Ireland (4 Viewers)

[rettucs]

It's the aspiration, it's more important than the reality.

the reality is more of a reflection on what people think about fairness though

 

[ann post]

I'm mostly saying they are really an important part of what makes us human.
Like a running competition where the goal is to just be fast and let people watch it is so much better than say a running competition where the person who is slower gets a viking axe in the head and the person who is faster gets to start a new life in the Wicklow mountains. Doing it for sport seperates humans from being savages.

 

[nuke terrorist]

Dude, you need to stop being sad about stuff that happened (or didn't happen) 20 years ago - especially stuff you have no control over, and that didn't even affect you! Save your emotional energy for things you can do something about

When I said kids should be told their rights from a young age (several years ago) several people from Thumped strongly disagreed. There are still battles to be won.

 

[YoungHearts]

Fairness is a cornerstone of sport (this is an incredibly relevant and valid theme in current discussions about women's sports!). It isn't really of interest to me if people like sport or not -- but the principle of fairness is something that should be of interest to everyone, as it runs through every aspect of society - whether we are consistently achieving it is another matter, but to aspire to it is surely of worth? I understand that some people (particularly in positions of power) are uninterested in such things. And I understand that the world is a very strange place. But I still aspire for more fairness - and that always comes from balancing various elements. Again, the Crotty case has highlighted this from another angle - and it seems to have struck people that his getting a suspended sentence didn't seem fairly arrived at, given the circumstances.

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

On the topic of schools and what they should doing.

What is the role of the parent?Tusla - Child and Family Agency

The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is now the dedicated State agency responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes for children.

www.tusla.ie

But there are too many who think schools should do everything.

 

[ann post]

Mount Sack ville !!!

Very suggestive name for a girls school.

Because it suggests West brits?

 

[Kermit McDermott]

Because it suggests West brits?

Sack ville is right next to Richard's column

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Sack ville is right next to Richard's column

Balienaboilg

 

[nuke terrorist]

Fairness is a cornerstone of sport (this is an incredibly relevant and valid theme in current discussions about women's sports!). It isn't really of interest to me if people like sport or not -- but the principle of fairness is something that should be of interest to everyone, as it runs through every aspect of society - whether we are consistently achieving it is another matter, but to aspire to it is surely of worth? I understand that some people (particularly in positions of power) are uninterested in such things. And I understand that the world is a very strange place. But I still aspire for moree fairness - and that always comes from balancing various elements. Again, the Crotty case has highlighted this from another angle - and it seems to have struck people that his getting a suspended sentence didn't seem fairly arrived at, given the circumstances.

A decent competent judge and we wouldn't even be talking about this

On the topic of schools and what they should doing.

What is the role of the parent?Tusla - Child and Family Agency

The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is now the dedicated State agency responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes for children.

www.tusla.ie

But there are too many who think schools should do everything.

Does anyone tell children stuff like this directly? That's sort of what I getting at.
Some adults are clueless.
What I wanted out of school was to be set a good example of how to understand and treat other folks and the world.
If school can teach kids religion, they can talk directly to kids about understanding the world?


Fixed typo. Was not going to post comment about useless judge and forgot and posted only first few words of sentence!

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

Schools have changed a lot since you went. And there is a lot of talk about the stuff you mention gets time in classroom. At least it does where I work and I definitely get the impression my daughter's schools covered it a lot. Maybe it would have been different if we were not supportive parents though.

Schools are not perfect ,but they are often doing the best they can.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

I don't really agree with this, sports are one of the finest expressions of humanity. If we didn't have these simulations of competition in our lives we'd be a lot closer to wild animals. Sports having fair rules is wildly important in society.

What I mean is, sports are given this quasi religious status of huge importance that they don’t deserve or need compared to any other human endeavour. Billions of euro funnelled through it (both public and private), gross competitiveness that leads to shitty behaviour (fair rules maybe but not fair play), and widespread systemic corruption in sporting bodies.

Exercise is great but turning it into a competition is where it starts to fall down. Friendly competitiveness on a micro level is one thing but an awful lot of people turn into right arseholes once they start getting really competitive. This happens even when the stakes are low and the more money you pour into that, the worse it becomes. I’m happier to side with the wild animals here.

 

[nuke terrorist]

What I mean is, sports are given this quasi religious status of huge importance that they don’t deserve or need compared to any other human endeavour. Billions of euro funnelled through it (both public and private), gross competitiveness that leads to shitty behaviour (fair rules maybe but not fair play), and widespread systemic corruption in sporting bodies.

Exercise is great but turning it into a competition is where it starts to fall down. Friendly competitiveness on a micro level is one thing but an awful lot of people turn into right arseholes once they start getting really competitive. This happens even when the stakes are low and the more money you pour into that, the worse it becomes. I’m happier to side with the wild animals here.

I suppose elite sport is a sign of how ruthless competition (as opposed to cooperation) is encouraged in the world.
I can't make a lot of sensible arguments for my love of sport. I would not enjoy the reality of being a pro athlete.
Again there is worse out there as far as 'entertainment' goes. Despite all the sports washing / corporate take over and cheating it is still far more of a meritocracy than nearly any other mass media culture pursuit.

