The Boston Marathon's Ban on Russian Athletes Is Hypocritical Xenophobia

McRocket said:
'The world isn't made a better place by treating individual athletes as appendages of their governments.
CHRISTIAN BRITSCHGI | 4.7.2022 2:55 PM


The organizers of the Boston Marathon have told Russian and Belarusian athletes to take a hike. On Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) said that residents of both countries who had already qualified for the elite race would no longer be allowed to participate because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Like so many around the world, we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine," said President and CEO of the BAA Tom Grilk in a statement. "We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine."

Some 35 Russian residents participated in last year's marathon. The BAA said that they'd generously do their best to refund the canceled 2022 Russian and Belarusian participants' registration fees.

The BAA is hardly the only group to hurriedly try to disassociate themselves from anything too Russian in response to the war in Ukraine. Everyone and everything from academic journals, film festivals, state liquor stores, and more have said they want nothing to do with Russia or its people.

Those boycotts have consistently punished Russians that have little or nothing to do with their government's war in Ukraine and couldn't stop it if they tried. The BAA's ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes is just as poorly targeted. There's no indication that those excluded supported or aided the Russian invasion of Ukraine in any way. And even Russians who have spoken out against the war have still suffered cancelation and shunning.

On the flipside, residency in a country that has committed equal or worse atrocities than Russia hasn't proven to be an automatic disqualification from participation in the Boston Marathon.

In October 2021,15 Ethiopian residents competed in the men's marathon, and Ethiopians claimed two of the top three spots. At that time, Ethiopian government forces had been accused of massacres and torture during their war with Tigrayan forces in the country's Tigray region.

In 2019, two residents of Saudi Arabia and 15 from the United Arab Emirates participated in the Boston Marathon. By that time, their respective governments had been four years into a bombing campaign in Yemen that, according to Human Rights Watch, has hit "hospitals, school buses, markets, mosques, farms, bridges, factories, and detention centers." (The U.S. continues to play a major role in fueling that conflict too.)

Indeed, residents from any number of countries with authoritarian and shady governments, from China to Venezuela, have been welcomed to participate in the Boston Marathon over the years.

The fact that the BAA is allowing residents from other countries whose governments have committed similar sins of aggressive war and mass civilian killings to participate in the marathon shows that it's not indeed acting on some universal revulsion at government atrocities. Instead, its decision appears to be knee-jerk discrimination against the most visible war occurring right now. It's hard to treat that as a particularly noble stance.'

https://reason.com/2022/04/07/the-b...-russian-athletes-is-hypocritical-xenophobia/


I agree with this article completely.

The organizers are showing blatant xenophobic AND hypocritical judgement in punishing people who had NOTHING to do with the invasion...just because they are Russian/Belarus.

No doubt some of you - whom are nitwits on this - disagree.
Click to expand...
Okay, I’m a nitwit, but it’s a form of sanction. The United States is denouncing the act of war by Putin. Pressure from the Russian people stopped Russian aggression before. This is a tool to stop the war.
 
Phantasmal said:
Okay, I’m a nitwit, but it’s a form of sanction. The United States is denouncing the act of war by Putin. Pressure from the Russian people stopped Russian aggression before. This is a tool to stop the war.
Click to expand...

I shudder to agree with you but you got this one right.
 
McRocket said:
'The world isn't made a better place by treating individual athletes as appendages of their governments.
CHRISTIAN BRITSCHGI | 4.7.2022 2:55 PM


The organizers of the Boston Marathon have told Russian and Belarusian athletes to take a hike. On Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) said that residents of both countries who had already qualified for the elite race would no longer be allowed to participate because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Like so many around the world, we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine," said President and CEO of the BAA Tom Grilk in a statement. "We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine."

Some 35 Russian residents participated in last year's marathon. The BAA said that they'd generously do their best to refund the canceled 2022 Russian and Belarusian participants' registration fees.

The BAA is hardly the only group to hurriedly try to disassociate themselves from anything too Russian in response to the war in Ukraine. Everyone and everything from academic journals, film festivals, state liquor stores, and more have said they want nothing to do with Russia or its people.

Those boycotts have consistently punished Russians that have little or nothing to do with their government's war in Ukraine and couldn't stop it if they tried. The BAA's ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes is just as poorly targeted. There's no indication that those excluded supported or aided the Russian invasion of Ukraine in any way. And even Russians who have spoken out against the war have still suffered cancelation and shunning.

On the flipside, residency in a country that has committed equal or worse atrocities than Russia hasn't proven to be an automatic disqualification from participation in the Boston Marathon.

