"We're # 1! We're # 1!"
I don’t know if you guys are aware of this, but outside your comfy little world of academic pursuits, there exists this other activity that much of the world focuses on; in fact, some might argue that this activity has a greater effect on the world’s people than any religion or government. I’m talkin’ ‘bout sports.
So yesterday I was a basketball game between the US of A and Australia in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. In case you don’t know, the FIBA World Championship is a yearly Olympics-style basketball tournament between basketball's best 24 countries. In past years the US has always been favored, but as of late we have not always won.
Yet the reason why I write this post has to do with the new way Team USA celebrates after a good play: they stand up straight and perform a military-style salute.
At a time when much of the world is already pissed off at our military actions, I don’t know if this is the best thing to do after a killer slam dunk. I doubt that this is any particular basketball player’s way of showing his support for our military pursuits; in fact I doubt many of them really even care about whats going on over there. But it seems to me like this celebration is Team USA’s way of giving a big “fuck you” rest of the world, and for no good reason. Their actions reinforce the stereotypes of arrogance and ignorance that other countries already perceive about America. And that’s not good.
So yesterday I was a basketball game between the US of A and Australia in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. In case you don’t know, the FIBA World Championship is a yearly Olympics-style basketball tournament between basketball's best 24 countries. In past years the US has always been favored, but as of late we have not always won.
Yet the reason why I write this post has to do with the new way Team USA celebrates after a good play: they stand up straight and perform a military-style salute.
At a time when much of the world is already pissed off at our military actions, I don’t know if this is the best thing to do after a killer slam dunk. I doubt that this is any particular basketball player’s way of showing his support for our military pursuits; in fact I doubt many of them really even care about whats going on over there. But it seems to me like this celebration is Team USA’s way of giving a big “fuck you” rest of the world, and for no good reason. Their actions reinforce the stereotypes of arrogance and ignorance that other countries already perceive about America. And that’s not good.
posted by Josh the Hippie Killer at 3:09 PM
3 Comments:
hippie killer
this should explain it in a few simple sentences:
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
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Sounds like judicial activism to me. Damn unelected soldiers think they can do anything.
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