Posted on February 16, 2010 - by Venik
Olympic Bones
As I am sitting here watching the Olympics, I am reminded of a CNN (I think it was CNN) special a few years ago. Some angry-looking activists were discussing the alarming popularity of online videos depicting street fights, schoolyard brawls and such. The gist of the discussion was that most of us share the responsibility because we like watching such videos. The usual American-style search for higher morality.
Why did I remember this CNN broadcast? Probably because next week I am planning on watching many hours of videos where men and women in their twenties and some in their teens routinely suffer terrible injuries to prove they are better than the competition. I mean the Olympics of course.
I’ve been in my share of fights in school. The fights were the unavoidable side effect of me being a jerk. And so I speak from experience when I say that most injuries sustained in school fights completely heal within a week or two. With a few exceptions, of course. Many Olympic athletes sustain repetitive injuries to various parts of their bodies every day during routine training. Even without major falls, crashes and other accidents, many of these young people will be in constant pain and will suffer from reduced mobility before they are out of their thirties.
Of course I am not proposing that we abolish sports. Not at all. People who want to compete and don’t mind risking their life and sacrificing their health to push the limits are not easily discouraged nor should anyone try to discourage them. It’s just the next time you find something online or on TV that offends your sensibilities, I want to encourage you to think about this: are you really that sensitive?
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