In October 2021,15 Ethiopian residents competed in the men's marathon, and Ethiopians claimed two of the top three spots. At that time, Ethiopian government forces had been accused of massacres and torture during their war with Tigrayan forces in the country's Tigray region.

In 2019, two residents of Saudi Arabia and 15 from the United Arab Emirates participated in the Boston Marathon. By that time, their respective governments had been four years into a bombing campaign in Yemen that, according to Human Rights Watch, has hit "hospitals, school buses, markets, mosques, farms, bridges, factories, and detention centers." (The U.S. continues to play a major role in fueling that conflict too.)

Indeed, residents from any number of countries with authoritarian and shady governments, from China to Venezuela, have been welcomed to participate in the Boston Marathon over the years.

The fact that the BAA is allowing residents from other countries whose governments have committed similar sins of aggressive war and mass civilian killings to participate in the marathon shows that it's not indeed acting on some universal revulsion at government atrocities. Instead, its decision appears to be knee-jerk discrimination against the most visible war occurring right now. It's hard to treat that as a particularly noble stance.'

https://reason.com/2022/04/07/the-b...-russian-athletes-is-hypocritical-xenophobia/


I agree with this article completely.

The organizers are showing blatant xenophobic AND hypocritical judgement in punishing people who had NOTHING to do with the invasion...just because they are Russian/Belarus.

No doubt some of you - whom are nitwits on this - disagree.
Click to expand...

I think it would be okay to ban a Russian Government sponsored team or individual, but a Russian citizen who is not sponsored by Russia should not be banned.
 
Jarod said:
I think it would be okay to ban a Russian Government sponsored team or individual, but a Russian citizen who is not sponsored by Russia should not be banned.
Click to expand...
I could not find who sponsors them, but the Russian government is usually a big sponsor of their athletes. Russian runners who reside here and other countries will be allowed to run. It’s just runners living in Belarus and Russia who may not participate under their flags.
 
Phantasmal said:
I could not find who sponsors them, but the Russian government is usually a big sponsor of their athletes. Russian runners who reside here and other countries will be allowed to run. It’s just runners living in Belarus and Russia who may not participate under their flags.
Click to expand...

I do not think our issue is with the rank and file Russian people. I was against the Iraq war, and would hate to be discriminated because I am an American.
 
CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour said the attack was reminiscent of one on a marketplace in Sarajevo during the war in Bosnia, where "ordinary civilians were massacred as they just went about their business."
 
Jarod said:
I do not think our issue is with the rank and file Russian people. I was against the Iraq war, and would hate to be discriminated because I am an American.
Click to expand...
It is the rank and file Russian who support this war and support Putin.
 
Phantasmal said:
You’re the broken clock, right ;)
Click to expand...

I didn't have to apologize...you did.



You also posted this:

"Okay, I’m a nitwit..."


P.S. An interrogatory requires a question mark.

"You’re the broken clock, right "
 
Last edited:
Earl said:
President Vladimir V. Putin’s approval ratings have reached levels unseen in years, according to an independent poll released on Thursday, as many Russians rally around the flag in the face of mounting international pressure.

Eighty-three percent of Russians said they approved of Mr. Putin’s actions, up from 69 percent in January, according to a poll by the Levada Center, an independent pollster in Moscow. Ratings of many other government institutions, as well as the governing party, have also gone up, th https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...GeqMT_55iIB9PP e poll indicated.
Click to expand...

He has his own version of Fox Gnus telling the people what he wants them to hear. Propaganda works. I have seen man in the street interviews in Moscow and the older people believe Putin is doing right. Many younger people are against it. Many more say they will not say anything due to the penalties, up to 15 years in jail.
 
McRocket said:
'The world isn't made a better place by treating individual athletes as appendages of their governments.
CHRISTIAN BRITSCHGI | 4.7.2022 2:55 PM


The organizers of the Boston Marathon have told Russian and Belarusian athletes to take a hike. On Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) said that residents of both countries who had already qualified for the elite race would no longer be allowed to participate because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Like so many around the world, we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine," said President and CEO of the BAA Tom Grilk in a statement. "We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine."

Some 35 Russian residents participated in last year's marathon. The BAA said that they'd generously do their best to refund the canceled 2022 Russian and Belarusian participants' registration fees.

The BAA is hardly the only group to hurriedly try to disassociate themselves from anything too Russian in response to the war in Ukraine. Everyone and everything from academic journals, film festivals, state liquor stores, and more have said they want nothing to do with Russia or its people.

