# OK, Valteron, I'll bite. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 21, 2010, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863 "2010-02-21T11:31:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/21 "2010-02-24T18:11:57Z")
I’m not debating you. I just think you’re a jackass. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/22 "2010-02-24T18:16:15Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > Our government bragged that we would “Own the Podium” and we do indeed own it. We have receipts for the companies that were paid to build the structure and everything. Of course, we have to make room up there for the four countries who have so far (Feb. 24, morning) done better than Canada, namely, the United States, Germany, Norway and the Russian Federation. We have to allow them up there to collect their 79 medals compared to Canada’s 11 (fifth place), but we do indeed own that old podium. Yessir. Paid for and all, with good Canadian money, I tells ya!:rolleyes: [Judge from _My Cousin Vinny_] Are you on drugs? [/Jf_MCV_] ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/23 "2010-02-24T18:27:13Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > four countries who have so far (Feb. 24, morning) done better than Canada, namely, the United States, Germany, Norway and the Russian Federation. We have to allow them up there to collect their 79 medals compared to Canada’s 11 (fifth place), but we do indeed own that old podium. Yessir. Paid for and all, with good Canadian money, I tells ya!:rolleyes: Your number comparison is moronic. You can’t just add up the number of medals from several countries and compare it to a single country. This is stupid. I guess the US Olympic team should be hanging its head in shame. After all, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland together have won 32 medals so far, compared with only 26 for the USA. But wait, it’s worse! 15 of these countries medals are gold, compared with only 7 gold for the USA!! The shame of it! But wait, the moronic comparison is even worse! The combined population of Norway, Sweden and Switzerland is 21.5 million, compared with the USA 304 million. That means that (in moron-land), that the USA has gotten 18 times FEWER medals per capita than Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. 30 times FEWER Gold medals! They should just quit and go home. This is an idiotic argument, no? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/24 "2010-02-24T19:02:30Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > See, I’m just the opposite. The Olympics are the one time I feel completely comfortable giving in to full throated, mindless nationalism. I get a thrill when some Minnesotan nurse I’ve never heard of slides a rock down an ice lane and hits another rock, just because I identify the first rock as American and the second rock as Chinese. I feel pride when I see an American couple on the medal stand for the ice dancing competition, even though if they were friends of mine I would refuse to tell people I know them. > > Brainless, I know. But it’s the most harmless display of nationalism that I know of. At least nobody dies. Well, except that one guy. I know, I know. It hasn’t been the same since the Cold War - remember booing the East German judge? Those were the days! Really, I’d never yell “USA! USA!” in any other context. It’s part of the fun of the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/25 "2010-02-24T19:08:29Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I\ > > Really, I’d never yell “USA! USA!” in any other context. It’s part of the fun of the Olympics. Exactly. I was watching some ski cross while biking yesterday, and I was yelling for my girl. It’s basically an excuse to throw a world party. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/26 "2010-02-24T19:45:49Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Your number comparison is moronic. You can’t just add up the number of medals from several countries and compare it to a single country. This is stupid. > > I guess the US Olympic team should be hanging its head in shame. After all, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland together have won 32 medals so far, compared with only 26 for the USA. But wait, it’s worse! 15 of these countries medals are gold, compared with only 7 gold for the USA!! The shame of it! > But wait, the moronic comparison is even worse! The combined population of Norway, Sweden and Switzerland is 21.5 million, compared with the USA 304 million. That means that (in moron-land), that the USA has gotten 18 times FEWER medals per capita than Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. 30 times FEWER Gold medals! They should just quit and go home. > > This is an idiotic argument, no? I never said that any one country should have more than other countries combined. But Canada bragged about its “Own th Podium” program. Now look at the medal standings and tell me: To whom does the phrase “Own the Podium” most appropriately apply? First-place USA or 5th place Canada? Just answer me that. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/27 "2010-02-24T19:53:57Z")
