This weekend saw the best Olympic results for Great Britain in 100 years, and even and as a nation we should feel a great sense of pride for our fantastic home grown athletes. Yesterdays was the first time Britain has won so many medals in a single day since the London Summer Olympic games of 1908.
For the first time in decades Great Britain is in third place, behind only the host nation and the world's last remaining superpower. It does not get much better than that, we could not hope for better in the lead up to 2012.
However, yesterday's news coverage on the BBC and Channel 4 suggested that the results were not quite as enthusiastically welcomed in the Newsrooms across the nation as they may have been in its living rooms. I am only guessing but a glance at the triumphant athletes may give us a clue as to why, is it possible that they are all a little too shining white to please the TV opinion formers. How can they possible sing the praises of the British winners when those winners are all so unfashionably indigenous.
Could that be why, the day that team GB scored our greatest result in a Century, both the BBC and Channel 4 devoted at least half of their Olympic coverage to a Jamaican athlete called Bolt.
Mr. Bolt did very well, and we all applaud him, however these were two British news channels, reporting on British TV, on the day of Britain's greatest Olympic achievement since the dawn of the 20th Century. On that day, what other nation on earth would spend 50% of their coverage reporting on the achievements of a foreign athlete? In a post praising our sportsmen and women, it would seem inappropriate to call our media by the name they deserve, but it starts with 'Scum' and ends with 'bags'.
Congratulations to our victorios sportsman, our national media may not appreciate you but we, the British people do.
16 comments:
As I said on Simon Darby's blog, even if in a different context, some of our journos are so crooked they must have to screw their socks on in the morning.
With the major components of our BME communities, with few exceptions (like the boxer who competed successfully in the last olympics), one category appears to lack the physical stamina required for competition at olympic level in the events where our athletes have won gold.
The other major component excels at certain track* and field events but no others. One reason is the density of bone structure, a disadvantage in swimming, but also the complexities of certain sports where our genuinely British athletes have been victorious, e.g. sailing, rowing, cycling.
*"to win gold at the olympics in the two hundred (metres), you have to be seven-foot-six, black, and with legs up to your armpits"
- an Australian track and field selector for the 1976 Montreal Olympics and a personal friend at the time.
To accuse him of 'racism' would be silly - though we do have a lot of silly folks about these days.
Thanks for the balanced reporting, Sarah, much appreciated.
Note that the BBC's page features photos of three athletes. With all of the golds we've won, why they're showing Louis Smith, winner of a bronze medal in gymnastics, is anybody's guess... (not to disparage his achievement.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/7563581.stm
Did you see the front page of today's Daily Mail?
Some might have thought it hideous. (I didn't.)
Re: anon diatribe
Naturally, no coherent reason can be given.
Par for the course.
I fully expect Harriet Harpie to order an investigation into the lack of Team GB BME gold medal winners.
One of the findings of her investigation will be that Britain's rowing, swimming, sailing and cycling organisations are institutionally racist. From that conclusion will follow a heap of cash ploughed into giving BMErs "access" to these sports. Which is odd, given the number of black teenaged cyclists I see hurtling at speed along pavements crowded with shoppers.
But, you see, when you give cash to the "kids" on the streets, it makes them automatically well-behaved and patriotic.
Won't it be amusing if we see a repeat of the non-ethnic gold medal haul for Team GB in 2012 in London, which the PC media and politicians - particularly Boris Johnson - love to refer to as a "world city" (i.e. all the nations under the sun have been imported here as part of a not so subtle plan to displace the indigenous population, which the government despises).
If you visit the BBC's news site, you'll understand why the newsrooms will have reason to feel much happier now with the latest UK olympic gold.
Which in no way detracts from this young athlete's magnificient performance, of course.
If you thought the coveage up till now was bad, get a load of the BBC homepage right now! A black athlete winning the sprint is notable enough to occupy the three major windows on the site!
No criticism of Christine Ohuruogu, who deserved her triumph, however the change in the reporters' tone is extraordinary.
They have what they wanted
I have heard at least two reporters suggesting that Christine Unpronounceable Surname should be the "face" of London 2012.
I seem to recall that she missed several drug tests. I also note that she's a second generation immigrant of Nigerian parents who came to the UK seeking a better life. Well, that's not surprising given that any country run by blacks tends to be the sort of place that people want to leave.
So why choose Christine Unpronounceable Surname as our mascot? Chris Hoy got three golds and I'm not aware of any drug test avoidance in his past. Rebecca Adlington got two, also with no dodgy past. What about the three sailing blonds?
Ooops, I forgot. Christine Unpronounceable Surname is black whereas the others are white. Sorry for my ignorance.