 

[therealjohnny]

Homer Simpson Pointing and shouting nerd dot gif

Just remembering Noam Chomsky's take on sports in general:

"Take, say, sports -- that's another crucial example of the indoctrination system, in my view. For one thing because it -- you know, it offers people something to pay attention to that's of no importance. [audience laughs] That keeps them from worrying about -- [applause] keeps them from worrying about things that matter to their lives that they might have some idea of doing something about. And in fact it's striking to see the intelligence that's used by ordinary people in [discussions of] sports [as opposed to political and social issues]. I mean, you listen to radio stations where people call in -- they have the most exotic information [more laughter] and understanding about all kind of arcane issues. And the press undoubtedly does a lot with this.

You know, I remember in high school, already I was pretty old. I suddenly asked myself at one point, why do I care if my high school team wins the football game? [laughter] I mean, I don't know anybody on the team, you know? [audience roars] I mean, they have nothing to do with me, I mean, why I am cheering for my team? It doesn't mean any -- it doesn't make sense. But the point is, it does make sense: it's a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority, and group cohesion behind leadership elements -- in fact, it's training in irrational jingoism. That's also a feature of competitive sports. I think if you look closely at these things, I think, typically, they do have functions, and that's why energy is devoted to supporting them and creating a basis for them and advertisers are willing to pay for them and so on."

More here

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8974497

To generalise, I sometimes feel sports fans are either football hooligans, the cliched meathead jocks from the movies, or nerds with heads full of statistics that would make your average tabletop dungeon master blush. Those "full kit" guys are no better than someone dressed as Wonder Woman at a comic convention.

But to clarify, I don't really care about this. I can just switch off the TV or radio and pay no attention. Which is pretty much my coping mechanism for life in general.

 

[ernesto]

I still really enjoy how silly grown men look wearing their teams football jersey when they’re not at a match or whatever. even funnier still is when they have their favourite player’s name & number on the back and they can let us all know it’s their favourite and also tell their pals
‘Hey look let’s pretend Im Ronaldo(or whoever)’.
I really enjoy how childish and almost cute it is

 

[egg_]

I mean, I don't know anybody on the team, you know?

Much as I love Chomsky I think his view on this is backwards. Sports isn't "a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority, and group cohesion behind leadership elements" - sport doesn't build these things, it builds on these things. We are social animals, and we naturally separate into Us and Them, and sport is way to allow us to do this without hurting one another. I have approximately zero interest in sport myself, but Chomsky's talking out of his hole here

(also fwiw when I used to watch the hurling I did know people on the team, or at least we were connected socially through friends/family/etc)

 

[egg_]

‘Hey look let’s pretend Im Ronaldo(or whoever)’.
I really enjoy how childish and almost cute it is

Wow! I never saw it this way before, but that's an amazing thought - sport is one of the very few ways grown men have to actually play in the way kids play (i.e. to dress up and make believe)

 

[therealjohnny]

Much as I love Chomsky I think his view on this is backwards. Sports isn't "a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority, and group cohesion behind leadership elements" - sport doesn't build these things, it builds on these things. We are social animals, and we naturally separate into Us and Them, and sport is way to allow us to do this without hurting one another. I have approximately zero interest in sport myself, but Chomsky's talking out of his hole here

(also fwiw when I used to watch the hurling I did know people on the team, or at least we were connected socially through friends/family/etc)

"I mean, I don't know anybody on the team, you know?"

Without realizing that Chomsky said this, this is exactly the conclusion I came to when considering why sports have never engaged or moved me in any way.
I just don't feel a connection. It might as well be someone else's kid winning a spelling bee.
But there are exceptions.
Every now and again I see a clip and go "Woah" and momentarily get it.

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[Deadmanposting]

to clarify, are you referring to trans women as the '"two to put you down" crew' ?

No no no
Not at all

This is Reets story earlier about an interaction with a random dude in a pub who went from charming to threatening in an instant
i.e. the lived experience of women and the utter shit they have to deal with from men

We likely all have trans people in our lives living openly and it is great for them.
I've never met a violent trans person, they are just people trying to get along. Like everyone else.


But there's plenty of fucked up violent people in the world, and the majority of them were born with men's bodies.
So women have concerns about the spaces they fought so hard for.


Happy to clarify this, but we don't have to keep talking about it
No one's gonna change anyone's mind.

 

[ann post]

‘Hey look let’s pretend Im Ronaldo(or whoever)’.
I really enjoy how childish and almost cute it is

It's dressing up in pink for the barbie movie every weekend for those lads

I'll allow chomsky to be wrong once without passing judgement.

 

[Deadmanposting]

there is nothing fair about sport. if having fair rules is wildly important you'd think folks would be making more of an effort to uphold the rules that currently exist.

I am angry that the sport you loved turned out to be about the dirtiest and cheatiest shitfest for decades
But sport in general is still mostly good