Does anyone else feel this way?

[Alia Atraides]

I feel like the Olympics is a big 5 ring circus designed to distract us from bigger social issues.
Anyone else feel this way?

[Avzel]

Yes, I do. It doesn't really matter that one athlete is a microsecond faster than another. How nice for them. What about jobs for the rest of us? &c?

[Remus Moony J Lupin]

I don't feel that way at all. There are always big social issues. The olympics are once every few years. It is not a distraction unless you allow it to be.

[Freddiursa]

Yeahh.. No.
It's an ancient tradition, that's been modernised so the whole world can appreciate it.

What about the Football World Cup? How dare they enjoy sport when there's all this nonsense going on in the world; we're supposed to all be miserable until the world is perfect. :U

[The Neon Paradox]

I don't think the Olympics on its own do that.
The media create scapegoats for distraction of bigger issues all the time.
The best one was Thatcher and the 'big black robber' distraction from the Falklands.

[Alia Atraides]

It just seems very convenient that the olympics fall on an election year every time.
Also, (and I don't mean any disrespect to the victims and their families) I suspect that the Aurora shooting is designed to scare us all into relinquishing our right to bear arms. Just a theory! Don't get mad!

[Caerthakatha]

I'm sorry, but I find that comment ('it always takes place on an election year') hilarious: the world
doesn't revolve around America, and the Olympics certainly didn't organise itself around American
politics. It's been held every four years since the ancient Olympics over 2,000 years ago. It's the
reason why a four-year period is referred to as an 'Olympiad'. And, from that theory about Aurora,
you strike me as a very paranoid person. This reminds me of the people who claim the Illuminati
are controlling the Olympics in the same way they apparently control Lady Gaga.

I don't feel it's a distraction in a bad way: I feel it facilitates peace among nations. One only has to
look at how North Korea joins in as they do not with other affairs. The most isolationist nation on
Earth even wants to join in and compete with others, and forget about the tension about nuclear
weapons. For the entire time the Olympics is on, people don't care who they compete against or
who they're sitting near, and the whole world gets to show off what their country has to offer. In
many cases it can be used to bring wealth into poorer nations and bring fame and recognitions
for nations that are not recognised.

[Ethozz]

The Olympics is one way of joining the world together for a couple of weeks. Nations gather in one place to play sports. It's a way of showing appreciation to the tradition and togetherness. The social problems can go away for three weeks because the Olympic events are bigger than that. We're talking about pride for the nation, especially Team USA. I think fans would rather root for their favorite athletes and hope they win gold for their country than worry about the problems. The event lasts for three weeks anyway. They'll have all the time in the world to worry after the events are over.

[Bana Banana]

Nations and media distract from social issues on their own, they don't need the Olympics to do that.

[SuperSlayin]

Alia Atraides

I feel like the Olympics is a big 5 ring circus designed to distract us from bigger social issues.
Anyone else feel this way?

Isn't that the whole idea behind it? The ancient greeks would put everything on hold for the olympics, including war. Personally I think we all need it once every 4 years.

[Bang the Devil]

Personally, I think we should start using the Olympics to solve world issues instead of killing each other all the time. And the Olympics are ancient tradition, not a distraction. It brings out the spirit of competition in the nations, and very entertaining. I think the fact that we still do the Olympics really speaks to how we're willing to put aside our differences, at least for a while.

[Haverson]

Alia Atraides

It just seems very convenient that the olympics fall on an election year every time.
Also, (and I don't mean any disrespect to the victims and their families) I suspect that the Aurora shooting is designed to scare us all into relinquishing our right to bear arms. Just a theory! Don't get mad!

This only applies if you're from America.

[IzarArgi]

I don't think they are a distraction at all. In fact, I watch more news and have more time to be more connected to the world around me durring the olympics because of work and school. Also, I am from America and only the summer olympics fall on an election year. The winter olympics don't fall on an elction year. Just an observation. smile

[A Big Bowl Of Pho]

I feel like it's the only thing that unites the entire world without high flaring tempers.

[Metamorfosis Mental]

Freddiursa

Yeahh.. No.
It's an ancient tradition, that's been modernised so the whole world can appreciate it.

What about the Football World Cup? How dare they enjoy sport when there's all this nonsense going on in the world; we're supposed to all be miserable until the world is perfect. :U