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I wonder how far non-sponsor items goes. If I bring a Pepsi to the games and Coca Cola is an official sponsor, are they going to make me throw it away? What abo

• danudey 17y ago
  If the Vancouver olympics are any indication (and I suspect they are), then you won't be allowed to bring competing products (e.g. pepsi vs. coke), though they can't/shouldn't do anything about clothes (turning you away because you're wearing the wrong shirt seems excessive). We were once told that we couldn't bring in the chocolate bars we had stashed in my girlfriend's purse because they weren't sponsor products, even though there's no official chocolate sponsor of the 2010 Olympics (I suspect it was just a general 'no outside food or drink' rule). The Minute Maid cranberry juice I had, was ok, since it was a coke product. Her Dr. Pepper was not. That said, the security guy was just doing his job, and was human - after a half-hearted plea ('Seriously? Come on man, we'll be done it all in like two minutes.') he let us through regardless. I guess what it comes down to is what kind of people they hire: helpful, courteous people, or power-hungry rule jockeys.
  • pyre 17y ago
    > I guess what it comes down to is what kind of people they hire: helpful, courteous people, or power-hungry rule jockeys. The problem is that reality suggests a distribution of the two, not a dichotomy of one or the other.
    • jamesbritt 17y ago
      And it goes both ways. The rules may be stupid, but asking the security people to let you slide puts them at risk. If you want to be a helpful, courteous person, please don't cajole them into doing something that might get them fired just so you can eat a snack. It sucks all around, but put yourself in their shoes.
      • jamesbritt 17y ago
        Down voted for suggesting empathy? Amazing.
        • pyre 17y ago
          I think that people are interpreting that as you encouraging them to 'concede to the man.' When you're just trying to get people to realize that the security guard they are talking to isn't 'the man' and people should realize that in their interactions with them. I really don't get how people see that as a concession though. Sneaking 'unapproved' products into the Olympics isn't taking any sort of stand against their ridiculous policies. Why? Because it's under the radar. You can't encourage change by secretly resisting the policies you hate in the dark where no one can see you. The purpose of change would be better served by boycotting the Olympics altogether, or loudly and visibly protesting their policies.
          • jamesbritt 17y ago
            Yes, this is exactly right. I get that some people might feel that when people take a job, they willingly buy into what they are asked to do, and should be held accountable for it. I don't completely disagree, but I wish that life so clear and simple. I spent many years working in the security field. Typically, it attracts low-skill workers, often recent immigrants. You can end up spending a lot of time on your feet, often in shit weather. But it pays the bills and feeds your family. I imagine some guy who had steady work watching a warehouse or a train yard, putting in his time, keeping to himself, and planning to make a better life for himself. Then one day he's told they need people over at the Olympics, time and a half OT, let's get going. What's he supposed to do? Raise a fuss? Quit? Get fired? Have a heart. As you say, if you want to fight this, keep your money away from the event and its sponsors. Choose your battles and pick your targets. And get a clue: Making a stink over a confiscated Snickers bar is not speaking truth to power. If you're so concerned over the stupid rules, what the fuck are you dong there? Go demand a refund and leave. Don't leave it to the other guy to make the hard choices.
            • 17y ago
  • shpxnvz 17y ago
    I'm truly amazed that the idea of turning someone away because they're not drinking the correct Cola does not seem excessive by comparison.