The Boat Race

[Inside Shoulder]

And I'm sure my Irish ancestors were spinning in their graves when they saw that this clown was one of their own ilk.

And you dont mean Bruce McAvaney....

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Mr Oldfield, 35, a year 10 dropout from the prominent Sydney boys' private school Shore​

Now I'm struggling: he went to an "elite" school and the tyranny induced by that institution is such that he has the time and opportunity to go swimming in the Thames in order to send a message that he had, what, an unhappy childhood?

 

[bryce]

Aint those students?

Yeah, but they still train for about 5 or 6 hours a day for the best part of 7 months.

 

[Cave Dweller]

Yeah, but they still train for about 5 or 6 hours a day for the best part of 7 months.

Ah so they are more there for a championship winning canoe race than actually studying like the colleges do with basketball in the US?

 

[bryce]

No. There are no sporting scholarships and they have to study like everyone else.

 

[Cutter]

I can't believe the uproar over this. It's a boat race not a humanitarian aid mission. It's almost as though the fact that he had a political agenda means it's less acceptable, and the outrage more shrill, than it would have been had he just been drunk.

As for the broken oar, that wasn't his fault.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Ah so they are more there for a championship winning canoe race than actually studying like the colleges do with basketball in the US?

leaving aside the claim that the english conquered mt everest...this series of 6 videos gives a fair insight into (a) what is required and (b) the serious scholastic requirements - have a look at the courses they are enrolled in:

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I can't believe the uproar over this. It's a boat race not a humanitarian aid mission. It's almost as though the fact that he had a political agenda means it's less acceptable, and the outrage more shrill, than it would have been had he just been drunk.

As for the broken oar, that wasn't his fault.

There are legitimate means for expressing political dissent not including disrupting other people's enjoyment - unless of course you live in an egalitarian paradise devoid of elitism....say the USSR.
Would you have this attitude if this nitwit interrupted a test match between the Wallabies and the All Blacks and because of it a scrum or something was replayed and cost the Wallabies the game?

 

[Bowside]

Aint those students?

They are students when they are not training but I suspect they sleep through a lot of classes.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Seemingly scarred by an unhappy experience in the Year 8 Quads? Oh and he was wrong about one thing - you had to be a cadet at Shore to guarantee being a prefect not a sportsman. Maybe he should have disrupted the Sandhurst Passing Out Parade instead.

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!

 

[AngrySeahorse]

And you dont mean Bruce McAvaney....

God I hadn't even thought of him....I still say Hore is worse, marginally, but still worse.

 

[Cutter]

There are legitimate means for expressing political dissent not including disrupting other people's enjoyment - unless of course you live in an egalitarian paradise devoid of elitism....say the USSR.
Would you have this attitude if this nitwit interrupted a test match between the Wallabies and the All Blacks and because of it a scrum or something was replayed and cost the Wallabies the game?

So I was right, it is because he has a political point: he thinks therefore he should be condemned. The drunks who run onto the cricket aren't blamed if someone is bowled next ball and nor should this guy, irrespective of your views, be blamed for Oxford losing the race.They lost the race because one of their crew imperfectly executed a part of the stroke and broke a blade.

Dissent is not cool in our society. Just look at what happened to the Occupy protesters. It is hardly egalitarian to carry out dawn raids on people exercising a legitimate right to protest is it?

As for your last question, the importance of the outcome of a rugby test match is pretty insignificant in the larger picture of my life. I enjoy rugby, but it's a game. Particularly in those countries most effected by the financial crisis, there are serious social problems developing and the gap between rich and poor is increasing. Perhaps the political angle is worth exploring rather than focusing on the fact that someone lost a race (someone was going to lose it anyway).

 

[Cave Dweller]

leaving aside the claim that the english conquered mt everest...this series of 6 videos gives a fair insight into (a) what is required and (b) the serious scholastic requirements - have a look at the courses they are enrolled in:

aah thx like a extra curriculum

 

[en_force_er]

I know a kid who's a good rower and in year 12.

He has been conditionally offered a place in one of these Unis on the basis that he gets a year 12 score in the top 5% of the state.

So I think it'd fair to say these rowers are both students and athletes, a far cry from the American system.

 

[Cave Dweller]

^Yeah I do not think Le Bron even knew what subjects he was taking except for Basketball practice IMO

 

[Inside Shoulder]

So I was right, it is because he has a political point: he thinks therefore he should be condemned. The drunks who run onto the cricket aren't blamed if someone is bowled next ball and nor should this guy, irrespective of your views, be blamed for Oxford losing the race.They lost the race because one of their crew imperfectly executed a part of the stroke and broke a blade.

Dissent is not cool in our society. Just look at what happened to the Occupy protesters. It is hardly egalitarian to carry out dawn raids on people exercising a legitimate right to protest is it?

As for your last question, the importance of the outcome of a rugby test match is pretty insignificant in the larger picture of my life. I enjoy rugby, but it's a game. Particularly in those countries most effected by the financial crisis, there are serious social problems developing and the gap between rich and poor is increasing. Perhaps the political angle is worth exploring rather than focusing on the fact that someone lost a race (someone was going to lose it anyway).

I think I can go one step further: there are legitimate means for expressing any dissent and this isn't one of them.
He seems like a spoilt brat to me.

 

[Ignoto]

I can't believe the uproar over this.

You really can't gain a true understanding of how much of a prick act it is unless you've done something similar.

From an Oxford point of view, it has nothing to do with a broken oar. Prior to the dick stopping the race, Oxford were level or slightly infront. This was an huge achievement because Cambridge had the inside corner for all of the race and it was just about to come up to Oxfords' advantage. So Oxford had been busting their balls to nullify Cambridge's advantage and this dick pulls up the race in a vital stage.

Bugger the political agenda, to me its more of a "why do you think you're point of view is better than the 30+ people who gave up 6-8 months of their lives".

For those who want a better insight to what this race is all about, I suggest you read The Last Amateurs - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Last-Amateurs-Hell-Cambridge/dp/1848310153 (the Author essentially lives and breathes the life of the Cambridge crew throughout their entire preparation).

 

[barbarian]

He seems like a spoilt brat to me.

Why spoilt? Because he went to a private school?

That seems a pretty shallow assumption.

I went to a private school IS. Am I spoilt?

I have no doubt the guy is an idiot but I'm not sure the term 'spoilt brat' is appropriate for an academic in his mid-30s.

 

[en_force_er]

If you have a problem with elitism go break up a parliamentary sitting, don't ruin a sporting event.

A misdirected effort for a misdirected cause.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Why spoilt? Because he went to a private school?

That seems a pretty shallow assumption.

I went to a private school IS. Am I spoilt?

I have no doubt the guy is an idiot but I'm not sure the term 'spoilt brat' is appropriate for an academic in his mid-30s.

Baba I went to one too (as I am sure you have worked out) - you don't strike me as being spoilt because, for 2 things, you're prepared to put the effort into playing a team game and moderating this site.
I surmise he is spoilt from the following:

Mr Oldfield, 35, a year 10 dropout from the prominent Sydney boys' private school Shore, left a trail of rich-bashing blog posts and evidence of a 10-year career since his arrival in London as activist, project manager and student - all focused on poverty, social inequality and decay in inner cities. A graduate of the London School of Economics, he lists among his preoccupations ''the socio-political history of fences/railings - including when they shifted from keeping things in to keeping things out''.​

​

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/from-shore-boy-to-river-menace-why-an-australian-crashed-the-oxbridge-classic-20120408-1wjlg.html#ixzz1rcSH2hGg

Who do you think stumped up the dough for LSE?
Who says he's an academic - haven't seen that one.