Fun Stuff > CHATTER
The Quadrennial Global Round-Ball Extravaganza
Barmymoo:
I'd say that we all do, in the collective. If we as citizens put sufficient pressure on our representatives, they in turn will be forced to put pressure on other governments. The reason that governments spend a lot of time talking about education, health and taxes in their own country is because that's what they know the voters care about. If they knew that the voters also cared sufficiently about the same issues in other countries to vote on that basis, they'd sit up and listen.
That's the theory anyway.
KvP:
--- Quote from: BeoPuppy on 13 Jul 2010, 23:41 ---Isn't the influx of tourism and commercialism supposed to yield an awful lot of money from world cups and olympic games for a country? Or is it impossible to break even on these kind of events?
--- End quote ---
The justification for them is that they do, and to that end private businesses like to fund ventures they otherwise couldn't begin to afford with taxpayer money under the guise of "economic expansion", since they're supposed to boost tax revenue and pay for themselves. The amount of money that's extorted from states and cities in the US from major league teams that want new stadiums is pretty staggering. I did some research on the last time the Broncos threatened to leave Denver after their back-to-back Superbowls if they didn't get a new stadium. Third-party research found that tax revenues stayed pretty much the same (actually dropped slightly as I recall) and taxpayers were left with the bill and a team that all of a sudden couldn't make it to the playoffs. But it keeps on happening because people love sports and the threat of losing it in their cities is significant for them. Just last year in CO we spent dozens of millions of dollars to build a fuckin' NASCAR track, and CO is in the toilet financially, as are most of the states. Corporate welfare at its finest.
David_Dovey:
Not saying that we shouldn't have rage folks, just that directing that rage at FIFA for accepting the government of South Africa's money as opposed to the actual government of South Africa is maybe a bit wayward? There seems to be a lot of people here who get that but suggesting that the World Cup should not exist because someone might go and spend a bunch of money that might (but actually really won't) be used for more altruistic purposes is needless distraction.
Patrick:
--- Quote from: Jeans on 14 Jul 2010, 13:13 ---
--- Quote from: Patrick on 14 Jul 2010, 12:40 ---Do you, in any way, hold any power over the decisions of the South African government in regards to the treatment of their people?
--- End quote ---
...yes?
--- End quote ---
Alright. Then boycott China, and boycott just about every other nation in Africa, and boycott Turkey, and boycott Israel and every country within 500 miles of it, and boycott Russia, and boycott Serbia, and boycott every country with any Roma people in it since they all get treated like shit and the government doesn't care.
Just so we don't set any double standards here.
tania:
no offense patrick but is there anything at all in your worldview that isn't completely hopeless
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