Nobility and the Americas Cup

Discussion in 'Diplomacy & Conflict Resolution' started by WJV, Sep 7, 2016.

  1. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    nobility boat.jpg

    The yacht you see there, friends,
    says that she's been
    The fastest piece of timber ever seen;
    She swears that once she could have overhauled
    All rival boats, whether the challenge called
    For racing under canvas or with oars. Catullus/Catullus 4

    Many people call cricket the noble game. The saying- 'Just not cricket', is Aussie slang meaning - Having something that is unjust or just plain wrong done to someone or something. This comes from the game of cricket which is regarded as a gentlemans game were fairplay was paramount. In Australian society a Fair Go is paramount and the saying 'just not cricket' contains typical Aussie laconic humour. We are poking fun at the Poms somewhat arrogant style of nobility and declaring ourselves to be the best judges of what is genuinely noble. The English cricketing tactic of 'bodyline' that was used against the Australian team was not cricket at all and against the spirit of fair play being paramount. Having said that the New Zealanders may have something to say about the now infamous last ball mullygrubber tactic that Australia used to rob New Zealand of a fair chance of victory in that famous game.

    mullygrubber1.jpg

    played cricket when I was a kid. I think it is a good sport. And it encourages order, fairness and sportsmanship. Another sport that I think is somewhat noble is yacht racing. I like The Americas Cup Challenge. I like the idea of a challenge being issued and accepted and then a time and location for battle agreed upon before preperations take place and then the race.. For the Americas Cup challenge one yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. The timing of each match is determined by an agreement between the defender and the challenger. That is how a gentlemans sport would look. A noble sport. This type of battle is not only good for diplomacy, as all international sport is, it is also good for pushing technology in times of peace.

    Rules are very important in the sport of Yachting to ensure fair competition.

    Perhaps Australias most celebrated sporting triumph was in 1983 when Australian challanger - Australia II , ' defeated the Americans to win the Americas Cup. This was the first time the NYYC had lost the cup in 132 years and 26 challenges. The 'winging keel' design of Australia II, gave Australia the edge. Owner of the Yacht, Aussie businessman - Alan Bond, joked that cup would be renamed "The Australias Cup."

    triumph 83.jpg

    winged keel.JPG

    The reason that the Americas Cup triumph of 1983 was so important to Australian society was because we had defeated America.

    "The tall poppy syndrome (TPS) is a perjorative term primarily used in the UK, Canada Australia and New Zealand and other Anglosphere nations to describe a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers.

    Australia and New Zealand's usage of the term has evolved and is not uniformly negative. In Australia, a long history of "underdog" culture and profound respect for humility in contrast to that of Australia's English feudal heritage results in a different understanding of "Tall poppy syndrome"." - Wikipedia

    Wikipedia seems to lack the humility to understand the Australian mind. The reason the term. Australians do not resent the success of people of genuine merit and this is not the reason that our 'TPS' can be seen as a positive by true blue Aussies. Australians do traditionally have a profound respect for humility. When I was a kid if you won a ribbon or medallion at a sporting carnival it was important to pretend that you didnt care at all or other kids would make fun of you for being a love-job. If you won a trophy for cricket or footy you accepted it with humility and didnt make a big deal about it.

    Many attribute a quote to Sigmund Freud with him saying that the Irish are impervious to psychoanalysis -This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever” The Irish are an important part of Australian history and Irish culture has contributed significantly to the underdog culture of true blue Australia. In my opinion the people making judgement on the Australian mind have an inferior id. The id of the Australian is more highly evolved than our judges. There seems to be no proof of Freud saying that the Irish are impervious to psychoanalysis but author Anthony Burgess, in an introduction to a book of Irish short stories said - One of [Freud's] followers split up human psychology into two categories – Irish and non-Irish.” Australians are more Irish than the Irish themselves in many ways. The man that many consider to be the First Australian - Peter Lalor -- hero of the Eureka Rebellion, was Irish.

