Non Brits - A question

[Don Carlos]

A question for you people that are not British:

When a major event happens in your country, say a football tournament or in the UKs current case, the Olympics, do you have loads of people bitching about it or trying to prove it is worthless/pointless? I mean, with the Olympics in London, all I have heard from people is that it is a waste of time and money and effort etc or you have companies that want to strike on public transport because they are unhappy with their pay deals and working conditions. Now, I sort of understand why you would want to draw publicity to your pay plight, especially if you are poorly paid, but the country as a whole is being put on the world stage and people threatening to strike or tabloid news papers trying to sabotage security is completely counterproductive. Why would you want to make your country look shit when half of the world’s population will be watching at some point? I would also like most of the people who complain at their poor working conditions to visit Dubai or somewhere else, where you get some poor Nepalese bloke working 18 hour days for a pound an hour who sleeps 5 to a bed. People who have never seen the world or experienced situations like this should not be allowed to be bitch and moan about their jobs and their pay.

Also there are loads of people who bitch saying it is a waste of time, but like most morons they don’t seem to see the bigger picture. Yeah, if you really break it down then it is a bunch of people running or throwing things or cycling but the vast construction and set up has employed thousands of people over many years helping the economy in difficult circumstances. The trade that will brought to London and the rest of the country (Football stadiums, hotels, restaurants, transport) is massive. Hundreds of thousands of people spend their money in our country and adding to our ailing economy is not a bad thing in my eyes.

Basically it pisses me off that so many people try to undermine things here because they are cunts. This is where America has it right; when they have an event they make a song and dance about it and people get behind the whole thing. In the UK it is different because people are bitter, jaded and feel like society owes them something because of the startling contributions they have made to the world. Fuck you. You have works in a boring dead end job for 15 years and made no effort what so ever to improve your situation. Get off your lazy arse and work a proper day in your life, do something worthwhile and then maybe people will listen to you. Until then shut the hell up and keep your uneducated, sour opinions to yourself and leave the people who want to enjoy a once in a life time spectacle to do exactly that.

It would be interesting to hear if other countries are the same, or if this is a common theme of the world today.

[fKd]

http://www.vice.com/en_au/rule-britanni ... rce=vicefb

[Mat Linnett]

Did you hear about the corporate police going round London making sure that no shops other than those that have signed sponsorship deals are using any terminology in their signage that could possibly be associated with the Olympics?
£20,000 fines all round if you dare to use terms such as "Gold" without having paid for the privilege.

There really is a lot to hate about the way we're running the Olympics DC.

Then there's the rocket launcher teams on the roofs of residential buildings, where the residents have been told they have no right of appeal, and that the military were doing them a favour by even notifying them this would be happening.

How about only certain ATMs being usable in designated areas because the credit card companies have paid for it to be so?

Or what about the whole ticket lottery system, which has ended up with many events having low attendance because all the tickets were bought up by travel agents who have been unable to sell them on?

It's not a case of undermining the games; it's pointing out how the spirit of amateur sportsmanship that the Olympics represents has been desecrated by greed.

Oh yeah, another grand one: MacDonald's have paid to ensure that they're the only people allowed to sell french fries to attendees. That definition extends to chips too. As in Fish & Chips, considered by many to be the UK's national dish.
So yeah, attendees won't be able to buy Fish & Chips. In England.

[DTS]

This is a rant in sheep's clothing...

I could reply, but that would also be a rant. Post in the appropriate forum, pls. (Londoner here, even though you were asking for "Non Brits".)

[Tsakali]

one in a lifetime spectacle ... every 4 years

Yes economically speaking yall will lose money, there is no question about that. Check some facts over the previous Olympics held...well, anywhere.
It creates jobs? where the fuck do you think that money is coming from?

[Don Carlos]

Did you hear about the corporate police going round London making sure that no shops other than those that have signed sponsorship deals are using any terminology in their signage that could possibly be associated with the Olympics?
£20,000 fines all round if you dare to use terms such as "Gold" without having paid for the privilege.

There really is a lot to hate about the way we're running the Olympics DC.

Then there's the rocket launcher teams on the roofs of residential buildings, where the residents have been told they have no right of appeal, and that the military were doing them a favour by even notifying them this would be happening.

How about only certain ATMs being usable in designated areas because the credit card companies have paid for it to be so?

Or what about the whole ticket lottery system, which has ended up with many events having low attendance because all the tickets were bought up by travel agents who have been unable to sell them on?

It's not a case of undermining the games; it's pointing out how the spirit of amateur sportsmanship that the Olympics represents has been desecrated by greed.

