U.S. Athletes Warned Against "Jingoistic" Flag-waving!

Which appeasement junkie thought this up?

from JoeUser Forums

     The Washingon Times reports that U.S. athletes have been waned against waving the U.S. flag at the olympics. The thought process here is that since the U.S. is not very popular right now we should avoid making any "jingoistic" statements or show any national pride.

     My question is this... Where does it stop? Should we simply rol over and play dead? Perhaps let the french have a few of our cities as an apology for attacking their lovely friend Saddam? Or maybe we should restart the oil-for-kickbacks program so the "international community" can heal the "deep diplomatic wounds" we have incurred with the resumption of easy bribe money?

     I hope the team captains have the courage to stand up and wave Old Glory high and wide. Screw the appeasers. If the world can't stand a bit of national pride...too damn bad.

 

Emperor Darth Misha I also has excellent coverage of this in his own indomitable style here.

 

I am dying to hear the views of the more left leaning of the JU community. Seriously. I wont flame you or anything. :) (well I suppose that is dependant on your behaviour as well)

 

4,762 views 31 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top

The olympics have always been a sort of stage for the current world politics. 

While I don't think people should NOT wave the flag.....it seems to me that in the current state of things, it couldnt hurt to excersize so caution, so as not to provoke increased negative feeling toward the US....don't you?

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Good point. The US put themselves in a touchy situation right now with the rest of the world. Every other country will be thinking 'pompous bastards' long before Unmericans do anything to prod at it. But just watch, I guarantee they'll still pull off another 'bring em on' tactic of mass hystaria.
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
at risk of revealing longevity has nothing to do with wisdom, i can recall the furor caused by american athletes raising their clenched fists during the awards ceremony at the games of ummmm not that long ago actually.

i'm certainly not answering for the left or any other neighborhood.

i was going to conclude by noting between the two extremes it just goes to show you cant win but that seemed like an innapropriate tagline for a comment on athletic competition so i wont.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
My response would be: Tough. The US athletes should wave the flag as much as any other country.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
My response to the PC group: "Tough shit." The Olympics are a place for a country to be proud of their athletes and country. I think they should wave the flag just as any other country would.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
You knew that I couldnt resist posting on this subject. Patriotism is one of those things that is very dear to my heart (right next to my husband and son actually). My answer to this: To lay over and just play dead would be succumbing to what everybody in the world wants us to do. And to that, I say, nope. Not a chance in hell. I still believe that we are the greatest nation and always will be, no matter what circumstances. I think the rest of the world will just have to get over us waving our flags around and it will be in whatever matter we damn well please.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top

Thanks for the comments folks....


     While I certainly wouldn't advocate that the US Olympic team show up wearing the "Six Days Bitch!" Israeli pride shirts written in Arabic (found here), I don't think that we should restrict ourselves from the mundane and common act of waving the flag at the Olympics.

Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Suggesting we shouldn't wave our flag at the Olympics is ludicrous.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

I hope they do it anyway. It might seem arrogant that the US athletes do what every other athlete does, but to Hell with their double standards.

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
Forgive my ignorance, but is the "Six Days, bitch" referring to the Six Days that God took to create the Earth, or something else?

-- B
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top

The Six Day War in which Israel beat down a few Arabic nations.

Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
A better idea would be to refrain from excessive flag waving and come out of the Olympics with a resounding #1 in the gold metal column. I suspect that most athletes are familiar with the rules of good sportsmanship and will not behave antagonistically, but perhaps they need to be reminded that the Olympics are an excellent opportunity for Americans to show some good old fashioned humility and modesty. Americans should run with their flag, but they shouldn't flaunt it with gestures to the crowd. If this event were held in America such conduct would be fine, but its happening in Athens, on the fringes of the European and Islamic worlds. Everyone knows we're #1. We've been the world's only superpower for quite some time, and our athletes always do well at the summer Olympics. Excessive patriotic ferver could strike international spectators as 'rubbing it in', which is robustly anti-social. Let's take the high road this time and avoid controversy for the sake of avoiding controversy. It will be better in the long run, and if it doesn't help redeem our image in the wake of Abu Ghraib, it will at least stop the bleeding.
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
Flag waving is stupid.

