I would go if most expenses were paid. I’ve been to Moscow and St. Petersberg before, two months before a bombing on the rail line between those two cities and six months before the Metro bombings, both at locations that I’ve passed though.
I don’t like Putin and am repulsed by the homophobia and racism prevalent in Russia, but not going isn’t going to change anything.
No way. Something big is going to go down. Those terrorists have had since the site was announced to stash weapons and bombs in the area, long before the Russians secured it. Sure, they can’t get in now, but the bad guys are probably already in place.
Although the all expenses part makes it tempting I’d still have to say no. Other than hockey (which I would love to see) most of the events aren’t really good as spectator sports. You only see your portion of the hill or sled run. Figure skating bores me. I guess the ski jumping would be cool. Most of it is better to watch on TV with a hot cup of tea.
But its Russia. And terrorists and shit.
I’d go to see the hockey, yes.
I’m as outraged by Russia’s weird gay-bashing as much as anyone, but I don’t remember nearly as much carping about the Beijing games, which were being held by a government just as mean, just as discriminatory, and probably less democratic than Russia.
To be honest, if I were a nice male couple with a kid, I would be scared as fuck to go there with the kid … I can imagine the knee jerk reaction to seeing the small group walking down the street holding hands with the kid and the 2 guys getting arrested and the kid taken away.
I’d go in a heartbeat. I love the Olympics, especially the winter games. The threat of terrorism wouldn’t scare me.
Me too.
And are they going to arrest the UK’s favourite sports presenter Clare Balding if she happens to conduct any interviews with local school children?
I care less than nothing for winter sports, so maybe I would go but avoid the Olympics and go see the other tourist attractions. Maybe the crowds would be lower than usual.
I have a feeling that Putin and Co. will be, if anything, too thorough in their efforts to prevent terrorist incidents during the event, so I doubt anyone is going to be blown up.
This +1. China just seems to have better PR.
Regards,
Shodan
Surprised at all the “no” responses. Especially those that say, “no, I hate sports.” I have no interest in watching the Oscars (I rarely see movies and don’t know anything about movie stars), but if someone offered me a free trip to the Oscars I’d accept, because it would be an adventure and an experience. Especially if I sat with someone who DID know who the actors were and who was up for what. Same with, oh, the Kentucky Derby (I don’t consider horse racing a sport and have no interest in horses).
To answer the question: I’d go in an instant. I’d love to see ski jumping, speed skating, and X-C skiing in addition to hockey. I’d enjoy seeing Sochi and the whole Black Sea region.
Then again, I like sports in general and winter sports too, I don’t mind being cold, I don’t think I’m any more likely to be a terrorist target in Russia than here in the US, and while I’m not big on crowds, I would put up with them for the experience of being at the games.
YM obviously Vs.
I think the difference is that China has a vast, complex, well established system that definitely has it’s downsides, but has also been fairly successful.
Russia, on the other hand, has one wacky, sinister guy who has managed to personally piss off pretty much everyone.
China also didn’t threaten to arrest visitors to the games.
I wouldn’t go to Russia for any reason. I wouldn’t want tobe inside a security perimeter that might already hav potential bombing suspects inside it. I wouldn’t want to give any money to the Russian regime or energy oligarchs. I also have a shy bladder, so communal toilets are out.
Considering that I’m not fond of staying out in the freezing wind all day, and my aversion to being stuck in indoor seating that’s built for folks with shorter legs than mine, I don’t think I’d accept an all-expenses trip to Sochi.
Absolutely not.
I very much suspect that Sochi is going to make Munich '72 look like a schoolyard skirmish.
There’ve also been a ton of reports (by the usual suspects) about poow homosexuals who’re going to be beaten, killed and (at best) arrested in Russia and what a brave little homosexual Billy Jean King is for even daring to go to that horrific country.
It’s best to simply ignore this nonsense.
Let me put it this way. The chances are that these Games are going to be much more peaceful than, say, Atlanta Games of 96, where, you know, things actually exploded and stuff.
Are you fucking kidding me? An all-expense-paid trip plus free FF miles? Sign me up NOW.
What’s the next question you’re going to pose to this board? “Will you accept free money?”
Oh, the humanity! Don’t be so scawed, my lil’ friend. It’ll be aww wight. Sochi will be about hundred times more peaceful than the vast swathes of Detroit, Saint Louis, Chicago, Newark, Oakland, Camden, etc, etc, etc.
On rereading burunduk34’s posts in the last month I see they’re a dreadful snacky troll unworthy of being addressed by any expression of binary code.
burunduk34, these indeed are trolling remarks and you are now warned that this is against the rules and you are to stop immediately. Furthermore, your posting privileges are now under review.
Nawth Chucha please do not publicly make accusations of trolling. Report any violations you suspect (as you did) and we’ll take care of it. (No warning issued.)
Oh, you mean binary code that looks like this:
public class StraightDope {
public static void main (String fordopessakes[])
{
for (String s : new String[]{"1001110","1100001","1110111","1110100","1101000","100000","1000011","1101000","1110101","1100011","1101011","1100001","100000","1101001","1110011","100000","1100001","100000","1101101","1101001","1101110","1100100","1101100","1100101","1110011","1110011","100000","1110100","1110111","1100001","1110100"})
System.out.print((char)Integer.parseInt(s, 2));
}
}
Bye-bye. Banned by midnight.
I’m not a big Olympics fan, but I’d absolutely love to go to Russia if someone paid me. I think it’s a fascinating country and one I’d like to spend some time in. In future I may have some semi-reasonable work reasons to go, and I’ve been thinking about a trip.
Olympics are probably not an ideal time to go in terms of crowding, higher prices, security, etc…
I was just thinking the same thing. They’ve had a long time to set something up. And yeah something big is going to go down, if not at the Olympic venue, then in 10 or 15 other cities while everybody is busy protecting Sochi and environs.
Back when those two idiots shot up Washington DC from the trunk of their beater, I was wondering what kind of a mess nine or ten other beaters around the country at the same time, similarly equipped, could make of things. It should be pretty easy for the extremists to round up twenty or so idiots in beaters just as a distraction.
There’s something major planned, no question. Sochi might be ok with all the heat concentrated there but they’ll probably blow up a bunch of other cities where they’re not expected. Would I go? Meh. We had it here in Vancouver a while back. It was great! That’s good enough for me for a while.