Self deceptions

I've noticed with the Olympics that it gets co-opted.

A woman I followed on Twitter wanted to make the point that women were dominating the medal podium one day. She was apoplectic when I pointed out that it was because they only competed against women. If they had taken equality to it's logical conclusion the Olympics would not have a separate category for women it would simply celebrate the best at each sport. And some women would make it. I imagine that South Korean archer Ki Bo Bae would be there - she is awesome. But in athletics men run faster, jump higher, lift and throw heavier weights, the swim faster etc etc. Look at who holds the world records in most sports activities and it will be men. I don't see this as a put down, it's just a fact. And yes it is quite true that the fastest women are faster than the average man, faster than me. But this does not alter the fact. I grew up with women assuring me that thy were not only as good as men, but better in many respects; that they could do anything and probably better than men; that women deserved to be treated as equals or betters in any aspects of life. OK then let's have a level playing field in sport. There's no reason why most sports need to have separate leagues and separate competitions for women. Why should women runners not run against men? Where size is a factor - as in weight-lifting or judo - we already have weight grades to even things up. I'm all for equality.

Another person wanted to compare the medals that Scotland won with the medals that New Zealand won. Except that Scotland didn't win any medals - the United Kingdom certainly won a lot of medals and within Team GB (as it is inaccurately called) there were lots of Scottish Athletes. Would Scotland win so many medals if they were independent? We'll never know until they follow through on the independence movement. New Zealand is a separate nation, and we did not benefit from UK money or facilities. And we did not have a home crowd advantage in the last couple of weeks. Same with Yorkshire claiming to have won more medals than any other county. So what? Yorkshire wouldn't survive for 10 years as an independent country - they're absolutely dependent on wealth generated elsewhere in the UK (including Scotland). One of the main proponents of this Yorkshire lark is Jon Lord Prescott - who is so fat these days he couldn't run 100 metres let alone race it, though I'd want to be arms length away when I said that because not doubt he's still got a mean left hook.

It's all just a weird form of jingoism - dividing into arbitrary groups and then saying "we're better than you are". As if that really means anything that one's neighbours are good athletes. I like seeing Kiwi's doing well, but I don't then claim to be a superior person on the basis of that. It's not me that won the match! Why should I feel good about myself because someone I've never met and never will has played a good match, or run fast?

Medals were won for your country not by your country.