Telling athletes not to wave the flag at the olympics is even more stupid.
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm not a very patriotic person, but there are a lot of patriotic people in the world (not just Americans). To say that one group of people cannot show their patriotism by waving their countries flag is absurd. If non-Americans are so sensitive that some flag-waving is going to set them off, I think they have some issues to work out. If Iraq or Afghanistan were participating in the summer games, they should be able to feel as patriotic as us, or any other country participating in the games.

-- B
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
Greywar, I heard a slightly different story on the radio. It said that US athletes have been warned against showing excess enthusiasm in their celebrations. I was at the Sydney olympics in 2000 and was in the stadium when the US 100 metres mens relay team won gold. Their display afterwards was well over the top. It really felt like they were rubbing everyone elses noses in it and the crowd reacted appropriately....i.e. cheers turned to boos. Australians tend to like Americans but they were very unpopular after that display....as I said I was there so this is not second hand. This behaviour in Sydney in 2000 when the world was relatively peaceful is one thing....doing it in Greece in 2004 could have more serious consequences.
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top

Gerry - The story as reported in the Washington Times was mainl concerned with the flag waving aspect of it although I am certain you are correct that they were admonished against other more over-the-top types of displays such as the one you reported seeing in Sydney. As I said earlier, I do not think we should be overly provacative but we should feel no more restraint in celebrating than any other nation who participates. Flag waving during the olympics is a long standing tradition and I see no reason to stop it now simply to appease other nations.

Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top

A better idea would be to refrain from excessive flag waving and come out of the Olympics with a resounding #1 in the gold metal column.

Ying - That is the most well thought out comment I have ever seen you leave. I don't agree with your politics but I thank you for the civil comment. More of those and you may climb out of negative numbers.

Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
Greywar I guess I was just wondering if the story I heard ( and the story itself mentioned the Sydney olympics performance by the 100 metres relay team) and the Washington Times story had the same source information but came out with different interpretations. I don't think anyone believes that any athlete from any country who wins cannot show love of country. I would be disappointed if the US is expected to behave differently from anyone else.
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
I expect that both stories came from the same source as you say. The Washington Post likely just found the flag-waving bit of it to be the easiest to write a column on. Much as I did:)
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top

I think that the point is that the flag wavers should try to show some restraint.


It is okay to wave the flag around a bit, just don't go into "Icky Shuffle" territory.


I don't really see why nationalities are such a big deal in the Olympics anyway.  Olympic victories are individual accomplishments.  Victorious athletes would be better off trotting around with larger-than-life-sized posters of themselves rather than flags of their country.


As an American, I am almost completely positive that I personally have had no impact on the performance of any of the athletes receiving their medals.  Let them enjoy themselves without having to carry the burden of their home country's international standing.

Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top

It is okay to wave the flag around a bit, just don't go into "Icky Shuffle" territory.

Man was I into that. I feel quite silly remembering it now though.

Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
Frankly if waving "Old Glory" in Greece annoys some euro-socialist or islamic nation...well than...fine...no skin of my back....as to the dire issues some say are apparent now in the world, well one might add that many of those said nations that may boo the US teams for waving it were the cause of those problems....but who am I to judge..just an American tired of the passe' anti-US bull.......whats next....deciding that it might not be prudent for the US to send teams for the Olympics because of someones perceived problems.....grow the F**k up ....if the Olympic commitee plans on issuing a statement down the road telling instead of suggesting that US athletes not show any forms of Patriotism, then maybe we should pull out of the games and pull US military and Intelligence support which was requested by Greece under Nato articles.....funny how Nato membership is one sided deal....all fine to request assistance for ones own country but not for deploying troops in say Afghanistan...where the overwhelming majority of nato forces there are in 2 cities....and not in the mountain areas...so much for Nato support there
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
If that's the case, then I understand. I don't want the US athletes to be acting differently than other athletes are.
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top
Ying - That is the most well thought out comment I have ever seen you leave. I don't agree with your politics but I thank you for the civil comment. More of those and you may climb out of negative numbers.


There is a time for a civility, and a time for rabid partisan banter and vitriolic self mocking joy. I have generally prefered the former, but the latter is very useful as well. If people pay more attention to the wicked than the good, it's not my problem. Wickedness is key to defeating Jesus on Earth. Nor is it fair that conservatives like Anthony R. get to practice foolish and stereotypical thinking, and I don't. Everyone should get their chance to bask in the cool burn of venemous froth
Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top

Wickedness is key to defeating Jesus on Earth.


Okaaayyy..., not sure I follow how this connects to the sentence before it.