Did China Lie about the female gymnastic' ages?

[Captain_Curmudgeon]

If I had children, I wouldn't let them watch the modern Olympics and I certainly wouldn't let the Olympics teach my children any moral precepts.

[pam]

I don't know..There are some great moments of sportsmanship in every Olympics. Like the swimmer who made the officials delay the race because one of her competitors had a ripped swimsuit. That was to me one of the epitomies of sportsmanship. I think there is alot of good in the Olympics. However, it riles me when rules are broken to further a gain.

[funkymonkey]

I really doubt that there is anyone in this forum that hasn't lied in their lifetime. I think honesty is important but I don't know a single person that is honest in all they do.

I don't agree with what the Chinese are doing...but I also don't think that these little girls that have been forced into the sport should have to suffer more than they already are. We Americans live in the most prosperous nation on the planet...after seeing some of the dire conditions these people live in...I don't really blame the little girls for lying about their age to get the carrot that the government was dangling for them.
Boys would lie about their age to get into the military during the civil war, WWI, WWII...should we be quick to condem them and call them liars too?

My ideal conclusion to the problem would be (like this would ever happen)...the metals get stripped but the girls get to keep their rewards.

[funkymonkey]

Originally Posted by Captain_Curmudgeon

If I had children, I wouldn't let them watch the modern Olympics and I certainly wouldn't let the Olympics teach my children any moral precepts.

There is a lot of way worse stuff on TV these days. Maybe this issue would be a great example to teach our kids what NOT to do.
"So, JR...if you lie about your age (to impress a girl perhaps) you're going to be caught in the act and then you'll never get a date!"

It'll be interesting to see how the Chinese gymnastics team is treated in future meets, like the annual world campionships.

[Brenton]

Originally Posted by pam

Ahhhh so let me start teaching my children to lie. To cheat on tests, to steal from their employers...because hey...you are being imperfect so heyyyy you ARE perfect. That really doesn't make sense to me. Seems totally contradictory.

You're misunderstanding the point 100%, which I'm probably not too surprised by.
The whole point of the statement is to say that we are imperfect, and can never change that.
Everyone lies, every single person, you just cant deny that, because EVERYONE does at some time or another.

That doesn't mean you aren't perfect.
Ever heard someone say "youre perfect the way you are"?
Perfection is an impossibility.

---

We Americans live in the most prosperous nation on the planet

It's beautiful that you believe that. But it's total rubbish. America has economic problems pretty much all the time. Theyre fighting wars for oil (i know thats just my opinion, but i had to throw it in), also if education isnt private or you arent gifted then youll likely strike trouble because its far from well funded, the US doesnt make tops either according the thew UNs Human Development Index (US comes in 12th) Human Development Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ... so definetly not most prosperous.

Now if anyone wants to say I'm discussing politics, and thats against the rules, well then were going to have to stop statements like "america is the best thisandthat" because thats a political statement too.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of life expectancy, literacy, educational attainment, and GDP per capita for countries worldwide. It is claimed as a standard means of measuring human development — a concept that, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), refers to the process of widening the options of persons, giving them greater opportunities for education, health care, income, employment, etc. The basic use of HDI is to rank countries by level of "human development", which usually also implies to determine whether a country is a developed, developing, or underdeveloped country.

[MichaelPAGuy]

Maybe we ought to shut down this thread before it turns into one big political debate?

[Brenton]

I think a rule re-definition is in order.
Saying a country (yours) is the most prosperous, most whatever, generally equates to a political statement. You need look no further than politicians feeding it to the masses all the time.

[john doe]

Brenton, while your opinions are clearly off-base and off-topic, they are not against the rules concerning politics. The politics rule is in place for the purposes of not endorsing or condemning particular American candidates in their races. This site is based in the US and the way we interpret the rules of protecting our non-profit status in the US, we have taken a neutrality stance in election races. I would advise you, though, that if you wish to change the subject and go on the attack against the US, you probably should start your own topic. This thread was on the question of the ages of certain Olymplic athletes, not whose country is better.

[funkymonkey]

Brenton, I'm sorry I offended you. That was totally not my intention. I should have said "one of the most prosperous."


((Peace))

[checkerboy]

Originally Posted by funkymonkey

Brenton, I'm sorry I offended you. That was totally not my intention. I should have said "one of the most prosperous."


((Peace))

Don't apologize. America is the most prosperous nation on earth. It is ok to show pride in your country. Just because someone uses statistics from Babylon (United Nations) doesn't mean we aren't the most prosperous nation on earth. Just look at our history. Sure we have problems just like every country but over our 200+ year history it is quite evident where the worlds population wanted to reside.

Sorry John Doe I had to. But back to the Chinese, I sure hope that they don't get away with it because it does set a horrible example to the world.