Random political thought thread.

[Red Herring]

There was a big discussion in Germany two years ago during the soccer world cup. The two German players Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil didn't join their team mates in singing the national anthem at the beginning of international matches. It was taken as a sign of lack of identification with the country and in a way, unconsciously, lack of gratitude for being "allowed" such a career as sons of Muslim migrants. The fact that Özil was perceived as having cuddled up to Turkish wannabe-dictator Erdogan only made things worse and added to the perceived lack of loyalty. According to him though he simply didn't sing because he is accustomed to silently praying during that time before the match.

I see some parallels in how minority athletes are expected to be grateful and extra patriotic when representing a larger chunk of society or their country as a whole. People expected some kind of reward for being so openminded and liberal as to cheer players with names like Özil or Khadira (in fact quite a few national players are migrants or sons of migrants).

Interesting side tangent - German athletes had remained silent during the anthem for decades without anyone complaning and the custom of singing is relatively new. It started in the 90s or even later, I think.

 

[Coriolis]

Interesting side tangent - German athletes had remained silent during the anthem for decades without anyone complaning and the custom of singing is relatively new. It started in the 90s or even later, I think.

See - this is the real issue, the double standard. Whether it is who can remain silent with impunity, or who can set up a religious holiday display in the town square, one set of rules applies to the majority, another to everyone else. The majority will often complain when constraints are put on them, but can easily avoid this by not placing those same constraints on others.

 

[Jaguar]

The chad shit is coming in the form of signature matching on ballots. God help us all. Lawyer up.

 

[Jaguar]

OH MY GOD NICOLE KIDMAN IS IN THE BATHTUB WITH A BOY!!!!!! ARREST HER NOW!!!!

 

[Coriolis]

I am tempted to split off the discussion of Cuties into its own thread. It is an important topic and has received extensive discussion.

Any objections?

 

[The Cat]

 

[ceecee]

This is politicized because of Trump if you are wondering why I put it in a rano political thread...

So will the daily testing in the Big Ten be available to all students or just the ones who have entire economies built off their free labor?

Asking for the students who pay tuition.

Student athletes absolutely need collective bargaining and payment for their labor in addition to medical and loss of income coverage if injured. Exactly like any professional athletes. STFU already on the "duuuurrrr they get a education". That don't fly when football single handedly pays for every other sport AND brings millions and billions via TV agreements.

 

[Red Memories]

This is politicized because of Trump if you are wondering why I put it in a rano political thread...

So will the daily testing in the Big Ten be available to all students or just the ones who have entire economies built off their free labor?

Asking for the students who pay tuition.

Student athletes absolutely need collective bargaining and payment for their labor in addition to medical and loss of income coverage if injured. Exactly like any professional athletes. STFU already on the "duuuurrrr they get a education". That don't fly when football single handedly pays for every other sport AND brings millions and billions via TV agreements.

I mean that's good and all but there are non-sports players who would love to get into a college of choice and get a free damn ride. I speak as someone gathering the student loan bills who wasn't really equipped for a sporty world. I realize for many of these players it was also a way for them to get to college but especially with college basketball it pisses me off they take scholarships from other people to be a 1 and done. Some of us actually would LOVE a free college education........................ I hate this "pay the players" crap because many of these colleges have had tons of scandals related to having students cheat to get by and not even get the grade. They already have tons of benefits for being good at sports.

 

[Stigmata]

I mean that's good and all but there are non-sports players who would love to get into a college of choice and get a free damn ride. I speak as someone gathering the student loan bills who wasn't really equipped for a sporty world. I realize for many of these players it was also a way for them to get to college but especially with college basketball it pisses me off they take scholarships from other people to be a 1 and done. Some of us actually would LOVE a free college education........................ I hate this "pay the players" crap because many of these colleges have had tons of scandals related to having students cheat to get by and not even get the grade. They already have tons of benefits for being good at sports.

Well, there are scholastic scholarships that people can qualify for as well for those not interested in sports and otherwise wouldn't be able to go to school.

The problem is that college sports is an obscenely profitable (multi-billion dollar) industry that doesn't exist without the labour provided by the students, yet the students are not only not entitled to monetary compensation for said labour, but also punished for seeking to profit off their abilities or likeness in any way while participating -- it's OK for TV companies and schools to profit, but not the actual athletes who risk their physical well-being, with the only two benefits being an education that doesn't necessarily guarantee anything (especially with today's oversaturation of college educated individuals diminishing their value in the workforce) and the very slim possibility of going on to the professional level (very, very slim chances of this).

The system seems very anti-capitalist, and is not too far removed from slave labor.

 

[ceecee]

I mean that's good and all but there are non-sports players who would love to get into a college of choice and get a free damn ride. I speak as someone gathering the student loan bills who wasn't really equipped for a sporty world. I realize for many of these players it was also a way for them to get to college but especially with college basketball it pisses me off they take scholarships from other people to be a 1 and done. Some of us actually would LOVE a free college education........................ I hate this "pay the players" crap because many of these colleges have had tons of scandals related to having students cheat to get by and not even get the grade. They already have tons of benefits for being good at sports.

The ROI difference between you (or me and I have student loans too) and someone like Chase Young or Baker Mayfield or Nick Bosa in college is laughable. People watch and people attend games to see these players. The television contracts alone are worth hundreds of millions of $$ to the university every season. Do you or I generate income for our schools? I know I didn't.

