Olympics 2012

[king mob]

Well, we can't avoid it. Olympogeddon is here, and the insanity of what promises to be the most corporate Olympics in history is just a few days away. Over the next few days the UK is going to see near record numbers of visitors in what promises to be a fortnight where records are broken as an enormous amount of tax isn't gathered because the likes of McDonalds aren't going to pay any in any of their UK outlets for the next 3 weeks.

So a few tips for any prospective visitors:

Don't trust whatever our delightful Prime Minister or the Mayor of London say. If they tell you it's not raining it'll be pissing on you


Don't call yourself a conservative. They're not too popular right now.


Don't call yourself a liberal. They're not too popular right now.


Never ask a London taxi driver if he's enjoying the Olympics.


Don't worry about the vast numbers of soldiers and police doing basic stewarding work. It's the private sector in action!


Don't worry about it taking two hours to get from one part of London to another. They've improved travel times just for the Olympics


When asking for a beer, be prepared as you'll be served some extra strong wifebeater, which of course, will be an Olympic sponsor.


Yes, we're supposed to be taking the piss with the opening ceremony. Trust us, it's our money well spent for you to laugh at us


If you see any poor people do tell a policeman as they should have been rehoused somewhere much poorer than London by now. If you see any poor disabled people do tell a representative of Atos who will ensure they won't be bothering anyone ever again.


Don't complain if it rains. Really, don't.

[Charles RB]

I've got a tenner on Sardini in the human taxidermy - who are you betting to win the staring?

[thehod]

I posted this in Rita's but seeing we've an official Olympic thread I'm gonna post it here to.

This is the trailer for Channel 4's coverage of the Paralympics, and it is freaking superb. This has got me more hyped for the Paralypmics than the Olympics themselves.



And for those outside the UK who can't see the video, you can apparently see it here.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/r...-video-trailer

[Zenistar]

I'm staying well out of London for the duration and can't really be bothered with anything other than watching Cav in the Olympic road race.

Off the original list you missed off - Don't disturb people sleeping under bridges, these are the jobless who have been drafted in as security under threat of their benefits being cut - or have they all been replaced by soldiers now?

[Charles RB]

That was the Jubilee and a different company. G4S is the one that can't find staff.

[Charles RB]

This is the trailer for Channel 4's coverage of the Paralympics, and it is freaking superb. This has got me more hyped for the Paralypmics than the Olympics themselves.

All the Olympics-related sponsorship ads I saw are all PATRIOTISM PATRIOTISM HOPE OF THE NATION STIRRING MUSIC.

I much prefer this "here are some sports players who are harder than you" approach.

[Matt]

I prefer the 'I really don't give a toss, make it go away' approach.

To expand a little; I do not see the appeal of the Olympics. I find them extremely tedious and without an underlying and/or concrete goal (apart from making a bunch of corporations a crap-load of money). It probably doesn't help that I don't enjoy watching any kind of professional sport but the blatant commercialisation and never-ending message of "Olympics! ZOMG! IMPORTANT!" is really irritating ... especially when they're really not important at all. Nothing meaningful is achieved. Being able to run 100 metres barely measurably faster than someone else may have been important when animals chased us across the savannah or in melee based warfare but now? Not so much.

[Johnny P. Sartre]

Been hearing a lot of complaints and of things that might and have gone wrong for the London Olympics.

Jeez, Olympics as of lately have been buggin.

[Charles RB]

To expand a little; I do not see the appeal of the Olympics.

Someone from your country might beat people from other countries.

[Diamond Princess]

Eh, since I'm a tennis freak and I think Venus Williams is on her last leg, I'm rooting for her to win one more gold medal. Other than that, I just can't bring myself to care. ESPECIALLY about basketball. You grew up with the '92 Dream Team, you've seen 'em all.

[J. Robb]

While the hype and number of events may have gotten out of hand, I like the idea of nations getting together for a friendly competition rather than war.

It's definitely taken too seriously, it's treated as a national embarrassment if we don't win many medals. I don't care if Canada wins any medals, that's not what it's about.

...Well, except in hockey.

[Gary_B]

I loved watching the Olympics back in the 70s and 80s because it was on one of the networks close to 24/7 and you could follow obscure things like fencing or hammer throw. I enjoy watching individual sports such as diving, gymnastics, and many track and field events but those sports are all reduced down to hilights and snippets now.

[thehod]

I watch the coverage of the Olympics slavishly and, the last one especially, I enjoy them immensely.

It's the thrill of competition, the drive to be the best at their particular discipline. And the last few Olympics have seen the coverage improve so that each sport is given a decent amount of coverage.

Yes it's commercialised. Yes, its a big shill to flog fizzy drinks, shite food and crappy beer, but once the events start I can filter all that crap out and focus on the sports, which really matter to the contestants.

I'm looking forward to it.

[sHayden]

They should televise them going through those 100,000 condoms they ordered for the Olympic village.

[Ari Gold]

Someone from your country might beat people from other countries.

Eh, I've noticed that in recent Olympics I've actually stopped caring as much about who wins & loses, but have grown a tremendous amount of interest in simply being exposed to sports & athletic competitions that I otherwise would never see.

I find it strange, or perhaps intriguing, that we're watching so many events without knowing anything about the nuances involved or what it truly takes to excel at these sports.

Additionally, there are so many athletes who have followed their passion, and dedicated their lives to this that aren't in it for the money, like a professional football or basketball player, and there's something genuine there that really interests me.