• Stephen Fry urges boycott of Winter Olympics
    95 replies, posted
[quote=Stephen Fry's Open Letter] Dear Prime Minister, M Rogge, Lord Coe and Members of the International Olympic Committee, I write in the earnest hope that all those with a love of sport and the Olympic spirit will consider the stain on the Five Rings that occurred when the 1936 Berlin Olympics proceeded under the exultant aegis of a tyrant who had passed into law, three years earlier, an act which singled out for special persecution a minority whose only crime was the accident of their birth. In his case he banned Jews from academic tenure or public office, he made sure that the police turned a blind eye to any beatings, thefts or humiliations afflicted on them, he burned and banned books written by them. He claimed they “polluted” the purity and tradition of what it was to be German, that they were a threat to the state, to the children and the future of the Reich. He blamed them simultaneously for the mutually exclusive crimes of Communism and for the controlling of international capital and banks. He blamed them for ruining the culture with their liberalism and difference. The Olympic movement at that time paid precisely no attention to this evil and proceeded with the notorious Berlin Olympiad, which provided a stage for a gleeful Führer and only increased his status at home and abroad. It gave him confidence. All historians are agreed on that. What he did with that confidence we all know. Putin is eerily repeating this insane crime, only this time against LGBT Russians. Beatings, murders and humiliations are ignored by the police. Any defence or sane discussion of homosexuality is against the law. Any statement, for example, that Tchaikovsky was gay and that his art and life reflects this sexuality and are an inspiration to other gay artists would be punishable by imprisonment. It is simply not enough to say that gay Olympians may or may not be safe in their village. The IOC absolutely must take a firm stance on behalf of the shared humanity it is supposed to represent against the barbaric, fascist law that Putin has pushed through the Duma. Let us not forget that Olympic events used not only to be athletic, they used to include cultural competitions. Let us realise that in fact, sport is cultural. It does not exist in a bubble outside society or politics. The idea that sport and politics don’t connect is worse than disingenuous, worse than stupid. It is wickedly, wilfully wrong. Everyone knows politics interconnects with everything for “politics” is simply the Greek for “to do with the people”. An absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential. Stage them elsewhere in Utah, Lillyhammer, anywhere you like. At all costs Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilised world. He is making scapegoats of gay people, just as Hitler did Jews. He cannot be allowed to get away with it. I know whereof I speak. I have visited Russia, stood up to the political deputy who introduced the first of these laws, in his city of St Petersburg. I looked into the face of the man and, on camera, tried to reason with him, counter him, make him understand what he was doing. All I saw reflected back at me was what Hannah Arendt called, so memorably, “the banality of evil.” A stupid man, but like so many tyrants, one with an instinct of how to exploit a disaffected people by finding scapegoats. Putin may not be quite as oafish and stupid as Deputy Milanov but his instincts are the same. He may claim that the “values” of Russia are not the “values” of the West, but this is absolutely in opposition to Peter the Great’s philosophy, and against the hopes of millions of Russians, those not in the grip of that toxic mix of shaven headed thuggery and bigoted religion, those who are agonised by the rolling back of democracy and the formation of a new autocracy in the motherland that has suffered so much (and whose music, literature and drama, incidentally I love so passionately). I am gay. I am a Jew. My mother lost over a dozen of her family to Hitler’s anti-Semitism. Every time in Russia (and it is constantly) a gay teenager is forced into suicide, a lesbian “correctively” raped, gay men and women beaten to death by neo-Nazi thugs while the Russian police stand idly by, the world is diminished and I for one, weep anew at seeing history repeat itself. “All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” so wrote Edmund Burke. Are you, the men and women of the IOC going to be those “good” who allow evil to triumph? The Summer Olympics of 2012 were one of the most glorious moments of my life and the life of my country. For there to be a Russian Winter Olympics would stain the movement forever and wipe away any of that glory. The Five Rings would finally be forever smeared, besmirched and ruined in the eyes of the civilised world. I am begging you to resist the pressures of pragmatism, of money, of the oily cowardice of diplomats and to stand up resolutely and proudly for humanity the world over, as your movement is pledged to do. Wave your Olympic flag with pride as we gay men and women wave our Rainbow flag with pride. Be brave enough to live up to the oaths and protocols of your movement, which I remind you of verbatim below. Rule 4 Cooperate with the competent public or private organisations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace Rule 6: Act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement Rule 15 Encourage and support initiatives blending sport with culture and education I especially appeal to you, Prime Minister, a man for whom I have the utmost respect. As the leader of a party I have for almost all of my life opposed and instinctively disliked, you showed a determined, passionate and clearly honest commitment to LGBT rights and helped pushed gay marriage through both houses of our parliament in the teeth of vehement opposition from so many of your own side. For that I will always admire you, whatever other differences may lie between us. In the end I believe you know when a thing is wrong or right. Please act on that instinct now. Yours in desperate hope for humanity Stephen Fry[/quote] [url=http://www.stephenfry.com/2013/08/07/an-open-letter-to-david-cameron-and-the-ioc/]Source (His Site)[/url] Russia doesn't deserve to host the Winter Olympics. They need to know the western world disagrees with their disgusting legislation. Posted the full letter because it isn't some news companies article.
As long as that Russian money keeps getting paid the olympic committee won't do shit.
I say we stage a boycott of the Winter Olympics akin to those in 1980.
Stephen Fry's gay? Didn't know that..
