Docility of the masses re. Olympics

[teuchter]

That the BBC etc completely lost the plot during the Olympics is not in dispute - however, what I would like to ask is to what extent the populus have supped it all up without question.

How much faith do you have in the British People, and has it been increased or decreased by what you have observed over the past couple of weeks?

 

[Lock&Light]

The British people like a party as much as any other nationality. Now the party's over normality will return.

 

[free spirit]

it's cost us £9billion ish, so I intended to get my moneys worth.

Also, the enthusiasm of the foreign supports was pretty contagious, and I got quite into my evening at the football watching Honduras knock Spain out. It was a welcome distraction from all the negative shit tbh.

 

[weltweit]

That the BBC etc completely lost the plot during the Olympics is not in dispute ...

I dispute it...

When the olympics were in town they were arguably top news. What the BBC did do was focus too much in my opinion on Team GB. I was interested in top performance by any athelete, not just the slavish medal hunt and tally which the BBC pundits seemed to focus on. To that extent they lost the plot imho but not in the depth of coverage.

 

[twentythreedom]

I had wondered when teuchter would pop up with an Olympics-related exercise

 

[silverfish]

suffering from drug induced insomnia this thread is just what I need right now, another slightly differently worded cynical/negative Olympics thread

get over it, it was generally seen as a cracking success

You seem to believe the majority of the country to be shallow vapid halfwits duped into enthusiasm for a sporting folly by the BBC.

Are Olympic haters on a higher intellectual level than the rest of the country, is not being interested in sport, winning stuff, positive feelings and flag waving for the country some sort of honour badge of socio-political authority

 

[teuchter]

being interested in sport, winning stuff, positive feelings and flag waving for the country

Don't you think we need to think about what generates these "positive feelings"? What are people actually feeling "positive" about?

 

[editor]

Don't you think we need to think about what generates these "positive feelings"? What are people actually feeling "positive" about?

You really can't work it out for yourself?

 

[teuchter]

I dispute it...

When the olympics were in town they were arguably top news. What the BBC did do was focus too much in my opinion on Team GB. I was interested in top performance by any athelete, not just the slavish medal hunt and tally which the BBC pundits seemed to focus on. To that extent they lost the plot imho but not in the depth of coverage.

Did you listen to BBC London at any point in the past two weeks? Their "coverage" not of the events themselves but of how the Olympics had supposedly affected London and Londoners, with a heavy emphasis on asking young children leading questions?

 

[teuchter]

You really can't work it out for yourself?

If you must contribute to this thread, I would be grateful if you could try and do it in a constructive way, please.

 

[twistedAM]

Did you listen to BBC London at any point in the past two weeks? Their "coverage" not of the events themselves but of how the Olympics had supposedly affected London and Londoners, with a heavy emphasis on asking young children leading questions?

Add to that Mayor BlowJob was on saying how much it had done for London businesses which is pretty different from what most trade organisations were saying. Pub trade was down. Hotel rooms were cheaper in August compared to other years, and Olympic tourists spend less than normal tourists.

 

[IC3D]

Why not ask the question in reverse. How does the media and culture affect our positivity adversely in daily life.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

That the BBC etc completely lost the plot during the Olympics is not in dispute - however, what I would like to ask is to what extent the populus have supped it all up without question.

How much faith do you have in the British People, and has it been increased or decreased by what you have observed over the past couple of weeks?

populace

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Don't you think we need to think about what generates these "positive feelings"? What are people actually feeling "positive" about?

Be careful: this is where you're headed...

 

[teuchter]

Why not ask the question in reverse. How does the media and culture affect our positivity adversely in daily life.

Because I'm asking the question and I'm not asking that question.

 

[extra dry]

Don't you think we need to think about what generates these "positive feelings"? What are people actually feeling "positive" about?

Good question, if you have been involved in sporting activities you would be in a position to appreciate what the athletes are doing.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

. Pub trade was down. Hotel rooms were cheaper in August compared to other years, and Olympic tourists spend less than normal tourists.

That's odd. During our Olympics, every pub and restaurant was packed every night, and even had outdoor patios set up, and the hotel rooms went for something like 300% over regular rates.

I also don't believe it about the spending. Olympic tourists tend to be more well-off, and more prone to spending.

 

[teuchter]

Good question, if you have been involved in sporting activities you would be in a position to appreciate what the athletes are doing.

Your statement doesn't seem to make sense. Did you mean "had" where you said "have", or did you mean "will" where you said "would"?

 

[twistedAM]

That's odd. During our Olympics, every pub and restaurant was packed every night, and even had outdoor patios set up, and the hotel rooms went for something like 300% over regular rates.

I also don't believe it about the spending. Olympic tourists tend to be more well-off, and more prone to spending.