Those boycotts have consistently punished Russians that have little or nothing to do with their government's war in Ukraine and couldn't stop it if they tried. The BAA's ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes is just as poorly targeted. There's no indication that those excluded supported or aided the Russian invasion of Ukraine in any way. And even Russians who have spoken out against the war have still suffered cancelation and shunning.

On the flipside, residency in a country that has committed equal or worse atrocities than Russia hasn't proven to be an automatic disqualification from participation in the Boston Marathon.

In October 2021,15 Ethiopian residents competed in the men's marathon, and Ethiopians claimed two of the top three spots. At that time, Ethiopian government forces had been accused of massacres and torture during their war with Tigrayan forces in the country's Tigray region.

In 2019, two residents of Saudi Arabia and 15 from the United Arab Emirates participated in the Boston Marathon. By that time, their respective governments had been four years into a bombing campaign in Yemen that, according to Human Rights Watch, has hit "hospitals, school buses, markets, mosques, farms, bridges, factories, and detention centers." (The U.S. continues to play a major role in fueling that conflict too.)

Indeed, residents from any number of countries with authoritarian and shady governments, from China to Venezuela, have been welcomed to participate in the Boston Marathon over the years.

The fact that the BAA is allowing residents from other countries whose governments have committed similar sins of aggressive war and mass civilian killings to participate in the marathon shows that it's not indeed acting on some universal revulsion at government atrocities. Instead, its decision appears to be knee-jerk discrimination against the most visible war occurring right now. It's hard to treat that as a particularly noble stance.'

https://reason.com/2022/04/07/the-b...-russian-athletes-is-hypocritical-xenophobia/


I agree with this article completely.

The organizers are showing blatant xenophobic AND hypocritical judgement in punishing people who had NOTHING to do with the invasion...just because they are Russian/Belarus.

No doubt some of you - whom are nitwits on this - disagree.
Click to expand...

The article's cloaked criticism that "it's hard to treat (the ban on Russian runners) as a particularly noble stance" isn't the point. The ban isn't intended to be noble. It's intended to add to the remarkable and unprecedented unity of the West that has developed almost overnight and continues to build in disgust over the Russian obscenity in Ukraine. I don't know what "worse atrocities" the writer might have in mind but if there are any they aren't the point either. And it doesn't matter that earlier bans in response to one national outrage or another didn't lead to improved behavior. What matters is now and whatever happens from here.
 
volsrock said:
So it was OK to have the Japanese internment camps during WW2
Click to expand...

Americans of Japanese ancestry were interned, not just Japanese. If it were just Japanese, it would have been OK. Enemy foreign nations are interned all the time.

It was so bad that Japanese Americans were taken out of orphanages to be interned. Some of these kids had never seen another person of Japanese ancestry before they were interned. To justify this, you would have to believe there was something in Japanese DNA that would force them to be loyal an enemy nation.
 
It was a world war, we won...case closed.

Tell the Japanese not to sneak attack Americans and we will leave them alone.
 
Earl said:
I didn't have to apologize...you did.



You also posted this:

"Okay, I’m a nitwit..."


P.S. An interrogatory requires a question mark.

"You’re the broken clock, right "
Click to expand...
Earl, you lack a sense of humor, in the words of the distinguished Foghorn Leghorn, “it’s a joke, son”
 
martin said:
The article's cloaked criticism that "it's hard to treat (the ban on Russian runners) as a particularly noble stance" isn't the point. The ban isn't intended to be noble. It's intended to add to the remarkable and unprecedented unity of the West that has developed almost overnight and continues to build in disgust over the Russian obscenity in Ukraine. I don't know what "worse atrocities" the writer might have in mind but if there are any they aren't the point either. And it doesn't matter that earlier bans in response to one national outrage or another didn't lead to improved behavior. What matters is now and whatever happens from here.
Click to expand...

And where is the West's 'remarkable and unprecedented' criticism of the 85,000 children killed/starved to death in Yemen - largely due to the bombing/actions by Saudi Arabia, backed by America and GB?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabian–led_intervention_in_Yemen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni_Civil_War_(2014–present)

Sounds more to me like virtue signaling.
 
Nordberg said:
He has his own version of Fox Gnus telling the people what he wants them to hear. Propaganda works. I have seen man in the street interviews in Moscow and the older people believe Putin is doing right. Many younger people are against it. Many more say they will not say anything due to the penalties, up to 15 years in jail.
Click to expand...
^Lying retard

"Polls show that Putin enjoys greater support among youth than among the public at large."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...russias-young-people-are-putins-biggest-fans/
 
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