-snip-
[QUOTE=xianlee;41745695]Stephen Fry's gay? Didn't know that..[/QUOTE] He's pretty open about it. sod russia
[QUOTE=xianlee;41745695]Stephen Fry's gay? Didn't know that..[/QUOTE] He's also clinically depressed
[QUOTE=RainbowStalin;41745726]He's also clinically depressed[/QUOTE] bipolar
I can see the Daily Mail headlines now: "Fry States Putin Worse Than Hitler"
Yeah, let's just boycott the Winter OS and just outright give the finger to the many people that trained years for this event. I am sorry, but boycotting the winter OS won't make russia change their stance on homosexuality. ...[sp] And to be honest, I think that this "boycott" is for a whole other manner than what most people think.[/sp] Like for example: [url]http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2013/07/17/lindsey-graham-olympics-boycott-russia-snowden/2524341/[/url]
I wanted to make an out of the frying pan joke but I'm just too dumb :(
They didn't take it away from China, they won't do it here and if they do it's an insult to the Chinese people who apparently aren't important enough to care about.
He's not boycotting the event itself, only to have it in Russia.
[QUOTE=Sokrates;41745763]And to be honest, I think that this "boycott" is for a whole other manner than what most people think.[/QUOTE] Not Fry's boycott. Not the boycott I'll be participating in. Not all boycotts run under the same root of decision.
[QUOTE=Sokrates;41745763]Yeah, let's just boycott the Winter OS and just outright give the finger to the many people that trained years for this event. I am sorry, but boycotting the winter OS won't make russia change their stance on homosexuality. ...[sp] And to be honest, I think that this "boycott" is for a whole other manner than what most people think.[/sp] Like for example: [url]http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2013/07/17/lindsey-graham-olympics-boycott-russia-snowden/2524341/[/url][/QUOTE]Oh great, now we're going to get absolute morons saying Stephen Fry is a US government shill.
[QUOTE=Thom12255;41745785]They didn't take it away from China, they won't do it here and if they do it's an insult to the Chinese people who apparently aren't important enough to care about.[/QUOTE] If they want to keep choosing hosts that go against what the Olympics stands for that is to the IOC's own detriment.
[QUOTE=Sokrates;41745763]Yeah, let's just boycott the Winter OS and just outright give the finger to the many people that trained years for this event. I am sorry, but boycotting the winter OS won't make russia change their stance on homosexuality. ...[sp] And to be honest, I think that this "boycott" is for a whole other manner than what most people think.[/sp] Like for example: [url]http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2013/07/17/lindsey-graham-olympics-boycott-russia-snowden/2524341/[/url][/QUOTE] yeah boycott is the wrong word for this, it implies you simply don't pay for its service or go to it, as far as common knowledge would go on the concept. What does that accomplish? Protest, [i]speak out[/i], make it known that it's an atrocity and injustice to enact these baseless laws (which Fry is clearly doing, despite terminology), and create a social movement, not a passive aggressive cold shoulder with your wallet
[QUOTE=daijitsu;41745825]yeah boycott is the wrong word for this, it implies you simply don't pay for its service or go to it, as far as common knowledge would go on the concept. What does that accomplish? Protest, [i]speak out[/i], make it known that it's an atrocity and injustice to enact these baseless laws (which Fry is clearly doing, despite terminology), and create a social movement, not a passive aggressive cold shoulder with your wallet[/QUOTE] Change the title if you prefer. I just made it boycott because unfortunately there is very little chance that they'll move the 2014 Winter Olympics away from Russia.
I had no idea that Fry was gay and jewish
[QUOTE=Jimmyshimmy;41745838]I had no idea that Fry was gay and jewish[/QUOTE] He was born a jew but I'm pretty sure he's an athiest.
[QUOTE]Stage them elsewhere in Utah, Lillyhammer, anywhere you like.[/QUOTE] Please not here. I think we're still paying off the bills for the last one.
But the Winter Olympics is best Olympics. The show must go on!
[QUOTE=Sword and Paint;41745967]But the Winter Olympics is best Olympics. The show must go on![/QUOTE] Lots of places got snow and slopes
Honestly, I think instead of boycotting the Olympics, people should just go there and throw potatoes at Russian athletes or something So even if it ends up doing absolute shit then you still had the satisfaction of slamming a potato up a Russian arse
Ain't gonna happen when money rules this world. There's too much money and too many careers at stake
[QUOTE=Sword and Paint;41745967]But the Winter Olympics is best Olympics. The show must go on![/QUOTE] it's going to. there isnt enough time to switch it. they will cancel it if world war 3 breaks out though.
[QUOTE=BFG9000;41746022] slamming a potato up a Russian arse[/QUOTE] I know what fantasy I'm jacking off to tonite.
[QUOTE=xianlee;41745695]Stephen Fry's gay? Didn't know that..[/QUOTE] like it matters [editline]7th August 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=RainbowStalin;41745726]He's also clinically depressed[/QUOTE] like that matters either
[QUOTE=BFG9000;41746022]Honestly, I think instead of boycotting the Olympics, people should just go there and throw potatoes at Russian athletes or something So even if it ends up doing absolute shit then you still had the satisfaction of slamming a potato up a Russian arse[/QUOTE] Only to get arrested and thrown into a Russian jail (which I presume aren't the nicest jails in the world), plus, you may or may not be throwing potatoes at athletes that aren't homophobes.
Boycotting the Olympics won't do much Boycott the [i]sponsors[/i]. If we can pressure big companies to pull their financial support from the event then the olympic committee will have no choice but to listen to calls to pull out of Russia
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