. if the olympics are boycotted, it's the everyday athletes who will suffer, not the country of Russia.; 10:10 AM
Barton Fink said...: I'm a big believer in engagement and communication. Russian LGBT people need to have maximal contact with international visitors, and the Olympics during this time of focus on gay rights will shine an important light on Russia's bizarre backsliding.; 10:17 AM
Anonymous said...: What Cathy said; 10:19 AM
Seven of Eleven said...: Word, @Count & @Cathy.; 10:21 AM
Now! said...: @Barton and @Cathy, I agree with you both.

The only time in recent history that isolating a country has been effective was the sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa, and there were other economic and demographic factors at work there as well.; 10:22 AM
VIPblonde said...: Boycott. Or have the gayest Olympics ever!!; 10:24 AM
nevermindthat said...: Just change the venue; Spain is nice that time of year.; 10:25 AM
Kelly said...: I also agree with Cathy et all.; 10:26 AM
surfer said...: No, because the only people who will suffer (for lack of a better word) will be the athletes.

Instead, I think that every country entering the stadium during the opening ceremonies should wear the rainbow flag in some way - pin or armband. That would get a lot of coverage. The only problem with that, is that most countries don't want to rock the boat, and if the athletes choose to act against their delegations orders, they might be yanked from competition.

Jacques Rogge, head of the IOC, should come down hard on Russia, but of course he won't. Which is such a shame.; 10:31 AM
YourNameHere said...: No. We would then have to pull out of every country that had laws we disagreed with. Can't pull out for one law and not others, you know? Athletes have trained their entire lives for this and the law will be in place whether we are there or not so I don't think it will do much to boycott.; 10:42 AM
JW said...: Move them to Vancouver.; 10:52 AM
Lauren said...: I'm sure plenty of people would love for the US to boycott the Olympics since we are 2nd in all time medal count for winter Olympics.

Depending on the sport most athletes only have a shot at participating in one or two Olympics in their prime.

Just like when you travel for pleasure, you respect the laws of the country you are in.; 11:01 AM
Unknown said...: I don't think they should cancel but if I were a gay athlete I would not feel safe going there especially if it is public knowledge but yeah, if everyone came into the stadium with rainbow flags for the opening ceremonies that would be cool, they can't arrest everyone without ruining their games however we have countries where the punishment for being gay is death ie Muslim countries so it makes Russia look tame.

I don't understand why Putin is taking Russia backwards - hasn't Russia learned from being backwards for centuries already?

And yeah China holds most of the US debt you going to tell China to stop violating human rights, then they call in the loans.; 11:01 AM
Del Riser said...: @YourNameHere, ditto.; 11:01 AM
London Ali said...: I'm a lesbian and I'd like to see the world go to Sochi and rally around the gay community. Show Russians how we feel about pride, love, and respect in their own home and we may leave some behind.; 11:10 AM
auntliddy said...: Yes! Boycott it anyway, i dont give a crap about olympics. Stupid pointless waste of time and money.; 11:29 AM
auntliddy said...: Cathy, families doing that is stupid. Training a kid like a horse to do tricks. Waste of time.; 11:31 AM
auntliddy said...: Lauren that makes no sense- respect laws of country youre in. What if country embraced child prostition and kiddie porn? You ok with that?; 11:34 AM
NomNom83 said...: The laws are particularly heinous, so any non-violent form of protest against them, I'm on board.

That said, it punishes the athletes more than anyone else. And two years ago we went to China -- ground zero for shitty human rights -- so we're not exactly on solid reasoning ground here. Also, does the US gov't make the decision or is there like a US division of the IOC who would make the call? A diplomatic cluster-fuck, for sure.

I actually think Russia will turn a blind eye to gay athletes who are "out" but who keep their mouths shut and pants on (otherwise they just look like thugs on an international stage). But I don't think they will ignore visible protests during the games or ceremonies -- regardless of the protestor's sexuality.

Look, I would love for Johnny Weir to enter the rink in a giant rainbow cape and simulate fellatio as part of his routine while etching "Captain Queer*" into the ice with his skates -- but 1.) is he even going/didn't he retire and 2.) he would have to immediately be smuggled out of the country. I wouldn't ask anyone to take the risk. If they choose to do so, though, well, good luck, I'm rooting for him/her.

