Q: Oscar Pistorius, an athlete with no feet, who runs with the aid of state of the art metal blades attached below his knees, was recently cleared to run in the Olympics, after setting records at the Paralympics. Bizarrely, his story is seen as an inspiration by people duped by the political correctness of the situation, giving them full licence to feel sorry for him, when in actual fact, the metal appendages attached to his legs allow him to run faster, expending far less energy, and thus more efficiently. Any critique of this idiocy is seen as 'sour grapes', and an example of 'ableism', whatever the f**k that is. No one has taken into account the able bodied athletes who have trained for years for this years's Olympics, but are now faced with running against an athlete with the distinct advantage of modern science on his side. To make things fair, shouldn't able-bodied athletes be able to compete in the Paralympics, and if not, why?
A: It's a tough one, but I don't think he should be allowed to compete with normal Olympians in the first place. This opens the door for other handicapped people to do the same and eventually there will be a ongoing bickering about cheating the system. Look how food supplements and steroids have eroded the prestige of modern sport. I do feel sorry for his predicament, but for the sake of eliminating possible future cheaters, he should not be allowed. For those that says that able bodied athletes will not cut off their own legs, well people I say to you, you do not realise to what extent humans will go to earn fame or lots of money in sponsorship deals. Just have a look at these websites if you do not believe me that there are nuts like these around. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200012/madness http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1395891.htm http://www.slate.com/id/2085402/