But by your own weird math Canada is doing very well. The USA has 7 gold medals and Canada has 6. But the USA has 10x’s the population of Canada so they should have 10xs the gold medals and If Canada had only a 10th of the number of gold medals than the USA had then that’s good…or something, right? ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/28 "2010-02-24T20:24:33Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > But by your own weird math Canada is doing very well. The USA has 7 gold medals and Canada has 6. But the USA has 10x’s the population of Canada so they should have 10xs the gold medals and If Canada had only a 10th of the number of gold medals than the USA had then that’s good…or something, right? The US has about nine times our population, it is true. It is also true that Canada, with 34 million people, has 7 times the population of Norway, who is ahead of us in medals. Canada bragged about “owning the podium”. Looking at the medal standings right now, which country would you say is closest to making that claim? ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/29 "2010-02-24T20:29:13Z")
“ust one quesrion”? What aer you, drink? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/30 "2010-02-24T20:32:18Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > The US has about nine times our population, it is true. It is also true that Canada, with 34 million people, has 7 times the population of Norway, who is ahead of us in medals. > > Canada bragged about “owning the podium”. Looking at the medal standings right now, which country would you say is closest to making that claim? Well now Norway has the same number of gold medals as us. But if we use the USA as the starting point with their 7 golds, then it’s not that Canada hasn’t won enough of them as compared to Norway, it’s that Norway has won too many. That’s Norway’s fault, not Canada’s. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/31 "2010-02-24T20:35:45Z")
‘Own the Podium’, was actually a slogan used to raise money for sports and to motivate the athletes of the sports the money was raised for. Silly name? Maybe. Sorry you took it as a verbal contract you stupid old coot. ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/32 "2010-02-24T20:46:40Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Well now Norway has the same number of gold medals as us. But if we use the USA as the starting point with their 7 golds, then it’s not that Canada hasn’t won enough of them as compared to Norway, it’s that Norway has won too many. That’s Norway’s fault, not Canada’s. I guess a lot of things can be stated relatively. Like: “Floatgimpy is average but Valteron is extra intelligent”, or “Valteron is average but Floatgimpy is too stupid”. Yes, I see your point.😉 ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/33 "2010-02-24T20:51:10Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > I guess a lot of things can be stated relatively. Like: “Floatgimpy is average but Valteron is extra intelligent”, or “Valteron is average but Floatgimpy is too stupid”. > > Yes, I see your point.😉 Hey, I resemble that. ---
**Author:** ![toodlepip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@toodlepip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toodlepip)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/34 "2010-02-24T20:59:16Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Well now Norway has the same number of gold medals as us. But if we use the USA as the starting point with their 7 golds, then it’s not that Canada hasn’t won enough of them as compared to Norway, it’s that Norway has won too many. That’s Norway’s fault, not Canada’s. Hey! Don’t get any ideas, we won those medals, goddammit! _Watches FloatyGimpy suspiciously_ ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/35 "2010-02-24T21:15:17Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > But by your own weird math Canada is doing very well. The USA has 7 gold medals and Canada has 6. But the USA has 10x’s the population of Canada so they should have 10xs the gold medals and If Canada had only a 10th of the number of gold medals than the USA had then that’s good…or something, right? To be fair, a large portion of the US doesn’t even have a winter. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/36 "2010-02-24T21:27:10Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > To be fair, a large portion of the US doesn’t even have a winter. Neither does Jamaica, but they send winter athletes. ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/37 "2010-02-24T21:53:19Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Hey, I resemble that. Maybe if you wear your hair to one side it won’t show as much! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/38 "2010-02-24T22:15:04Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > ‘Own the Podium’, was actually a slogan used to raise money for sports and to motivate the athletes of the sports the money was raised for. Silly name? Maybe. > > Sorry you took it as a verbal contract you stupid old coot. QFT and because the last line is funny. ---
**Author:** ![BMada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@BMada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMada)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/39 "2010-02-24T22:49:18Z")
one question. Why couldn’t this be part of Valteron’s original post? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863/40 "2010-02-24T23:21:37Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > But if we use the USA as the starting point with their 7 golds, then it’s not that Canada hasn’t won enough of them as compared to Norway, it’s that Norway has won too many. That’s Norway’s fault, not Canada’s. Damn Norwegians! Ya can’t trust 'em! Them and their lutefisk! (trails off into demented mumbling…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-valteron-ill-bite/529863.md?page=3)