I do appreciate that there have been issues, the tickets are a massive one.
The ATMs - within the Olympic villages etc LTSB ATMs are being used because they are primary sponsors of the games - if you sponsor you are going to get some privillages.The whole amatuer tag doesn't wash with me at all, and it hasn't for some time given the levels of cash involved. Like it or not, sportsmen and women sell suff when they are good and when they win, hence sponsorship. This is capitalism, it is how it works. I am not saying it is for the best but it is the world we have chosen and the world we live in.

Yes, greed has tainted the games, especially with the corporate police and the fact that it has been sponsored by McDonalds and Cadburys. Jammie Oliver wasn't allowed to have an Olympic BBQ in Hyde Park due to not being a sponsor - stupid if you ask me. Not the way to promote things.

But in general, these things don't effect 85% of the population, so why are so many people not willing to embrace the event? Do they all feel wronged and are they right to feel morally outraged with the restrictions being put in place in London and wish to show solidarity? Or, as I suspect, are they just bitter, bored, juvenile wasters who have nothing better to do with their time other than find something to bitch about? The Olympics is a big deal and in the news 24/7 so it is a natural target...

[DTS]

Did you hear about the corporate police going round London making sure that no shops other than those that have signed sponsorship deals are using any terminology in their signage that could possibly be associated with the Olympics?
£20,000 fines all round if you dare to use terms such as "Gold" without having paid for the privilege.

They can't sell these anywhere now?
http://www.mcvities.co.uk/product/gold

Oh yeah, another grand one: MacDonald's have paid to ensure that they're the only people allowed to sell french fries to attendees. That definition extends to chips too. As in Fish & Chips, considered by many to be the UK's national dish.
So yeah, attendees won't be able to buy Fish & Chips. In England.

No, that's incorrect; the actual policy is that chips can't be sold unless it's WITH fish. That is specially so that people CAN buy fish'n'chips.

[Don Carlos]

one in a lifetime spectacle ... every 4 years

Yes economically speaking yall will lose money, there is no question about that. Check some facts over the previous Olympics held...well, anywhere.
It creates jobs? where the fuck do you think that money is coming from?

Yes, I do not expect the Olympics to be held in the UK again in my life time, so it is likely to be a "once in a life time" event.

You appear to be the sort of person I was refering to in the first place, so tryin to reason with you will be pointless.

[Psyche911]

Your government is regulating the sale of... fried potatoes?

[DTS]

Your government is regulating the sale of... fried potatoes?

McDonalds have a chip on their shoulder. Cause if people from all over the world were to realise that British chips are at least as good as McDonalds French fries, they'd lose a lot of money.

The Olympics is more of a corporate event than a Government event. In the UK, at least.

[Psyche911]

McDonalds have a chip on their shoulder.

[Eraser]

Holland was in a bid for a world championship football, but the pro-people were in a minority afaik. Most people were against it because of the involved costs in a period if financial crisis, corruption in the football world and the general trouble involved in it. The Dutch do like a good football party, as long as it's not in our own backyard. And to be honest, I wouldn't be happy with the football bullshit around here either.

[4days]

was in liverpool when the dutch came over for euro 96. they brought 100s of bright orange footballs and gallons of some hideously gassy eurobeer that they gave out for free. a really sunny day, everyone was pissed up and these footballs were bouncing everywhere, pinging off cars and rolling into shops, it was awesome.

not so keen on the olympics, my mate's kid (who is 9) got pushed from the front of the crowd when the torch came through town because of the logo on his t-shirt - it wasn't even an overzealous copper that did it, just some faceless cunt in a suit leading a camera crew. and if it wasn't for the 38 degrees campaign, the major sponsors would still be using the olympics as a massive tax dodge.

i like the idea of big sporting events that make the world smaller, but when they're overwhelmed with corporate issues then it does take some of the fun out of it - and a lot of the hostility will die down once the games have actually started and we can all watch the ladies gymnastics.

[GONNAFISTYA]

It's not a case of undermining the games; it's pointing out how the spirit of amateur sportsmanship that the Olympics represents has been desecrated by greed.

All you need to know.

[Nightshade]

I've heard a large load of bollocks around each US Olympics, except for the '80 games and that was probably only because I was too young to notice.

Most what I hear is about how retardedly corrupt the IOC is and how host city officials are all too eager to jump in bed with them.

[menkent]

afaik the last few olympics (and soccer world cups) have lost big sums of money. it's hugely expensive to set up all the infrastructure for the games (facilities, housing for athletes and coaches, security, etc) and the TV revenue, ticket sales, and merch just can't keep up. they literally need the corporate sponsorships for it to happen. that hardly excuses the pitiful corruption of the IOC, but I'd bet they're probably no worse than FIFA, the NCAA, or MLB. now, if you're expecting McDonald's or Capital One to do something ethical or humane... you'd better be prepared to wait a long time.

