Participation ≠ competition
Uh oh, McKinnon is cheating again.
IOC Charter, 4th Fundamental Principle of Olympian: “Participation in sport is a human right.”
You’re wrong. #sorrynotsorry
#factsdontcareaboutyourfeelings
He said it in reply to a tweet that said “I don’t think competing in sport is a human right. Sorry.”
Claim: “I don’t think competing in sport is a human right.”
Counter-claim: “The IOC Charter says ‘Participation in sport is a human right.'”
Where’s the cheating? In the fact that participation is not the same as competing.
That’s especially true of sports/activities like cycling that can be enjoyed perfectly well without other people. Team sports are little fun by oneself; sports like running, cycling, archery, swimming can be plenty of fun by oneself.
That’s the cheating. The silly is treating the IOC as a disinterested source of absolute truth about whether or not sport is a human right. The IOC has an interest in promoting sport, and that might possibly color its interpretation of whether or not it’s a human right. The second silly is treating a random body saying “[participation in] sport is a human right” makes it true. The IOC said it, but the IOC is not a human rights organization or a legislature. McKinnon is all but in “because my dad said so!” territory here. “The IOC thinks it is” would have been a slightly less fatuous response.
McKinnon is remarkably sloppy for someone who teaches philosophy.
Unbelievably sloppy for someone who teaches philosophy. If he wasn’t trans he would never have earned tenure. (Tenure!! I mean, come on.) It’s purely political; the man otherwise has an utterly dull, uninteresting, narcissistic mind. I suspect a lot of people are already regretting giving him tenure. His popularity seems to be already taking a dive.
The IOC manipulates the rules all the time to foreclose various people from participating in Olympic sport. Athletes have to qualify. They have to pass drug tests. They specifically changed the rules to prevent Eddie the Eagle from participating in the Nordic ski jumping events. So much for the “human right” to participate in sport.
The IOC initially banned professionals, a classist move that prevented poorer people from competing.
Mckinnon believes a) that there is a right to participate in sport, and b) that this entitles anyone to compete in the highest form of that sport despite reasonable barriers being in the way. Fine. I declare the World Poker Tour a sport – because McKinnon is big on the power of declarations determining what reality is – and therefore I demand a spot on one of the pro events where even losing nets decent prize money. Same for every sport in fact.
Instant money – just declare yourself rich!
Maybe McKinnon’s next award should say “Participant” on it.
Philosophy departments have been captured, generally by the left, to become little more than sociology departments unencumbered by the empirical.
Naif, my experience was similar. I had to take two graduate level philosophy courses as part of my Ph.D. in science (because it was environmental science, and they thought that was important). I was shocked that so much of what the students went on was the idea that anything done by eastern nations was automatically good and valid and worthwhile, and anything done by western nations was automatically bad and invalid and worthless. That is way too simplistic for people supposedly being taught how to think…not to mention, it is lazy. Why bother to sort out what is good/bad about every culture, when you can just pigeonhole them by knowing where they come from?
If that had been my only experience with philosophy, I might see it like Sam Harris does. Fortunately, I have been immersed in philosophy since very early in life, starting to read Aristotle at nine (though not understanding him until much later) and Bertrand Russell by high school.
I’m sure that the International Association of Brussel Sprout Growers believes that brussel sprouts are a human right, too, and that governments should ensure that everyone gets some every day.
What? You mean Brussels Sprouts are not a human right? But…but…I love Brussels sprouts. What if I can’t get them anymore now that someone is questioning their status as my right?
In other words, Screechy, you may have just committed actual violence.
The following is the best recipe I have found for Brussels Sprouts wrapped in bacon:
Ingredients – bacon and Brussels sprouts. NOTE: the Brussels sprouts must be obtained and kept in an airtight container, and whatever you do, don’t pay for them.
Directions
1. Travel to an active volcano, bringing the Brussels sprouts. You know, one of those volcanoes that has lava all flowing and spluttery. Bring the Brussels sprouts with you, still in the airtight container.
2. Throw the Brussels spouts, still in the airtight container, into the hottest lava you can find. Be sure the sprouts and container are destroyed by the lava. Make whatever amends are necessary to the volcano gods for bringing them such a blechy sacrifice.
3. Return home to your waiting bacon.
4. Cook the bacon to your satisfaction.
5. Eat the bacon.
Screechy Monkey and iknklast, in suggesting that Brussels Sprouts be fed to humans, may both have violated Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the section that deals with war crimes.
@11 One of my colleagues actually gave me a non-joking recipe for the best Brussels sprouts he’s ever had–basically hollow them out and fill them with ground beef, then cook, then eat the ground beef.
The ultimate way to serve Brussells sprouts: Par-boil for 5 minutes, then drain them well. Melt a goodly amount of butter in a frying pan, add the sprouts, a handful of diced belly pork, a chopped white onion, and some chopped walnuts. Fry until the pork is cooked, season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve. The remaining butter must – absolutely must – be poured over the sprouts and any other veggies on the plate.