Anti - Olympic Protestors.

[Bretty]

I am sorry but you are wrong.

History has shown that the olympics increases the money brought into the area for up to 4 years. It's called the Olympic effect. Everything from Tourism to corporate sponsorship etc.

If you have read what I wrote the Richmond Oval is already planned to be set up for the use of Richmond for Basketball, Skating and Gyms.

The Birds nest (given as an example in your "Source" (which by the way doesnt prove anything right or wrong. The fact that you think this amazes me)) is in China. The Gov't choose who uses it. Remember they built it to show how great China is not so that the people of China could use it. This is obviously not the case for Richmond's Oval. The only other constructions by VANOC. Are the actuall tracks (Which will be used year round) or the villages which will be sold, cheap, or moved to poorer areas of the city for the Homeless and those that need assistance from the BC gov't.

So go look up the Olympic effect and then come back and tell me I am wrong. I am not even going to link anything because this is my 'informed' opinion. And you dont seem to have one. Except maybe that you have read a single source.

And before you go to google and look for another one, I will just help you out and say that there are more 'For' sources than there are against. So I will save you some time.

So learn to actually post your own opinions. Oh and no where in that article does it say the author is Mr. Fucking know it all. Its a guy with an opinion who has done some research. So he has an informed OPINION. But that doensnt make anything right or wrong.

 

[Bretty]

1. We stole their land back during Colonial Times, Bretty.
2. You haven't actually LOOKED at Olympic history, have you?

Oh I love this 'We stole their land 200 years ago'.

You know that before the English moved to BC the tribes had been killing each other for hundreds of years and territory moved with each war.

So yeah.... welcome to the world we live in.

Olympic History? What about it? The fact that people have been competing in sports for thousands of years? I dont get your point at all. What about the history of the olympics? It's like me asking 'You haven't actually LOOKED at the history of BC have you?'

 

[enzilewulf]

People hate what they fear or are not good at...>sports. case and point.

Seriously? I'm sorry to grab that quote in particular, but is this really what people think out there?

The olympics are being picketed by fat kids and the badly coordinated?

The protest has nothing to do with the economic strain put on the middle and lower classes, who are paying for this international dick-waving contest without seeing the benefits?

Nothing to do with the skyrocketing cost of living in a province where minimum wage hasn't gone up in a decade? While post-secondary education costs have doubled in the same length of time? During a worldwide economic slump? After it took Montreal 30 years to pay off their own olympics?

Nothing to do with the homeless being swept under the rug, the attempts to collar free speech, or the glut of stupefying nationalism? The lost funding for public health, social programs and arts councils? The public commemoration of aboriginal peoples who are roundly ignored by the government at every single other opportunity?

The protesters are just a bunch of malcontents who suck at bobsledding? Really? Thank god. I was worried for a second there. Go Canada.

Sorry man I just know that people who hate something usually suck at it. I didn't really even know that much on the issue calm down.

 

[Guitar Gamer]

alright I'm sure this has been said before but I'll say it again.
The cash for one.
It is VERY expensive to run these games.
I'm talking over $6 Billion
It it pushing our already strained economy to the brink,
because of the roads being closed down a lot of businesses are going out of business.
Vancouver's already appalling homeless population has grown.
British Columbia has about the highest child poverty rate in Canada.
the taxes that will be implemented after these games is going to kill us.
On the couple of towns that dot my peninsula 2 schools are being closed down due to budget cuts.
But we got all the money in the world for a acid trip opening ceremony

If I am to be believed the "greenest Olympics" is a oxymoron.

Let's not forget the corporate bullshit that the Olympics has turned into.
Then there's the nigh scary state Vancouver's come into with all the bloody security.

Personally I doubt it was even real protesters who through those newspaper boxes.
But that's just me

 

[Slayer_2]

I totally agree. I live right beside Vancouver (backwater Victorian, right here), but I don't give a shit about the Olympics. They're over-hyped beyond belief, and watching part of the opening ceremony made me feel American, with it's ridiculous level of patriotic bullshit. If they had spent the money on useful things (like education or or economic problems), I would have been far happier. As it stands, I get to hear hourly crap about stuff I couldn't care less about.

Protesting it, however, is the most stupid thing ever. I generally find most causes that cause people to protest are totally blown out of proportion and/or stupid (PETA, crazy hobos, anti sewage treatment plants, ambulance drivers, etc).

 

[Shock and Awe]

So, are they just protesting the Olympics themselves or something else?

 

[Kalfira]

I shall share with you some of the wisdom i have gained over the years of my life here.

People are batshit crazy.

Yup that's pretty much it.

 

[troth]

It is all so clear to me now. You're a fucking troll.

lol, cant beat my argument so call me a troll? Grow up.

Because it's become a shell of what it used to be. It's become a vessel for publicity and for countries to show off their steel-and-concrete citycocks to the world, while simultaneously screwing over every hard-working, minimum-wage resident of said city (or cities in the case of Whistler).

Really, the Olympics should have ended when they got hosted by THE FUCKING NAZI'S, or after Munich. Or when Moscow got boycotted. Or the moment COMMUNIST CHINA hosted it. Or the moment they started playing the events with clothes on. [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArsonMurderAndJaywalking]

EDIT:

Apparently native land was stolen to build the venues on. Which is bullshit. This isn't their land. It's Canada's.

... You must be a Yank to not know how Native lands work in Canada...

And obviously you have no fucking idea what you are talking about either. The 4 Nations Sold land to BC and were given huge amounts of money for their communities. Do you think they would be supporting the games if Canada had 'STOLEN' their land? I dont think so.

And City cocks? Really? Thats the most out their opinion of the Olympics I have ever heard.

Troll.

