Why Make Athletes Play Politics?

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Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com

Hidden in the middle of Paul Murray's column: "if we're not prepared to cut our trade ties to China and forgo the riches they have brought to WA, then we shouldn't be prepared to put the pressure of a boycott on our Olympic athletes." (The West, "Why make athletes play politics?", 29 March 2008)

From there, Murray takes the easy path: If we won't boycott trade then why should we boycott sport, so let's all go and have a good time at the China Olympics.

Do we really care about Chinese politics? Well... sort of... but not if it interferes with our access to Chinese money.

Forget about Murray and his apologia -- he may still be hoping to be an accredited journalist for the 2008 Olympics. Think -- for yourselves: Do you really care?

If you really object to China's repressive home rules, to its oppression in Tibet, to whatever it is in China that upsets you -- then do something real! Stop buying Chinese, stop selling to China, pressure others to do the same. In particular, pressure politicians to stop trade with China, pressure businesses to stop trade with China.

Do you really care enough? Enough to accept that you will lose some of your own money to the protest? Then do something real.

Murray's logic is, that business & politics will not change, so sport should not change. If we are really serious, then business & politics must change. Take the hard path -- the path that costs us money.

But forget the hypocritical apologia. If you really care -- take some real action.

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Independent Thinking
Independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com

Stupid Stunt, Crazy Logic, Earth Hour... and the Hypocrites of the AFL

So we are being encouraged to turn off power for an hour, to save the Earth. Whoop-de-do.

The letters page of The West, on 29 March 2008, has two views: Earth Hour is a ridiculous idea because it's just one hour -- and we will waste other resources while the power is off; and it's a great idea because every little bit helps. Hmmm...

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Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com

Yes, it is a ridiculous idea. What help will it be to save one hour of power? Especially if we burn barbecue wood instead. After the bbq we will all stay up an extra hour -- with the plasma tv switched on -- as we watch the shows that we recorded during earth hour.

And it's crazy logic which says that we should ignore earth hour. After all, every little bit helps. But the really crazy logic is this: it is all over after one hour.

It's like "clean up Australia day"... We're all disappointed when that one day collects less rubbish than the year before. Why? Presumably, we're disappointed because "other" people have thrown away less for us to collect on our one day of feeling good.

We need to clean up every day of the year... Better yet, do not litter at all, so there is nothing to clean up. We need to save power every day. Do we really need a large screen plasma tv? Are we -- if we support Earth Hour at all -- are we just being hypocritical?

Football management misses the point

Could we possibly be more hypocritical than the AFL? The Dockers first home game of the season runs through Earth Hour. "Plunging thousands of people into darkness would be dangerous, sports chiefs say." (The West, 10 March 2008) So... "event organisers plan to promote awareness about reducing the greatest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions -- fossil fuel-fired energy -- by advertising Earth Hour 2008 on their big screens."

Advertising "on their big screens"! Wow, that will really save energy, won't it! Well -- for those who don't recognise sarcasm -- no. It would save more energy to turn off those big screens. But at least the AFL does care? Well, no. Not really.

Why is this big game on at night? I would guess that there are sound commercial reasons: higher attendance, more sponsors, much more money from a direct tv telecast at night.

The game is at night so that the AFL can make more money. If the AFL really cared about saving energy, they could play the game during daylight. But no... that would cost them money.

What a bunch of hypocrites... Just like the rest of us.

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Independent Thinking
Independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com

St Trinians vs Blueburger

I absolutely agree with Mark Naglazas (The West / Today, 28 March 2008): If we're going to have a movie about schoolgirls -- especially if the movie claims to be a comedy -- then it just must have at least one head job. I mean to say, what's a schoolgirl movie worth without oral sex?

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Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com