I think it's the difference between the cities. London is much bigger (therefore more hotel rooms) and apparently Chinese tourists in particular spend shitloads. There was so much hype about high prices and London being full that normal tourists simply didn't book to come. As it happens I had to find a hotel room for a band during the Olympics and it was cheaper than normal.

We had the Brazilian team staying in my neighbourhood so there were lots of media and hangers-on as well as athletes but the restaurants never really benefitted much. There's only one hotel in the neigbourhood and they obviously benefitted from doubled rates.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I dispute it...

When the olympics were in town they were arguably top news. What the BBC did do was focus too much in my opinion on Team GB. I was interested in top performance by any athelete, not just the slavish medal hunt and tally which the BBC pundits seemed to focus on. To that extent they lost the plot imho but not in the depth of coverage.

They were extremely obsessive about the medal tally, but that's not unusual.

However, a friend rang from Ireland tonight praising the BBC and how much coverage they'd given the Irish athletes

 

[IC3D]

Because I'm asking the question and I'm not asking that question.

Has your faith in the British public taken a knock then?

 

[extra dry]

Your right....'had' and 'will' rather than 'have' and 'would'.

I hope the meaning of the statement was not lost on you.

Have you taken part in sports?

Also the effect of the event, I remember clearly the games during the 80's and 90's, some people took up sports others just stayed in and worked on there computers.

 

[biggus dickus]

I thought it was kind of hilarious on here how everyone was so against the Olympics until they went well and then everyone loved them

The whole thing was really horrible, missiles on top of apartments, soldiers all over the place, police employed to protect brand integrity, they just built the Olympics on the green belt but then once they started and England did really well everyone starts finding justifications to go along with it. Not at all like fascism

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I think it's the difference between the cities. London is much bigger (therefore more hotel rooms) and apparently Chinese tourists in particular spend shitloads. There was so much hype about high prices and London being full that normal tourists simply didn't book to come. As it happens I had to find a hotel room for a band during the Olympics and it was cheaper than normal.

We had the Brazilian team staying in my neighbourhood so there were lots of media and hangers-on as well as athletes but the restaurants never really benefitted much. There's only one hotel in the neigbourhood and they obviously benefitted from doubled rates.

No doubt it's bigger, but the hotel rooms were also fully booked in Seattle and all Washington cities in between, not to mention every BC city and town within 100 miles of Vancouver. Plus thousands of house and apartment sublets.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I thought it was kind of hilarious on here how everyone was so against the Olympics until they went well and then everyone loved them

The whole thing was really horrible, missiles on top of apartments, soldiers all over the place, police employed to protect brand integrity, they just built the Olympics on the green belt but then once they started and England did really well everyone starts finding justifications to go along with it. Not at all like fascism

G4S was a massive fuck-up, brand police were way over the top. People dreaded the public transport. The organisers have said transport was a success, but then kids aren't at school, people are on holidays. There were hardly any transport fuck-ups barring a few hold-ups on Central and Jubilee Lines and Javelin train, so if the transport system was able to cope that well over two weeks, how come Londoners have to suffer much more frequent failures?

 

[teuchter]

No doubt it's bigger, but the hotel rooms were also fully booked in Seattle and all Washington cities in between, not to mention every BC city and town within 100 miles of Vancouver. Plus thousands of house and apartment sublets.

By population

Vancouver metropolitan area 2.3million
Seattle metropolitan area 3.5million

London metropolitan area 13million.

Even if the number of hotel rooms per population is the same, Seattle+Vancouver being completely full would be equivalent to London being less than half full.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

By population

Vancouver metropolitan area 2.3million
Seattle metropolitan area 3.5million

London metropolitan area 13million.

Even if the number of hotel rooms per population is the same, Seattle+Vancouver being completely full would be equivalent to London being less than half full.

Western Washinton State: 5.3 million
Lower Mainland 2.6 million

Total: 8 million.

82 nations attended the Winter Olympics here.
204 nations attended the 2012 Summer Olympics.

All things being equal, your hotel stock should have been even more fully booked than ours.

 

[quimcunx]

G4S was a massive fuck-up, brand police were way over the top. People dreaded the public transport. The organisers have said transport was a success, but then kids aren't at school, people are on holidays. There were hardly any transport fuck-ups barring a few hold-ups on Central and Jubilee Lines and Javelin train, so if the transport system was able to cope that well over two weeks, how come Londoners have to suffer much more frequent failures?

Well someone I know who, um, fixes trains I think hasn't had a day off in the last 5 weeks. He's quite tired.

 

[temper_tantrum]

The only thing worse than the constant and obsessive Olympics coverage is the constant and obsessive Olympics post-mortem. It's over (even though it's actually not. Paralympics blah blah). let it die.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

If you must contribute to this thread, I would be grateful if you could try and do it in a constructive way, please.

Nicking your wind-up techniques from dwyer now?