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Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

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Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#161

Post by dylan604 »

embedding-shape wrote: post #146
dylan604 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't motivation though. This is a reward for achieving a place on the Olympic team. If this does not continue as a thing past the upcoming Olympics, athletes will still train in hopes of qualifying for the next team. They won't be doing it because this might be available to them. If they qualify, this will just be a bonus.

> This is a reward for achieving a place on the Olympic team. Well, that makes it seem like this isn't a donation then at all, if you need to "achieve a place on the Olympic team"? I thought this was given for people to be able to better reach that, not as a "reward". This is a "prize" it seems to me, not a "donation".

It really seems like you're intentionally trying to strain definition of words. What is a prize if not a reward?

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#162

Post by mkipper »

kurtis_reed wrote: post #100

I thought the Olympics were supposed to be for amateur athletes

There's a pretty stark contrast between an MLB player making $50M per year and a bobsledder who's promised $100K 20 years after reaching the pinnacle of their sport. Given the total amount of training that an Olympian puts in over their life, even if that $100K is adjusted for inflation it probably works out to less than minimum wage in many states. That's a pretty bad profession IMO.

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#163

Post by JumpCrisscross »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #137
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Almost nobody truly aware of the number of slaughtered and starved Palestinian children would be "okay" with it A lot of people aren’t okay with it but also choose not to engage on it.

The Onion’ Stands With Israel Because It Seems Like You Get In Less Trouble For That https://theonion.com/the-onion-stands-with-israel-because-it...

Bad characterization.

I’d personally put myself in this camp. I think what Israel is doing is horrible. But the us-versus-them dynamic in the American Palestinian-activist community is exhausting. Furthermore, it is focused on personal showboating—messaging and rallying—versus helping anyone on the ground.

So I’m continuing to focus on Ukraine, my pet war, and northern Ethiopia, my pet FP issue. I’ve been able to materially aid folks there and—twice, on the margin—influence U.S. policy in their respects. I don’t have to deal with partners who want to convince me that each of my friends who doesn’t post daily on Instagram about Tigray is Hitler. Instead, they’re focused on the folks there.

I have opinions on Gaza. But I’m not taking a stand. And let’s be honest, that’s a fair characterization of 90% of folks who constantly go off on rants about Zionists or genocides but have never given a dollar to a humanitarian cause, called an elected or tried to travel to their region in question.

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#164

Post by loeg »

ThePowerOfFuet wrote: post #131
csense wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm surprised that a significant portion of western society has any sympathy for the Palestinian side after October 7. Hamas started a war and used a bunch of heinous tactics -- kidnapping and murdering a bunch of random civilians, putting bases in hospitals, stealing food aid, and so on. Israel tries to avoid casualties when they can. For example when Hamas launches rockets at Israeli civilian targets, they shoot th…

>Israel is fighting with a significantly higher amount of restraint and morality than their opponent Gaza would not be starving were this the case, and you should be ashamed of yourself for suggesting otherwise.

Gaza isn't starving. Civilian deaths in this conflict are remarkably low.

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#165

Post by direwolf20 »

asah wrote: post #117
an0malous wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would have never guessed that a significant portion of western society would not only be ok with killing thousands of children but be outraged that anyone would protest it. I feel like I have more information about the world than ever and understand it less than ever.

it's hard to put numbers to words, but I doubt "a significant portion of western society [is] outraged that anyone would protest it" - likely, it's very small but influential and/or wealthy.

They're good at influencing opinions. Half of America voted for a person with dementia. Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#166

Post by direwolf20 »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #163
ZeroGravitas wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Onion’ Stands With Israel Because It Seems Like You Get In Less Trouble For That https://theonion.com/the-onion-stands-with-israel-because-it...

Bad characterization. I’d personally put myself in this camp. I think what Israel is doing is horrible. But the us-versus-them dynamic in the American Palestinian-activist community is exhausting. Furthermore, it is focused on personal showboating—messaging and rallying—versus helping anyone on the ground. So I’m continuing to focus on Ukraine, my pet war, and northern Ethiopia, my pet FP issue. I’ve been able to mat…

Please explain the us–versus–them dynamic you referred to?

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#167

Post by direwolf20 »

csense wrote: post #127
an0malous wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would have never guessed that a significant portion of western society would not only be ok with killing thousands of children but be outraged that anyone would protest it. I feel like I have more information about the world than ever and understand it less than ever.

I'm surprised that a significant portion of western society has any sympathy for the Palestinian side after October 7. Hamas started a war and used a bunch of heinous tactics -- kidnapping and murdering a bunch of random civilians, putting bases in hospitals, stealing food aid, and so on. Israel tries to avoid casualties when they can. For example when Hamas launches rockets at Israeli civilian targets, they shoot th…

Was there any Israeli history before October 7 that might explain any of that?

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#168

Post by direwolf20 »

wqaatwt wrote: post #135
ThePowerOfFuet wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Israel is fighting with a significantly higher amount of restraint and morality than their opponent Gaza would not be starving were this the case, and you should be ashamed of yourself for suggesting otherwise.

Please don’t be absurd.. or are you one of the people pretending that the October 7th attacks didn’t happen or that the victims somehow deserved it? What Israel ended up doing in Gaza ended up being extremely horrible. But what options did they really have? Not doing anything would have been the same(or worse) than the US ignoring 9/11… Hamas on the other hand had the option to stop the war at anytime they wanted, th…

They could've, like, stopped firing missiles at the people every day. When you fire missiles at people every day they will get angry and try to scrounge up something to fire back.

And there's just no excuse for the part where they shot children with sniper rifles, recorded themselves laughing about it and posted it on TikTok.

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#169

Post by direwolf20 »

adastra22 wrote: post #128
an0malous wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would have never guessed that a significant portion of western society would not only be ok with killing thousands of children but be outraged that anyone would protest it. I feel like I have more information about the world than ever and understand it less than ever.

(1) If you are going to protest something, you need to show up with an answer to the question: “well, what should they have done?” (2) That doesn’t matter to the situation at hand. The protests on college campuses got WAY out of hand and disrupted the purpose of the institution: teaching.

Western Palestine protestors want their countries to stop giving stuff to Israel. That's a very achievable goal. It would be good if the war stopped, but most of them recognize they only have influence over their own countries.

Re: Ross Stevens Donates $100M to Pay Every US Olympian and Paralympian $200k

#170

Post by direwolf20 »

wqaatwt wrote: post #134
mfru wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(1) The answer is simple: Stop the genocide in Gaza by any means necessary. The US has the power to do that with its proxy Israel. (2) Reading that I wonder if you also supported violent dismissals of Vietnam war protests

> by any means necessary Not that carpet bombing a densely populated city wasn’t extremely horrible were there any better was to destroy or at least massively weaken Hamas? For that matter Hamas could have stopped the Israeli atrocities any time they wanted, they chose not to.

Hamas is an idea. Hamas is the idea that Israel must be destroyed. If you want people to stop thinking Israel is evil and must be destroyed, it would greatly help if Israel stopped killing their families. Usually, when you see someone kill your family and the people around you, you start thinking they are evil and must be destroyed. This is pretty basic human psychology.

To make people believe that Israel is a good thing instead, they could start by delivering lots of food and fresh water. Even more easily, they could start by letting in the food and fresh water that's lined up outside of the border.

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