    I am an Australian with Irish-Roman Catholic grandmother on my fathers side and I do understand. In my opinion the true blue Australian mind is misunderstood. We Aussies love to defeat the Poms at cricket because beating England at their own game helps them gain humility. The Americans seem to only like to play pro-team sports that nobody else plays so America does not compete on the international stage as much as Commonwealth nations. Australians get few opportunities to serve the Americans some humble pie. The loud and obnoxious American culture is a stark contrast to the Australian culture that has profound respect for humility.

    Australia is a competitive nation that always wants to challenge ourselves against the best and to defeat the best in all competition including economic. The friendship between Australia and the United States is also a rivalry.

    Bob Hawke was Prime Minister in 1983 when Australia won the Americas Cup. Hawke declared a virtual public holiday to celebrate Australias triumph over America declaring - “any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum." The politicians took a day off themselves actually. During the celebrations of the triumph Bob Hawke told this joke on National Television. -

    A Frenchman an Englishman and an Australian were slogging their way across the Andes, he said. “It’s about 45 bloody degrees,” he began, after describing how the trio had traversed an scorched alpine desert, “they look down. There’s this most beautiful, pristine lagoon. They go scrambling down ... and dive in ... The natives come and grab ‘em. Take ‘em to the chief. The chief says (and here Hawke slipped into broken English): ‘You have broken the sacred law. This our most sacred site. For this you die. When we kill you we take off skin. Out of skin make canoe. Put canoe on lake. Permanent reminder to all peoples. Never infringe on our most sacred site.’”

    Naturally, the chief offers them a last request, and Hawke assumed a Pepe Le Pew accent and an upper class English drawl in which the Frenchman and Englishman asked for knives with which they killed themselves rather than die slowly and painfully.

    “Then they go to the Aussie,” Hawke continued. “He says, ‘I want a fork.’ He proceeds to stab himself all over.

    “‘There goes your f . . king canoe!’”

    bob alan.jpg

    In my opinion Aussie humility and our laconic humour is misunderstood. A true blue Aussie has respect for true nobility. We respect and value our history here in Australia.

    americas cup.jpg

    [video=youtube;o5mBShX9fdU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5mBShX9fdU[/video]

    [video=youtube;aEYseM_R6Hk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEYseM_R6Hk[/video]
     
  2. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I was banned from a website for pointing out to the site owner that he was incorrect in saying that America had always won the Americas Cup. Technically it may have been because I trolled him, his mother, his recent road-kill cat, his pathetic hometown of Boston, his website, the size of his ass, his family tree, his taste in food, and the sport of sailing, but it started out with me correcting him and him being offended about him being "disrespected" because I posted that he was wrong.
     
  3. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    Remember this -

    edit - actually Kevin Bloody Wilson songs are probably not ok to post here.

    You trolled his mother?
     
  4. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Just about whether she was more disappointed in him as her son or as her brother...and possibly the fact that he had no children was because she had a hysterectomy after he was born. Anyway it is totally that stupid boat race's fault.
     
  5. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    What do you think of Diogenes of Sinope? I think he had some good points but at the end of the day you probably shouldnt spit in a persons face hey. Especially in their house.
     
  6. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I am skeptical of cynicism....and I knew I was going to be banned early on. I just wanted to see how hard I could push him before he pulled the trigger.
     
  7. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    Diogenes was not very civilized or noble in my opinion. He was a lot like a dog.

    I like Samurai philosophy and I think that it is quite honourable and noble but the big flaw that I see is that if you tried to have a joke with a Samurai he would get offended and cut your head off. I think the defining characteristic of Nobility is security - and if someone cant take a joke - like Samurai - then this is evidence of insecurity and inferiority. It is much better to be like a Greek and have the ability to be emotionally honest.

