JackLakeland Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 How come the winners of the general Olympics are given a gold post box painted local to each winner, the cauldrons and torches they have carried have all been gold in colour and each winning gold medallist has had their own individual stamp issued for each person. The Paralympians however do not get a gold post box, the cauldrons and torches they have used have been silver in colour indicating second best, and for each gold medallist they do not get their individual stamps like able bodied athletes have but in fact have to grouped with other Paralympians on a shared stamp. It is clearly a case of second fiddle and second class citizens and they are definitely not classed as equal as able bodied athletes and their silver coloured status clearly indicates token gestures. Also, why has there been a separate staging of Olympics with Paralympics having their own ceremony and logos, is it not more logical and better source of inclusion to have the Paralympics merged with the other Olympics so that everyone is classed as equal and not as some secondary freak show that nobody wants to be seen with and given equal exposure, it all smells of very bad human rights to me. Paralympians will always have to play second fiddle Olympians for the simple reason they are not as good. Harsh but true. All this patronizing is a little much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Sleeps Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Paralympians will always have to play second fiddle Olympians for the simple reason they are not as good. Harsh but true. There is a different value in watching a disabled athlete. Watching human beings reach the peak of athletic achievement is an Olympian ideal. Watching them overcome adversity to achieve something is equally as important in life. Not everyone is going to be Usain Bolt. Anyone may find themselves sat in a wheelchair one day. There is also an undercurrent sometimes, and I find it absolutely abhorrent, of degrading the Paralympics to being worthless. A friend of mine (and I use the term lightly) once called them "Spaz Olympics". Because losing an arm or a leg suddenly makes one 'a spaz'. It is something I find repulsive beyond words, and motivates me to defend the Paralympics with a passion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Because the disabled are viewed as 2nd class citizens, which is bloody disgusting, saw the mockery of lighting the torches on news this morning. Seb Coe TRYING to look interested, ah well I hope the contestants all have a good games. surely its because you can't compare someone racing in a wheelchair with someone racing using only their legs! I don't think they should have lit any more torches it was dull enough the first time. The torch relay bit should be for both...and much, much shorter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Sleeps Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 i had to smile at the london marathon tbh. [...] i mean come on, a road race and theyve got wheels under them? surly under those circumstances they are "enabled"????? Would you like them to crawl on their bellies? That'll entertain you, maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I wonder if it would be possible to hold both events at the same time in the same arenas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stereolab Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I wonder if it would be possible to hold both events at the same time in the same arenas? Here's why not Why are the Olympics and Paralympics held separately?/ Why isn’t there one Games? The Olympic and Paralympic Games are two separate elite sport competitions run by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee respectively. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the two biggest sporting events in the world and merging them into one Games is impractical, due to the numbers of athletes competing and the number of events included. Therefore it is far more straight-forward for the two events to be held separately. http://www.paralympics.org.uk/about-us/faqs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stereolab Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 There is a different value in watching a disabled athlete. Watching human beings reach the peak of athletic achievement is an Olympian ideal. Watching them overcome adversity to achieve something is equally as important in life. Not everyone is going to be Usain Bolt. Anyone may find themselves sat in a wheelchair one day. There is also an undercurrent sometimes, and I find it absolutely abhorrent, of degrading the Paralympics to being worthless. A friend of mine (and I use the term lightly) once called them "Spaz Olympics". Because losing an arm or a leg suddenly makes one 'a spaz'. It is something I find repulsive beyond words, and motivates me to defend the Paralympics with a passion. Part of the problem the Paralympics has is trying to break from the 'triumph over adversity' narrative. This piece is worth a read http://www.metro.co.uk/news/newsfocus/909878-can-the-paralympic-games-better-the-olympics-as-greatest-show-on-earth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackLakeland Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I won't be watching at all. I have the greatest respect for the athletes and they have overcome a great deal to get where they are. But I'm just not inspired by Blind Football and Tennis in a wheelchair. I would find it tedious and boring. It may be my loss but these games aren't for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Here's why not Why are the Olympics and Paralympics held separately?/ Why isn’t there one Games? The Olympic and Paralympic Games are two separate elite sport competitions run by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee respectively. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the two biggest sporting events in the world and merging them into one Games is impractical, due to the numbers of athletes competing and the number of events included. Therefore it is far more straight-forward for the two events to be held separately. http://www.paralympics.org.uk/about-us/faqs I thought it might be something to do with times and such. Mind you, a few people at work today were saying they still wished the games were on. It would be good to still see our abled-bodied and paralympic athletes winning, probably not so good if we didn't do so well though. The country is still up on hype. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Sleeps Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Part of the problem the Paralympics has is trying to break from the 'triumph over adversity' narrative. I understand that, but what other narrative have they got? Channel4's "Superhuman" idea is plainly idiotic. Any ideal of being "the fastest man on no legs" can be dismissed easily; it's already been done on here before it's started. It's something they're stuck with, I feel, even though it can be a little patronising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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