[Don Carlos]

Note to self: Must learn to proof read when typing stuff out...

[scared?]

Lol Brits...

[Don Carlos]

Note to self: Must learn to proof read when typing stuff out...

and realise it was misdirected anger stemming from...well fuck knows.
what does working a 'proper job' have to do with finding our handling of this event cack-handedly wince-inducingly bog-awful?

No; to get my spellng right. There is no misdirected anger. The post targets the bitter and joyless people of this country.

The "proper job" comment is refering to people that bitch and moan about how the conditions they are working under are so bad. They are in need of a reality check of how bad the conditions really are and also they need to look at why they are stuck in a job that they feel is that bad. I thought the conditions of my job were "shit". And by shit I meant that the management ment of the place I was working at were so blinkered that they could not see how bad things had got. So do you know what I did? That's right, I got a new one. I did this by learning new skills and bettering myself. In other news, I have a friend who is a welder and is currently sat in a metal box on the side of the bridge with a TIG welding kit. Temps above 50 degrees. They are rough conditions to work in, but it is part of the job that he applied for and wanted. While I appreciate the need for some health and safety and for certain things to be monitored, there are things you do for your job that might be a little uncomforable. It is your job. You and only you make yourself get up and go there every day. If it is that bad, quit. If you work in an office and something is annoying you, try and fix it.

I just pisses me off that people will sit there and whine and moan about things day in and day out without trying to improve things themselves. Like I said, it is like everyone feels that they are owed something by someone else just because they were born here.

These are the same people who seem intent on ruining things for everyone else by either bitching and complaining or just generally in life by not taking responsibility for their own actions.

Edit: Also to confirm that I agree certain aspects of the games has really not gone well: tickets and corporate nonsense etc, but the construction and inforstructure has gone amazingly well. No delays, no snakes in hotels as in the commonwealth games the other year. No real hic ups from that side.

[plained]

they dont show thing thing very much aroun here ey


[img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vY64oDQ-lyk/TVpY2Xny1fI/AAAAAAAAApI/4-hdIBombII/s1600/london+olympics.gif
[/img]


but yea op people here bitch about everything even tho there isnt much that happens here

[obsidian]

Then there's the rocket launcher teams on the roofs of residential buildings, where the residents have been told they have no right of appeal, and that the military were doing them a favour by even notifying them this would be happening.

I had thought that "missile launchers" was some British colloquial term for something else, like some sort of communications array or surveillance equipment that looked like a missile launcher. I didn't realize that they literally put real live explosive anti-air missile launchers on people's roofs. What are they thinking?

The deplorable parts of these Olympic games is the heavy corporatization of the event as well as the enforcement of a police state. They say that the Olympics will bring in a lot of tourism and money, but I suspect that most of that money will be filled in the pockets of corporations sponsoring the event, with minor or miniscule benefit to local businesses and residents. While security is important, it should not come at the cost of the rights of an individual. Displacing people, setting curfews and bending the law to allow random searches and arrests are a violation of human rights.

The spirit of the Olympics are good and honest, but I think the games have long since run a different path filled with corruption and exemption of all the ideals that used to be represented by the human purity.

[Tsakali]

one in a lifetime spectacle ... every 4 years

Yes economically speaking yall will lose money, there is no question about that. Check some facts over the previous Olympics held...well, anywhere.
It creates jobs? where the fuck do you think that money is coming from?

Yes, I do not expect the Olympics to be held in the UK again in my life time, so it is likely to be a "once in a life time" event.

You appear to be the sort of person I was refering to in the first place, so tryin to reason with you will be pointless.

oh you got that wrong, your ideas are unreasonable, mine are grounded in reality. It's a piss contest on the international level. Granted I'm not a brit, but I know for a fact that all that money greece spent to set up that infrastructure is now going mostly unused... just sitting there aging. It is far from an 'investment'. If anything it might give you some pride as a brit, but to be honest , yall don't need to spend money on the Olympics to put you on the map.

[axbaby]

We just had the world cup in South Africa.
Beautiful expensive corrupt stadiums wete built in a land where half the people have jobs.
the problem with Olympics is you put out more then you get back in the name of national pride.

Love the UK though and look forward to a great show.

[Tsakali]

They had talked about keeping the olympics at the same place all the time, for economical reasons, but it seems that idea is not very popular, although it should be.

[seremtan]

they should create a giant man-made island called Olympicland, and every nation that wants to compete has to contribute to the construction of an entire Olympic setup (accommodation, stadia, etc). profits would be poured back in to the running of the place, security would be much simpler, and the whole thing would be less of a financial burden on the host nation. they could even dispense with the corporate sponsors if it was publicly funded