In direct response to the recent debate around if Waterboarding is torture, guerrilla geographers inverted the practice into a competitive sport and held the first British Waterboarding Championships in central London last Saturday.
Two teams entered the competition with one single aim... to see who could stand being Waterboarded the longest in a head to head knock-out challenge. The Blue Team and Black Team, both made up of Guerrilla Geographers took turns in being boarded by the opposition as competitors had two turns to see how long they could last. At first both teams struggled to make even 30 seconds, but by the end of the day some competitors lasted nearly a full minute.
The embassy of the United States of America was the backdrop to the first round of the competition. Competitors took turns in having a wet cloth stuffed into their mouth and over their nose before having water poured onto their faces continually until they tapped the ground to show that they could last no longer. As they breathed water through their noses and into their lungs each competitor found it harder and harder to beat their rival. Unlike secret, invisible and private Waterboarding carried out by security serivces - the competitors could stop when they wanted and knew that they were in control of the situation. Despite this, all of the competitors felt fear and panic as their bodies were slowly starved of oxygen.
The Guerrilla Geographers are now calling for Waterboarding to become a recognised Olympic sport ready for the 2012 games in London. A spokesman for the movement said "Part of the reason why London was awarded the 2012 Olympic games was the innovative use of iconic locations for the sporting events such as Horse Guards for the Volleyball. Grosvenor's Square, home to the US Embassy or Millbank opposite MI6 were home to our championships and would serve as ideal locations for the 2012 games." The geographers are hoping to have support of the present United States government which is openly supportive of Waterborading.
For a full justification of the competition, read Jon Cloke's call for participation.
Guerrilla Geographers... forcing people to see our world(s) in new ways
Two teams entered the competition with one single aim... to see who could stand being Waterboarded the longest in a head to head knock-out challenge. The Blue Team and Black Team, both made up of Guerrilla Geographers took turns in being boarded by the opposition as competitors had two turns to see how long they could last. At first both teams struggled to make even 30 seconds, but by the end of the day some competitors lasted nearly a full minute.
The embassy of the United States of America was the backdrop to the first round of the competition. Competitors took turns in having a wet cloth stuffed into their mouth and over their nose before having water poured onto their faces continually until they tapped the ground to show that they could last no longer. As they breathed water through their noses and into their lungs each competitor found it harder and harder to beat their rival. Unlike secret, invisible and private Waterboarding carried out by security serivces - the competitors could stop when they wanted and knew that they were in control of the situation. Despite this, all of the competitors felt fear and panic as their bodies were slowly starved of oxygen.
The Guerrilla Geographers are now calling for Waterboarding to become a recognised Olympic sport ready for the 2012 games in London. A spokesman for the movement said "Part of the reason why London was awarded the 2012 Olympic games was the innovative use of iconic locations for the sporting events such as Horse Guards for the Volleyball. Grosvenor's Square, home to the US Embassy or Millbank opposite MI6 were home to our championships and would serve as ideal locations for the 2012 games." The geographers are hoping to have support of the present United States government which is openly supportive of Waterborading.
All photographs by Bruno Vincent
For a full justification of the competition, read Jon Cloke's call for participation.
Guerrilla Geographers... forcing people to see our world(s) in new ways
3 comments:
I am linking "1st British Waterboarding Championships' to the CLG website.
Great post,
Lori
Lori R. Price
Mgr., Citizens For Legitimate Government
http://www.legitgov.org/
"Hi, mom, this is Mark Bingham... you believe me, don't you?" Mark Bingham - Sept. 11, 2001
http://www.legitgov.org/9_1_1_oddities.html
XLNT!
Nowt quite like the old dose Brit 'piss-take', er, sense of extreme irony!
Exposé
Copula eame se non posit acceptara jocularem.
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force!
Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
--George Washington
And if only the doyenne - 'THE grand old man' - of waterboarding, Messer Cheyney himself, would kick off the application - to show us how safe and entertaining it is ...
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