    The intent of disparaging humour is important. If the intent is nastiness like your attack on the site owners mother then I would say that this is not noble humour - but if the intent is to promote familiarity and humility then I think that this is noble. That being said - I also think that it is important for the noble to understand that all the people in the world have not had the advantages that nobility has - and that is part of noble humility.
     
  8. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yeah, no matter what you think, yachting is still a stupid sport.
     
  9. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    I sense that you are more noble than your story.

    I have been thinking about the challenge and how it is great for encouraging the development of technology in war times. I have also been thinking about how important autonomous vehicle racing could be. It is great that the big autonomous vehicle companies are beta testing autonomous vehicle technology on public roads.. but the best way to speed up the development of this technology is with racing and I think that the challenge is a good way to do it. Lets say Tesla challenges Volvo to an autonomous vehicle race like they do in noble yachting - and a time and place and rules are agreed to. If this kind of thing was promoted well you could probably sell it pay per view. Sure both companies would have something to lose - but production racing results are not really that important - it is mostly fun and a way to encourage supporters of brands/companies.

    I would like to see Tesla respond to Vovlos trash talk by issuing them with a challenge. It would make me have a lot more respect for Elton Musk and the Tesla company.

    What do you think of this challenge idea? A challenge is a good noble non-war time way of promoting the development of technology right?

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/lianeyv...-series-kicks-off-in-california/#45baed8a537f
     
  10. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Elon Musk is being sued because he is dumping his Tesla stock into a failing solar business to try to shore it up so I suspect Tesla may be pulled backwards into a bankruptcy proceeding. As for the wider issue, I really couldn't root harder for a computer controlled boat than I can for a human controlled one if it isn't my canoe.
     
  11. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    Yes, I wrote this about Tesla on the 8th of July.

    http://blog.chinadaily.com.cn/blog-972492-36387.html

    Tesla has a wild cult following right? :) I am sure their cult of Tesla fans would like to be able to cheer for their Tesla in competition.

    And as an Australian I cheer for things - I dont root hard for them. I root pretty hard though and I have been thinking about a move to USA. Maybe Utah. I like the Jazz. I am a huge John Stockton fan. I am a big Joe Ingles fan too.

    [video=youtube;HOtIiOthC9E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOtIiOthC9E[/video]
     
  12. Cordelier

    Cordelier New Member

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    I used to love watching Americas Cup... until they switched to multi-hulls. I just can't watch catamarans. They're not real boats. I'll be back whenever they bring in the AC90 rule. Until then, I'm just going to stick with the Volvo Ocean Race to get my sailing fix.
     
  13. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You would be disappointed. America looks much better on paper....well on TV. Without the filters, we are extraordinarily ordinary.
     
  14. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    I dont think so.
     
  15. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Our toilets flushing in the opposite direction would cause you to become dizzy when you were peeing after coming home drunk, which would then lead you to losing your balance and cracking your head open on the tile. Just letting you know., we are a very dangerous place for people like you.
     
  16. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    People like me? I dont even drink alcohol. And I have seen my father drunk once in my life when I was a kid after he played in a father-son golf competition with me. I will not be cracking my head.

    What I am worried about is splash back. The water level in your lavatories is far too high for my liking. But I am not afraid. I will be able to use your lavatories.

    edit - There are no people like me.
     
  17. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Once you come to America, you will be a drunk. We are all drunks. We just cannot resist anything with red, white, blue, yellow, violet, orange, green, brown or indigo....or clear or opaque.....it is the chemicals the CIA puts in the water.
     
  18. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    The CIA are my favourite Americans. And I seriously do not drink - unless I am being polite. If the CIA offered me a beer I would drink it.
     
  19. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    If the CIA were offering you a beer, you wouldn't know it was the CIA.
     
  20. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    [video=youtube;uq-gYOrU8bA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-gYOrU8bA[/video]
     
  21. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Okay, but it is no coincidence that next year's race is in Bermuda. The CIA will disappear your boat and its crew and blame the triangle....and America will win yet again.
     

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