 

[Mcupobob]

Because once you give people the right to freedom of speech they will ***** about anything as long as there is enough of them around. I personal like it because it can have entertaining results.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

If they live in Vancouver, they may have a reason to complain. The homeless or "low income" families have been removed from certain areas of the metropolis to give the city a better image to those visiting it. Otherwise the protesters are just using the city's current status as the Olympic city to attract attention to problems that have nothing to do with the Winter Olympics.

Oh, and GO CANADA!!!! XD

 

[The Heik]

All right. In my country, Canada the winter olympics is being celebrated. I had a friend that actually had the torch go right by him and he considered this an incredible experience.

'Once in a life time.' In his words.

Days and weeks later, the opening ceremony draws near, then I hear of Anti - Olympic Protestors rioting...

First of all, I don't actually give two craps about the olympics. Sports are one of the things I'm least interested in and care nothing about - I paid no attention to the ceremonies and I paid even less to the games them selves.

One thing that did interest me about the olympics is the Anti - Olympic protestors. I simply don't understand...Why are people protesting against the olympics? Animals are suffering, people are dying, so why is it people waste their time protesting against a few jocks playing a few games?

Jeez what are they on about now? At least in Beijing they had something to shout about, with all the Tibet not being allowed to be a state. Unless they're doing the same thing with the Aboriginal Nations, then they're wasting their time.

In fact, why do they protest at all? The Olympics were designed to bring different people together in a temporary time of peace, so the protestors are against peace and co-operation. Talk about anarchists.

 

[Terramax]

I think that we can have both the Olympics and charities and projects that support people who are suffering.

As stated, the Olympics seems to me to be more about politics and advertisement tools rather than a celebration of achievements. So if not for the charities, don't participate in self respect.

 

[ShadowVandale]

(I love these forums, and this thread was enough to finally get me to register!)

The Olympic protesters in Vancouver right now are idiots. They're idiots, but they have a point. Everything said on the first page was dead on: Vancouver is a mess, and all the problems are being swept under a rug to make everything look sunshiney and happy for the world. Ever since I heard the news that Vancouver would be host to the Games, every day I read The Province I would cringe.

Gang violence. Drugs. Homelessness. Sure, things experienced all over the world, but it's like some have already said: the city of Vancouver decided to throw shitloads of money into the Olympics, when the city is a freaking mess. Instead of trying to make themselves look good, why aren't they taking care of their own people?

I live literally right across the water from Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and I can tell you we're feeling a crunch over here as well. Our own city, following in Vancouver's Grand Example, is throwing a whole bunch of money into making our city look good to all the Olympic visitors, and ignoring our own housing problems.

Not only that, there's some freaking monsters out there. I'm making $8 an hour, busting my ass and trying to find a place to live, and suddenly all the freaking rent has skyrocketed because of "Olympic Accomadations!" Everyone wants to make a buck. That's what all the problems in Vancouver are boiling down to: everyone wants to make a few bucks at the expense of someone else.

On top of all that crap, we're facing this stupid HST thing. Oh goody, even MORE damn taxes, and where is that gonna go? To line the pockets of the people who already have tons of money, after taking it from those of us who have dick all.

I was accused of being "unpatriotic" because I didn't support the Olympics being in Vancouver. Uh...what? I -love- my country. It's a beautiful country, we're so fortunate here. But right now, Vancouver is -not- the place for this. What happens when the cameras turn off and everyone goes home? Who's going to clean up the mess?

I don't support the protestors, because they're not making anything any -better-, but I sure can see where they're coming from.

Also I thought it was really arrogant for VANOC to declare "human error" in that tragic death, and speak out their asses about Canada winning medals. Though all the power to our first gold medalist on home turf.

[/endrant]

 

[Bretty]

Also I thought it was really arrogant for VANOC to declare "human error" in that tragic death, and speak out their asses about Canada winning medals. Though all the power to our first gold medalist on home turf.

Yeah because it was really VANOC who called it as human error? Oh wait nope, that was the IOC...

The guy went freaking high on turn 16 (You can see him hit the side before he crashes) then after he crashed he let go of the sled (one of the worst things you can do in a Luge crash).

All my previous posts in this thread are counter points to your comments. But you have some valid points, not sure what the Olympics or the city of Vancouver is meant to do for it though.

BC spends more money on homelessness and anti-gang activities then any other province. This looks like a good way for the province to get even more money and do a better job at it. Especially after all the press it has recieved about it.

 

[Bretty]

I like how you ask a question that I answered the post before that one. Nice reading skills there buddy.

right...... what ever you say man?

 

[likalaruku]

The most protesting I've seen or heard was from my disappointed family, whom I found asleep in the living room only an hour after starting to watch the olympics. Apparently, the olympics is our family cure for insomnia.

 

[Daffy F]

Oh yeah man totally, go to town on the box; My gift you.

Awesome! *Makes box fort*

 

[Thedutchjelle]

All right. In my country, Canada the winter olympics is being celebrated. I had a friend that actually had the torch go right by him and he considered this an incredible experience.

'Once in a life time.' In his words.

Days and weeks later, the opening ceremony draws near, then I hear of Anti - Olympic Protestors rioting...

First of all, I don't actually give two craps about the olympics. Sports are one of the things I'm least interested in and care nothing about - I paid no attention to the ceremonies and I paid even less to the games them selves.

One thing that did interest me about the olympics is the Anti - Olympic protestors. I simply don't understand...Why are people protesting against the olympics? Animals are suffering, people are dying, so why is it people waste their time protesting against a few jocks playing a few games?

Probably because Canada has to build all the facilities which costs tons and tons of money, and it might not be used after the olympics. Why don't they always do it in the same country? Now every 4 years some country has to built a gigantic sportcomplex.

I myself am largely indifferent towards the olympics.. no big sports fan and I barely watch TV