The Boat Race

I think I can agree with Cutter that disrupting a sporting event could be a reasonable/legitimate form of protest, but the merits of the protest (and the scarcity, or otherwise, of other forums for protest) should also be a consideration.

"Elitism leads to Tyranny" seems to be the guy's basic statement. I don't know what he means by 'elitism', so I can't be sure of the exact substance of his protest. Given that he has chosen to disrupt the Boat Race, it may mean that he feels that the existence of exceptionally talented and dedicated rowers will lead to a government where one person has absolute power. It may be that he believes that highly educated people, whether or not they row, will lead to to tyranny. He may, on the other hand, feel that anyone who does anything exceptionally well, be it a rugby player, a surgeon, an electrician, a street cleaner, a musician,..will lead to one person ruling over us with absolute power.

So far I'm leaning towards mark_s' suggestion that we may be dealing with a dickhead.

How is this protest any different from Wang Weilin's (the Unknown Rebel) protest in front of the column of tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989? This guy is a real hero!

Maybe we're just a bunch of elitist racists enjoying our elitist sports.

was that a tank race?

Whether or not he is ill advised to support this particular cause is irrelevant. Taking the steps he has taken are, or should be, a legitimate form of protest. As Karl suggested, given the event, it was perfectly conceived.

I suspect he may have sadly and correctly guessed at the ways in which he would be portrayed. Given the cause, I'm sure he would also be experiencing gentle and ironic, if not a little bitter, amusement at the righteous, indignant anger that he has inconvenienced those watching or participating in the boat race.

Legitimate means in accordance with the law.
He has been charged with an offence.
He will be convicted, subject to insanity, of that offence.
What he did is not, therefore, legitimate.

At least the boats stopped before he got his head knocked off by one of the oars..the tanks kept on coming.that's the difference for you..

It is not the difference: the tanks were there to quell the very thing he was doing..this is the most inapt analogy imaginable.

To everyone in the world, except you IS, the Unknown Rebel symbolised a brave protest against the tyrranny of the elite leadership of the Chinese people. How did we all get it so wrong?

Thats why it is inapt: this was a boat race involving 20 somethings who'd never put down a rebellion or invaded/annexed/influenced a foreign country or murdered their own peasants or refsued to let people have or express an independent thought.
The "unknown Rebel" took a political stand against the exercise of political power: your hero took a political stand against a sporting contest.
The comparison is laughable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ellee-seymour/cambridge-rowers-anarchy-_b_1584880.html

http://cambridgetab.co.uk/news/bonkers-bone-to-block-bumps

The rowing protests go on. Saturday is going to be interesting.

How irritating. Let them row!

It's just a sport, blaiming rowing for elitism is like blaiming soccer for hooliganism. Sure, it may take place but the majority participants are decent people who just like the game.

I fail to see how they are comparable.

Tiananmen square was a protest against communism and oppression. The idea that a man/woman has no freedom to control their future. That all of their expected earnings should be given to the state to spread in a manner that they deemed fair.

The boat race was a protest against Elitism. The idea that it is unfair that some people have much more than others. The fact that some people shouldn't be allowed to be much more successful than others, and that in essecnce, the state should put in controls to stop this huge apparent unfairness.

If you are pro one, you can hardly be pro the other. By being pro the boat race protest, you must also be pro the communists and their tanks.

Unless you are just pro protests. Then you should consider changing your name to Torn-Hippy?