A Marathon of Double Standards...

Ok, so a young guy died after running the London Marathon.

News reports are full of sorrow and regret, and ‘isn’t so terrible’ and the like.

This annoys me.

This guy chose to train and run in the Marathon, he also chose to carry on when it was suspected it would happen on one of the hottest days in the event’s history.

So, why aren’t all the liberal newspaper columnists screeching from their soap boxes about how the Marathon is dangerous, and shouldn’t be allowed to continue? How it’s against health and safety, and how it’s dangerous to all who partake?

…Just like they did when Richmond Hammond crashed his jet car.

Same set of idealisations: the desire to partake in an adrenaline filled activity, because it’s something an individual wants to achieve for themselves.

Ridiculous and an example of total hypocrisy.

Discuss

Originally Posted by Bluesteel

…Just like they did when Richmond Hammond crashed his jet car.
Discuss

The Marathon also generates a lot of money for charities. The media can't be seen saying that's a bad thing.

Hammond's crash generated money for the air ambulance, granted, but if he hadn't of crashed, then the air ambulance wouldn't of got the money.

Originally Posted by Baph

The Marathon also generates a lot of money for charities. The media can't be seen saying that's a bad thing.

Hammond's crash generated money for the air ambulance, granted, but if he hadn't of crashed, then the air ambulance wouldn't of got the money.

Don't get me started on Charities... The media can say what they like, they just pick and choose their cause.

The fact remains that it's a stupid idea to jog round London for miles on end on a baking hot day...

Just like it's a stupid idea to try an attempt 300mph in a jet car...

So why the special treatment.

Originally Posted by Bluesteel

...liberal newspaper...

Ah, the word liberty. Liberty, as in freedom. How a bunch of left wing loonies who want to stop everyone from doing everything can be considered in the least bit liberal escapes me completely. Shoot the lot of em I say.

Liberty. A word that's lost it's meaning.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Bluesteel

The fact remains that it's a stupid idea to jog round London for miles on end on a baking hot day...

No its not, as long as you have trained and prepared properly and take in plenty of fluid / fuel etc then I dont see what the problem is.

Originally Posted by Bluesteel

Just like it's a stupid idea to try an attempt 300mph in a jet car...

It might be, but I'd bet you'd like to give it a try given the chance.

It's also a stupid idea to go round on a tandem-wheeled vehicle without any kind of crash protection other than a plastic bucket on your head and some plastic pieces on your joints, yet we do it everyday...

According to the legend, Phidippides died after running the first one.
They should have banned them then if you ask me.

Originally Posted by Filipe M.

It's also a stupid idea to go round on a tandem-wheeled vehicle without any kind of crash protection other than a plastic bucket on your head and some plastic pieces on your joints, yet we do it everyday...

some people don't even wear any crash protection on their joints

I think you have the wrong end of the stick. Yes of course it's a tragedy, yes of course it's a shame and so on. But this is no more than any reasonable person would say about such a happening.

Running a marathon is not intrinsically dangerous, thousands do one every year, not just in England either. And many run longer distances still, 50km (a marathon is 42km) or even 100km. As long as you're fit, properly trained and hydrated, what's the problem? I don't think the results of a post mortem have been published but for all I know the bloke could as well have died whilst running for the bus.

Why is it that people feel that they can't make a statement of regret without thinking that it necessarily implies acceptance of blame? And why is it that so many interpret an expression of regret as an acceptance of blame?

TBH I don't see your point.

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Ah, the word liberty. Liberty, as in freedom. How a bunch of left wing loonies who want to stop everyone from doing everything can be considered in the least bit liberal escapes me completely. Shoot the lot of em I say.

Liberty. A word that's lost it's meaning.

you are getting confused between libertarianism/authoritarianism (social) and left/right (economic)

this explains it quite well imho