We aren't going off topic with scandals and cheating or the cost of college or any of that because it's not relevant to the topic. The amount of money these athletes generate for the schools is astronomical in comparison to what their degree or anything else, would cost. The NCAA rues are antiquated and if we are functioning in a capitalist economy then the players value is evident and should be compensated. They are also sacrificing their bodies with no workers compensation, health insurance or disability - exactly what would be a given in the normal labor world. Paying players is already happening in some states but it will be the norm because the small percentage of players able to move into the professional realm is small and the argument of paying someone for their labor has growing public support.

Incidentally, I never hear the - pay the players crap - aimed at the coaches. At a public university, they are easily the highest paid employee in their state. No one questions them deserving payment, even if they are shit coaches. But they don't generate revenue, the players do.

This is a topic I think it would be a good idea to learn more about.

 

[Jaguar]

Discipline and beating your child are veryyyy different things.)

I've intervened more times than I can count when I see a parent beating their child in a grocery store. I even grabbed a cucumber out of guy's hand and told him if he beat his child with it one more time I was going to shove it up his ass. In their eyes they were "disciplining their child" and I saw them abusing their child. They were too fucking stupid to get the respect of their children without beating them and probably should never have had a child to begin with.

 

[Red Memories]

I've intervened more times than I can count when I see a parent beating their child in a grocery store. I even grabbed a cucumber out of guy's hand and told him if he beat his child with it one more time I was going to shove it up his ass. In their eyes they were "disciplining their child" and I saw them abusing their child. They were too fucking stupid to get the respect of their children without beating them and probably should never have had a child to begin with.

............um who the hell beats their kid with a cucumber in public? But you should've shoved it up his ass lol.

I know what you're saying though. we reported people at my workplace before because we saw them beating their kid for crying in the backseat. Not a fun thing... ):

 

[Red Memories]

The ROI difference between you (or me and I have student loans too) and someone like Chase Young or Baker Mayfield or Nick Bosa in college is laughable. People watch and people attend games to see these players. The television contracts alone are worth hundreds of millions of $$ to the university every season. Do you or I generate income for our schools? I know I didn't.

We aren't going off topic with scandals and cheating or the cost of college or any of that because it's not relevant to the topic. The amount of money these athletes generate for the schools is astronomical in comparison to what their degree or anything else, would cost. The NCAA rues are antiquated and if we are functioning in a capitalist economy then the players value is evident and should be compensated. They are also sacrificing their bodies with no workers compensation, health insurance or disability - exactly what would be a given in the normal labor world. Paying players is already happening in some states but it will be the norm because the small percentage of players able to move into the professional realm is small and the argument of paying someone for their labor has growing public support.

Incidentally, I never hear the - pay the players crap - aimed at the coaches. At a public university, they are easily the highest paid employee in their state. No one questions them deserving payment, even if they are shit coaches. But they don't generate revenue, the players do.

This is a topic I think it would be a good idea to learn more about.

I actually despise how much coaches get paid too. It is ridiculous to me that any college which is usually said you know...not for profit...to sit about earning millions, billions in stuff from sports and it is so obviously about making a profit. I think they should be able to get sponsorship and all of that if they want it, I mean after all I can work in college if I want, but I do not think the college should actually directly pay the players themselves. I don't have issue with them getting funds from their jerseys and such selling actually. To me that is different than, what some want, actual real pay to the players just for playing. I feel it'd be a fair compromise. I do feel they should be offered free medical courtesy of the school because that is a major bill. There are some things I'm totally fine with - but direct payment per game? No...give them health care for free and give them profits from their image and likeness on jerseys and etc but you don't wanna have this game either where only the richest schools get the players anyway because they can offer them the most money. Every 5 star gonna go to Alabama for their 3 mil a year contract. It shouldn't be like that either in my mind... it should be about education which sadly it isn't anyway...

 

[Jaguar]

“It’s certainly not something we were looking forward to doing, considering all that we’ve been through in the last number of months but presidents come to cities based on lots of reasons,” Kenney said. “The other thing that’s a little frustrating is it costs us a lot of money and we’re not reimbursed for it ..."

I've had a problem with this for years. Cities need to be reimbursed instead of being left paying the bill.

 

[The Cat]

“It’s certainly not something we were looking forward to doing, considering all that we’ve been through in the last number of months but presidents come to cities based on lots of reasons,” Kenney said. “The other thing that’s a little frustrating is it costs us a lot of money and we’re not reimbursed for it ..."

I've had a problem with this for years. Cities need to be reimbursed instead of being left paying the bill.

Gah, can you imagine being those people who were like please dont come here right now, you wont actually do anything helpful, but he came anyway, and did nothing helpful...

 

[The Cat]

...in other words it's a collection of trump supporters who know in their deepest of course that our president lied about draining the swamp and is in fact bad at his job and very corrupt but have managed to shield their egos from embarrassment by jumping on an elaborate explanation that conveniently justifies their support in the face of an obvious scam from an obvious con man and when mixed this with actual sex trafficking and high profile sexual predators they can easily merge their wild theory with reality and declare a victory...

 

[anticlimatic]

We need some fresh members interested in political discussion.

 

[Jaguar]

.

 

[Lark]

Yeah, that sounds about right, plus, you got to factor into it that these people's political motivations are a bunch of pretty wild and nasty fantasies.

Race war, anti-semitism, sectarianism, hate, hate, hate and pretend your unremarkable life is an action movie, who needs it? Who needs any of it?

 

[Lark]

We need some fresh members interested in political discussion.

Not everyone is going to agree with you.

Que the standard "nobody cares" routine.