* Used primarily for alliterative purposes and b/c I think it it might be considered okay to use this term if you're not being a hatefull POS. But I'm not gay, so please do tell me if it's just really hurtful.; 11:34 AM
Dishtlk said...: Whoa. If its something the child is truly passionate about and enjoys I'm all for it. It's the ones that push and force the kids that are wasting their time.; 11:38 AM
Seahorse said...: @Auntliddy you don't have to respect the laws of the Country you are traveling in but if you are traveling there your best bet is to try to observe them.; 11:58 AM
Unknown said...: I don't think a boycott will help, but I think the athletes should all wear rainbow scarves and kiss members of the same sex in public at every opportunity. Russia can't afford to arrest any of the athletes without extreme consequences, so that would make a mockery of their horrible law.; 12:06 PM
8====D KermitGossnellKnobjob said...: China Olympics 2012, terrible liberal dictatorship champion of death penalty over minor felonies: No boycott.

Brazil world soccer cup 2014, support for lots of dictators as Venezuelan, his-own-daughter-fucker Nicaraguan or Iran: No boycott.

UAE (Dubai) world soccer cup 2018, horrible dictatorship where non-sunni muslims are second class subjects (not citizens): No boycott.

USA (Atlanta 1996, Salt Lake City 2002, among others) champion of death penalty in the western world, place where a cracker Hispanic cannot defend himself: No boycott.

Would you boycott every country with laws you don't like? Wait for the Africans, muslims and others boycott the Olympic games because they don't like democracy outside sharia or the treatment of the women, for example. Athletic medals would be way easier for crackers without Kenyans, Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians...; 12:24 PM
8====D KermitGossnellKnobjob said...: If the athletes wear something relating to gay people, wait until the next Olympics where muslims wear something asking for sharia/weddings with 8 year old girls, or Iranians for Israel and the Big Satan (USA) destruction, or Chinese mocking democracy, or...

Olympic games are not polls or demonstrations.; 12:28 PM
marie-ski said...: Have you not seen Locked Up Abroad!; 12:42 PM
__-__=__ said...: Yes. Cleckley wrote Charicture of Love (free download) in the 1980's. Freud was already saying homosexuality was not perverse or pedophelia. Stop the stupid!! Gay might not be for you but it's normal.; 1:06 PM
pegd said...: No. That is ridiculous. Killing - yes, homosexuality - no.; 1:09 PM
Anonymous said...: FUCK YES; 1:20 PM
Bit dams said...: no. this is not about our athletes. the athletes and their families have been working for YEARS, giving up everything else, for these games. stop exports, stop imports, stop trade. hit them in their bottom line if you disagree with their government. but don't punish OUR athletes. id I had a child that would potentially be missing out on the Olympics because of this; i'd be shopping around for another country to represent.; 2:36 PM
NaughtyNurse said...: No. Politics should not play a role Olympic participation. It is a celebration of the athletes, not the politics of the host country.; 2:54 PM
NaughtyNurse said...: And seriously, the only Russian policies we disagree with enough to boycott the Olympics have to do with homosexuality? Russia is now host to Edward Snowden, people...you know...the guy who is now trading his asylum for U.S. governmental secrets, AKA a spy. How about Russia's continued support, overt and covert, for nations like North Korea and Syria?! Some people have such an inexcusably narrow view of the world.; 3:03 PM
Audrey said...: No, but I hope there's enough pressure on the sponsors to pull out of the games. Russia only cares about rubles and maintaining control of the masses.; 5:23 PM
Erik said...: No, but, the Olympics never should've been given to Russia (and China) in the first place.; 5:25 PM
Jenn said...: I think the everyone should go and all of our athletes should dress just like VIP's second link. US, Canada, everyone. Putin's head might explode, which would be freakin awesome.; 6:04 PM
Kathy K said...: No. I have a good friend who lost her opportunity to compete when we boycotted the last time. It still haunts her. It's not that she hasn't moved on, but it's something that she worked so hard for, she had chosen to commit herself to it, it was her goal, her family made tremendous sacrifices tomreward her cision, she did everything right to earn that spot ... And it was lost forever. Countries with aggregious human rights violations shouldn't be given the Olympics anyway, IMHO, but that's politics.; 6:06 PM
Zeeky_Boogy_Doog said...: Just FYI: China was in 2008; London was 2012.

I'd really hate to see a boycott. The new Russian laws are terrible, but so many athletes work so hard to get there.; 7:49 PM
Leo said...: Exactly; 7:51 PM
Tove said...: I've read that its possible to stop Russia to participate. That would be great solution?!
But the cowards at the IOC are spineless bastards.
Don't say its political!
If you have the time and want to learn more read:

http://needleberlin.com/2013/08/08/why-we-participated-in-the-1936-games-lessons-for-sochi/

www.stephenfry.com/2013/08/07/an-open-letter-to-david-cameron-and-the-ioc/

www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/08/13/russia_and_the_ioc_agree_athletes_and_spectators_shouldn_t_be_openly_gay.html; 1:56 AM

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