Sarah your comments/musings about BBC and Bolt reflect the tragic reality that besets us today....The loss of patriotism/nationhood. Sadly, such reporting by the BBC is probably heralded as being a victory for objectivity,satisfying the need to offer world coverage vs parochial interests. This is a phenomenon of "globalisation" and reflects the growing disregard for nationality or national representativity (even of Olympians). "Nationhood" appears to have become irrelevant or at best of secondary importance (other than at medal-counting time) when compared with the achievement of the individual. The focus has changed and the spotlight is now upon the personal prowess of the competitor at the expense of the country....In this instance, Mr Bolt where-ever he comes from?
The same may not necessarily be said for team events where patriotism and national pride appear still to prevail.
The exodus of many supremely talented athletes from their countries of birth to those countries which assured them of ample sponsorship,professional training and even citizenship has contributed to the demise of nationalism. While the Olympians may still wear their (foster)nation's "colours" with pride,I'm not so sure that their TV viewing countrymen "back home" share the same sense of patriotism or identification(with the foster-nation). To the world of TV viewers(other then his countrymen) BOLT is BOLT! Bolt's nationality has become irrelevant and TV stations know this only too well. So why should the BBC bother about a few Brits winning a few events here and there when there is "LIGHTNING BOLT" on center stage making world history. I mean give the BBC its due.....It's now the Bigger Broadcasting Corporation.
The Daily Mail had a 'white face' of Britain yesterday, Garry Glitter, contrasted with...well, guess who.
Under the heading 'Best and Worst of Britain' or words to that effect.
The paper must have had a twinge of regret after filling its front page on Monday with those 'other' gold medal winners.
Or maybe the DM is trying to keep with the BBC.
alanorei:
You referred to the Daily Black Male's front page gleefully contrasting serial drug test avoider Christine Unpronounceable Surname with Gary Glitter. Phil at BFBWWIII has more on this.
I suspect that, being a right-wing rag, the Daily Black Male has to try even harder to demonstrate its love of ethnics than other rags, such is the grip the prevailing doctrines have on society. I reckon that much of the Daily Black Male's readership are as appalled at multiculturalism, diversity and political correctness as the average BNP member.
I also suspect that the Daily Black Male has still not quite lived down its infamous headline from the 1930s:
"Hurrah for the Blackshirts!"
when the paper openly supported Oswald Mosley's BUF.
This strange dichotomy - i.e. expressing right-wing views whilst at the same time desperately demonstrating anti-racist credentials - is typical of those on the right who panic at the thought of alienating anybody by going against current doctrine. They've bought into the prevailing view that people have the right not to be offended. The so-called "shock jocks" suffer the same disease, which you can read more about here.
Thanks, Benny, useful links
I agree that the DM will be careful not to stray too far from the MSM-anti-England pack.
to know who came up with the pathetic "team GB" phrase?.
Is it politicaly incorrect now to use Great Britain or even just Britain ?
His name is George Hussein Onyango Obama. He lives in a hut in Kenya, making less than $1 a month. Maybe he’ll be able to cash in if Obama is elected president. We’ve already had Billy Beer; do you think America is ready for Onyango Beer?
George Hussein Onyango Obama shouldn’t be confused with Obama’s other Muslim brother Bernard, who, despite “running a car parts firm” in Kenya, is presently living in welfare housing in England with his mother, who’s no relation to Obama. (He and Bernard are the product of two different baby mamas.)
He also shouldn’t be confused with his brother Mark Ndesandjo, who lives in China running a shady company exporting Chinese junk to America. He’s also the product of a different baby mama.
And you certainly don’t want to confuse the guy in the hut with Obama’s other Muslim brother in Kenya, Abongo, who says “the black man must liberate himself from the poisoning influence of European culture”, etc. He’s the offspring of yet another of the senior Obama’s baby mamas.
And you certainly don’t want to confuse him with - aw, forget it. America’s gonna need a scorecard to keep up with Obama’s family if he win the election. It’s like an updated Abbot and Costello routine, Hussein’s On First?
Abongo’s on third? I thought Abongo was on second?
No, you idiot! Onyango’s on second. Abongo’s on third.
From;http://www.thepoliticalcesspool.org/jamesedwards/
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/08/21/painted_ladies_of_the_pool_are.html
For the Atlanta Games in 1996, the French synchronised swimming team prepared a routine based on the Holocaust. They were to goose-step toward the pool, before diving in and re-enacting the arrival of female Jews at the concentration camps, their abuse by Nazi doctors and their last march to the gas chambers. It would be set to music from Schindler's List. Alas, reminding us why politicians should never meddle in sport, they were ordered to abandon the enterprise by the then French sports minister, despite their protestations that it had "great emotional value".
Damn the French sports minister for sabotaging what would have been the single greatest moment in sporting history ever.
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