Rotghroth Rhapsody waterplant Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/06/04/2916443.htm Could one day the Disability Olympics become more interesting and popular than the boring, regular-bodied Olympics? Could it be a case of 'go-go-gadget: Olympic Gold Medal'? Discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Ephesos Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 I find it incredible that not too long ago, people with prosthetics would be laughed out of the stadium if they tried to compete in the Olympics. And now it's not fair to the other athletes? They've come a long way, apparently. I say let 'em compete. As long as they don't have rocket-legs or something, sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Alorael at Large Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 The two slightly different issues in athletics or other competitions are whether the prosthetics represent an unfair advantage, and one day they undoubtedly will, and if so, how to prevent athletes from having to replace their limbs. But then it's not actually so different from steroids and probably much easier to test for. —Alorael, who somehow can't see the terrible threat to human rights outside competitive environments. Just remember that the workplace is competitive too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Lilith Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Originally Posted By: Five Days Beyond the Web The two slightly different issues in athletics or other competitions are whether the prosthetics represent an unfair advantage, and one day they undoubtedly will, and if so, how to prevent athletes from having to replace their limbs. There's a third issue: once the replacement limbs get good enough, will anyone actually be interested in watching athletes who don't have them? I mean, you could ban everyone over 6 feet tall from playing basketball, too, but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Sarachim Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Originally Posted By: Lilith Originally Posted By: Five Days Beyond the Web The two slightly different issues in athletics or other competitions are whether the prosthetics represent an unfair advantage, and one day they undoubtedly will, and if so, how to prevent athletes from having to replace their limbs. There's a third issue: once the replacement limbs get good enough, will anyone actually be interested in watching athletes who don't have them? I mean, you could ban everyone over 6 feet tall from playing basketball, too, but... Well, most sports fans dislike steroids. Women's tennis is at least as popular as men's. Computers are better than people at chess, but games between humans are the most popular. For a competition to be interesting, it's more important that the competitors be well-matched than that they be the best possible. Also, most fans are as interested in the narrative they attach to the competition as in the competition itself, and hard work/determiniation/etc. make for better stories than self-mutilation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Lilith Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Sports fans don't dislike steroids. They just dislike knowing that steroids were used. And let's face it, women's tennis is very much an exception to the general rule as women's sports go. It's a pity I don't know enough about boxing to know which weight divisions are most popular among fans. If your argument holds water, all divisions will be about equally popular; if I'm right, most attention will be on the heavyweights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotghroth Rhapsody waterplant Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Originally Posted By: Lilith It's a pity I don't know enough about boxing Not a pity - not being in to boxing surely must have more positives than not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Alorael at Large Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 It's quite conceivable that humans are objects as well as subjects of the uncanny valley. Maybe we're okay with steroids because we can't see then and we won't accept augments athletes until the prostheses become either well-concealed or sufficiently chic. —Alorael, who on the other hand can also see the best of both worlds coming from all this. Kasparov's computer-assisted chess with implanted processors could keep both the style of play and the photogenicity at the highest possible levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Student of Trinity Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 It's a grrreat day for motor-car racing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotghroth Rhapsody Thaluikhain Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Well...as it stands, for most races, you have to be in a wealthy nation that can afford to have you constanlty monitored and assessed for your training practices, and use the latest expensive gear to stand a chance. Artificial limbs might be a problem if we start taking fairness and equality seriously, but until then, not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotghroth Rhapsody Hypnotic Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 If Artificial limbs are that godd, why would anyone have regular ones? Hence no Ordianry olympics and only Disabled olympics. Then when Disabled Olympics is the norm we are right back to square one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Alorael at Large Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 That's the article, really. The Paralympics could become "better" than the regular Olympics in speed, strength, and other measures of achievement if the regular Olympics continue to forbid prostheses and artificial enhancements (although it's not clear to what extent they do or will, really). —Alorael, who still thinks the good ol' Olympics will retain viewers even if super-athletes in the Paralympics make for more exciting TV. The possibly lower level of competition will still be very high level for the foreseeable future, and watching meat competition is likely to stay popular. Even if it one day becomes a niche, it's likely to become a large enough niche to get network coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Enraged Slith Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Isn't the ultimate goal of artificial limbs to minimize that very distinction, or do you think athletes would actually want cybernetic enhancements? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Rowen Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Give everyone a wooden peg for a limb replacement and that should make it equal again. Oh, and eye patches. We need more eye patches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Alorael at Large Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 If I had a choice between a replacement for my leg or a replacement for my leg with decorative trim and an afterburner, I know which one I'd go with. Leg with rockets: accept no substitutes. —Alorael, who walked past a man the other day who was walking down the street on what appeared to be a blue and silver prosthetic leg while fiddling with a blue and silver prosthetic arm. He had both of his own arms and probably wasn't looking to trade in, but the picture was priceless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Lilith Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Originally Posted By: Seven Days and Activity —Alorael, who walked past a man the other day who was walking down the street on what appeared to be a blue and silver prosthetic leg while fiddling with a blue and silver prosthetic arm. He had both of his own arms and probably wasn't looking to trade in, but the picture was priceless. Who knows: maybe he had bone cancer in his leg and he just found out it had spread to his arm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Alorael at Large Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Maybe metal can become metastatic and he's making the best of it. —Alorael, who could actually see the wealthy amputee needing to obtain legs that match each pair of pants or skirt for a night out on the town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast VCH Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrulous Glaahk grasshopper Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Whilst all this talk about prosthetic limbs is all well and good, helping the disabled achieve amazing feats of agility. I think we are still being far to humanist. By that, I mean I want to see a dolphin in the swimming race, and a big cat in the running race. Once we are all like the 6 million dollar man, running against normal humans is just going to be too boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyshakk Koan Monroe Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Originally Posted By: I wish I could end days again. —Alorael, who could actually see the wealthy amputee needing to obtain legs that match each pair of pants or skirt for a night out on the town. Oh, yeah, we're already there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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