Comments on: Dominating the World one Gold Medal at a time http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2008/07/25/dominating-the-world-one-gold-medal-at-a-time/ Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:51:34 +0000 hourly 1 By: pnutgallery /2008/07/25/dominating-the-world-one-gold-medal-at-a-time/#comment-59 pnutgallery Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:08:00 +0000 http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/?p=46#comment-59 I think that nationalism is becoming less and less significant. There are athletes on the US team that have been living in the US for less than a decade.<br/><br/>This is a globalized Olympics- Will a "world is flat" Olympics become less jingoistic and rather be about what it was intended to be about when it was created in ancient Greece- pushing the physical limits of the human body and mind?<br/><br/> When I watch these athletes I will marvel at their discipline, drive and focus to be the best that they can be. I really could care less whether they are American. I think that nationalism is becoming less and less significant. There are athletes on the US team that have been living in the US for less than a decade.

This is a globalized Olympics- Will a “world is flat” Olympics become less jingoistic and rather be about what it was intended to be about when it was created in ancient Greece- pushing the physical limits of the human body and mind?

When I watch these athletes I will marvel at their discipline, drive and focus to be the best that they can be. I really could care less whether they are American.

]]> By: Joel Ebert /2008/07/25/dominating-the-world-one-gold-medal-at-a-time/#comment-58 Joel Ebert Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:18:00 +0000 http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/?p=46#comment-58 Replying to the above post - I don't think that there is anything wrong with enjoying the fruits of labor.But what I disagree with is simply feeling like anyone should root only for the home team's successes. I am saying that if your stress is on the ability to allow someone to enjoy the fruits of labor, then it should not matter who wins because in essence everyone is working to win (succeed). <br/><br/>But my argument is that we inherently want the home team to win because there is something inside us all that says Hey, thats where I am from, go team (ie go me). It gives us self assurance that our rooting for that particular team was worth our blood, sweat, and tears ie enjoying the fruits of their (and our) labor.<br/><br/>I also want America to succeed, but this can be dangerous because it may insinuate that I am ok with everyone else's failures. This global competition for crowning success is really, to me, just a really unusual way to argue about who is the best (as if that argument could ever really be settled) and I don't know if that is such a productive thing. <br/><br/>I am basically making a comment saying that it is not wrong to root for the US team in the Olympics but I am trying to make an argument as to one of the many reasons we may do this. <br/><br/>And I may very well be wrong. Replying to the above post – I don’t think that there is anything wrong with enjoying the fruits of labor.But what I disagree with is simply feeling like anyone should root only for the home team’s successes. I am saying that if your stress is on the ability to allow someone to enjoy the fruits of labor, then it should not matter who wins because in essence everyone is working to win (succeed).

But my argument is that we inherently want the home team to win because there is something inside us all that says Hey, thats where I am from, go team (ie go me). It gives us self assurance that our rooting for that particular team was worth our blood, sweat, and tears ie enjoying the fruits of their (and our) labor.

I also want America to succeed, but this can be dangerous because it may insinuate that I am ok with everyone else’s failures. This global competition for crowning success is really, to me, just a really unusual way to argue about who is the best (as if that argument could ever really be settled) and I don’t know if that is such a productive thing.

I am basically making a comment saying that it is not wrong to root for the US team in the Olympics but I am trying to make an argument as to one of the many reasons we may do this.

And I may very well be wrong.

]]> By: Anonymous /2008/07/25/dominating-the-world-one-gold-medal-at-a-time/#comment-57 Anonymous Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:51:00 +0000 http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/?p=46#comment-57 hmm.<br/>you have an interesting point, but I wonder if wanting to win has nothing to do with dominance. Maybe people - human beings - like to win simply because they want to know that they have mastered something they've learned to do. In other words, maybe success is the fruits of your labor.<br/><br/>And whats wrong with that? You exchange the word dominance with the word success, how come?<br/>And in doing so, you suggest that striving for success is a bad thing.<br/><br/>I want America to succeed, just as I want to succeed in my personal life. <br/>What's wrong with that? hmm.
you have an interesting point, but I wonder if wanting to win has nothing to do with dominance. Maybe people – human beings – like to win simply because they want to know that they have mastered something they’ve learned to do. In other words, maybe success is the fruits of your labor.

And whats wrong with that? You exchange the word dominance with the word success, how come?
And in doing so, you suggest that striving for success is a bad thing.

I want America to succeed, just as I want to succeed in my personal life.
What’s wrong with that?

]]> By: Justin Massa /2008/07/25/dominating-the-world-one-gold-medal-at-a-time/#comment-56 Justin Massa Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:20:00 +0000 http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/?p=46#comment-56 Earlier this year I had a chance to spend one evening at the boxing tournament at UIC. It was the last qualifying event for boxing before this summer's games and there were boxers from more than 100 countries competing for just a handful of spots. <br/><br/>I'm definitely not a "rah rah USA" kind of guy. It's not that I'm unpatriotic, I've just never gotten excited about waving a flag or chanting my country's name, at least until I went to the tournament.<br/><br/>It's fair to say that I'm a serious boxing fan, and while I was familiar with the few standouts on the American, Russian, and Chinese teams most of the competitors were completely unknown to me. I was rooting for my countrymen simply because, maybe for the first time in my life, I felt completely safe expressing my patriotism by chanting and waving a flag. Earlier this year I had a chance to spend one evening at the boxing tournament at UIC. It was the last qualifying event for boxing before this summer’s games and there were boxers from more than 100 countries competing for just a handful of spots.

I’m definitely not a “rah rah USA” kind of guy. It’s not that I’m unpatriotic, I’ve just never gotten excited about waving a flag or chanting my country’s name, at least until I went to the tournament.

It’s fair to say that I’m a serious boxing fan, and while I was familiar with the few standouts on the American, Russian, and Chinese teams most of the competitors were completely unknown to me. I was rooting for my countrymen simply because, maybe for the first time in my life, I felt completely safe expressing my patriotism by chanting and waving a flag.

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