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[Owlbread]

At least the Australians are now attempting to claim Aboriginal culture to a certain extent in a similar way to the Canadians and Americans. In Russia it's as if they never existed. I remember though I used to get into a lot of debates with Australian fellows online about the genocide of the natives, they would often claim they were savages.

I know Circassia has an autonomous Republic called Adyghea and also Karachay-Cherkessia (part of the divide and rule tactic was to split Circassia in twain and mix up one of the Republics with a totally different ethnic group like the Karachay) but because they're all United Russia fiefdoms full of corruption, political assassinations and fat gangsters you won't hear a peep out of them.

You need to understand though that my primary grievances/grudges/bugbears actually lie with the history of British Empire, not Russia. It's just that Russia is topical now.

[kaijyuu]

I'd actually much rather have an Olympic games where birds are thrown into the sky by shotputters and javeliners, the torch is lighted and the games begin. A much better alternative to throwing a year's GDP away to pretty shows of cultural dick waving.

Um, throwing birds and lighting torches is a cultural thing. It's showing culture.

Maybe you don't like specifically historical displays? Or displaying the local culture? If so, the games might as well be held in Town which resides in Country.

[Owlbread]

The whole point of the Olympics is Nationalist dick waving. I can't stand watching them for that reason. I would rather it was about athletes and not nations.

[kaijyuu]

* kaijyuu is slightly amused hearing that from a nationalist.

But I hear ya. I don't care much for sports or "national pride", so the olympics don't interest me much at all.

The controversies are fun though. Also I respect the athlete's dreams and ambitions and all that.

[Owlbread]

* kaijyuu is slightly amused hearing that from a nationalist.

But I hear ya. I don't care much for sports or "national pride", so the olympics don't interest me much at all.

The controversies are fun though. Also I respect the athlete's dreams and ambitions and all that.

I think there is a time and place for Nationalism, but part of me says the Olympics are neither. It's hard because I'll watch rugby and I'll watch football when Scotland or Wales are playing but... I don't know. I need to think it through. In this country sport is important to cultural and national identity because it's the only way we can express Scottishness independently, also there's the importance of local football teams. I can't deny feeling pride when my team won the Scottish League last year.

[Digital Hellhound]

The Olympics and world championships are the only place where I'm happily nationalist, funnily enough. National-team sports are the only ones I follow, anyway.

I'll note, given the thread, that I'd be happy cheering on an united European team, too. EU flags on uniforms would look lovely.

[Loud Whispers]

Um, throwing birds and lighting torches is a cultural thing. It's showing culture.

What made you think I disapprove of that? Everything else is a frivolous waste of copious amounts of money.

Maybe you don't like specifically historical displays? Or displaying the local culture?

No and no. In this instance the price is too great to be worth it.

[Descan]

I'd be more happy with the Olympics if they were held on neutral ground, same place every games.

Of course, unless Doggerland resurfaces, then the only "neutral ground" are the Moon and Antarctica, and the deserts. And even then, Antarctica is sliced into a pie of ownership, and even unused desert is owned by countries.

Then again, having the summer olympics in the hottest place on Earth and the winter olympics in the coldest would be fairly fitting!

[Helgoland]

How about Athens? Seems to be the natural place for them...

[Dutchling]

You want Greece to pay for all the Olympics xD?

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Umbrellas are illegal in Russia...
That's almost like arrests for clapping done in Belarus...
 

[Helgoland]

You want to hold them in Georgia?

[notquitethere]

Anyone else see the reveal of the new Tanaris unmanned drone?

For those that don't want to sit through a video, I'll summarise: there's a new unmanned drone. War as a video game. Killing at safe distance. New instrument of death from above appears on stage, smoke machines puffing, with triumphant music and ecstatic spotlights. Ruddy faced establishment man enthuses about how it how it meets all the 'mission system requirements'. That is to say, it has the desired range of tools to efficiently kill other human beings.

[Reelya]

You want Greece to pay for all the Olympics xD?

First up, they wouldn't be anywhere near so expensive if there were established facilities which were reused every time. And second, each country could provide some funding to the IOC, and the IOC also handle international merchandising etc to fund the games, third, it would boost the economy of Greece like nothing else. Overall it would be better for the environment and cost of the games to reuse the same facilities.

[Graknorke]

Anyone else see the reveal of the new Tanaris unmanned drone?

For those that don't want to sit through a video, I'll summarise: there's a new unmanned drone. War as a video game. Killing at safe distance. New instrument of death from above appears on stage, smoke machines puffing, with triumphant music and ecstatic spotlights. Ruddy faced establishment man enthuses about how it how it meets all the 'mission system requirements'. That is to say, it has the desired range of tools to efficiently kill other human beings.

Eh, I think that people get too worked up over drones. They're not inherently worse than any other improvement in weapon technology.
Most of the hysteria around them I would suspect comes from stupid fears about Matrix-style "robots kill the humans and take over the world" scenarios.