Friday, January 30, 2015
ARR # 2 Period 3
View the BBC video on blood doping and then read the article on Lance Armstrong. In the space below, leave a comment. BE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT BLOOD DOPING IS! You should react to the article AS WELL AS your classmates' comments. Feel free to pose questions that will invigorate the conversation. To get you started, think about the following question: Do you feel that blood doping should be illegal? What are the ethical issues surrounding blood doping whether it be autologous or homologous?
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So I think it's funny how men, and women, use drugs to get ahead. With the use of testosterone, men lose their chances of having kids which could be either good or bad; depending on who is asked. Regarding blood doping, people are crazy for doing it. I think it carries too many high risk to do. The smallest amount, one day, can kill them or give them heart problems. Personally, people are stupid for doing this because in the end, it is only hurting them. Lance Armstrong even lost his metals as a consequence for this, while indirectly telling on all others in the sport who use blood doping to get ahead.
ReplyDeleteI see where you're coming from Shakeith, but I think it's a really smart idea, blood doping. Just like plagiarism using someone else's words as your own, now we've reached the time where we can use someone else's blood as our own to achieve something too. But I do agree with you the effects such as increased hemoglobin do outweigh the benefits in the long run, but people aren't thinking about their long run they're thinking about he long run they'll have to do tomorrow and how they don't want to disappoint or run out of breathe half-way to the finish line. So it's clear for an US -outsiders looking in- to see the consequences, but for someone who is/was power-hungry like Lance Armstrong to them the temporary benefits out weigh the long-term consequences.
DeleteI agree with Shakeith, 100%. Blood dropping is just a horrible idea. I think that it should be illegal for people that do not have a medical condition where they need to save their blood or need to produce more blood because their body does not make enough. However, for everyone else, it definitely should be illegal. People like Lance Armstrong that do this to get ahead are cheating. There are many ways someone can get better at something. Practicing can improve your speed or anything you want to get better at. Blood dropping is really dangerous and can create so many health problems. In my opinion, there isn't anything positive about blood dropping because the people that are doing this are going to be affected negatively later on in life.
DeleteBlood doping takes away from the personal achievement and thrill that can come from winning a race. If I won a medal for something athletic I would want it to be because I was the best, not because I used performance enhancing drugs. I understand why people do it though. The pressure that is associated with these types of competitions and the expectations that people feel the need to live up to can sway people in a dangerous direction. I agree with Hope and Shakeith because blood doping is very risky and nothing positive can come from it. Lance Armstrong did not gain anything with blood doping because he was stripped of his 2006 title and when the truth came out his reputation was ruined. I disagree with Tatyana because I do not think it is a smart idea due to the lifelong consequences that are associated with it.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with Tatyana that blood doping is a smart idea because the side effects are risky and many athletes get caught and are stripped of their medals. Many young kids look up to these top athletes and are let down by them when they are exposed as frauds. To agree with Hope, the best way to get better at developing skills is to practice and today's fitness regiments are fully capable of allowing people to reach their goals without using blood doping to pump more blood to the muscles. The pride is gained by those who train hard and do not cheat rather than those who go through such lengths that put their bodies in serious harm and go against their initial goal with side effects including weight gain and blurred vision. Blood doping has ruined Lance Armstrong's reputation and he would have been better off not using blood doping.
ReplyDeleteWell like i said Declan, the effects outweigh the physical act of blood doping. i was just saying the idea of blood doping is a really cool concept.
DeleteI think it's very interesting how when blood doping detection methods are created, ways to get past them are also invented. Like Declan, I agree that blood doping is not a good idea for moral reasons. If you are an athlete, and that is your main profession, it should only be because you have worked to get where you are. Athletes shouldn't be able to cheat and earn a living from it.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that blood doping could cause complications such as heart disease or strokes makes it not worth the risk. There are other possible ways to build up the body that are safer and actually legal in the athletic world. What Armstrong did was not right. Especially becoming the icon that he was/is. I agree with Chloe in the sense that if you enter a race to win, it's because you have a specific goal. Cheating may help you reach that goal, but it's not the moral way to win.
The only way I could ever see blood doping help anyone is if they are doing it by their choice and not for anything like a race or any competition that has rules. If the user decides to do so to improve their body, and as long as they are okay with the risks, go for it. But overall, don't do it for you're running a marathon, competing in the Olympics, or something that places you above another runner. It's not fair to other runners who worked so much harder. It's also banned for a reason — you're not suppose to cheat!
I would have to question Shane's belief on why it would be ok because some athletes believe that the blood doping is improving their body so then the question would have to be asked on when is improving yourself TOO much. On the other hand I do agree with his belief on not using it for athletic competitions based on Declan's idea that an athlete should just push themself and work hard to get where they are and not have to cheat. However I do believe that blood doping could be beneficial for children with asthma because it would allow more oxygen to get to the lungs faster. I find it strange though how some men are willing to risk their testicles to just run and push faster, But over all I find blood doping fascinating.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to what Shakeith and Hope brought up, blood doping seems extremely dangerous (nevermind illegal). While I was watching the video, I gasped at the definition of "homologous blood doping". Essentially, taking someone else's blood for completely unnecessary reasons is pathetic. That blood could have been used to save another person's life. That may sound a bit rash, but think about it -- there are so many other ways to enhance one'd performance!!! Take supplements. Do warm-up exercises. Practice endlessy until you are content with your skill level. Armstrong, being a world-class athlete, should have known better. Blood doping could have caused him lots of issues, as well. What if he had taken too much blood from his veins? If anything, that will negatively affect his performance. All in all, I believe that blood doping should be avoided at all costs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chloe's statement about how blood doping takes away from the self satisfaction of achievement. Taking somebody else's blood seems very dangerous, but I don't see as taking your own blood and injecting it into your own body as dangerous. However I thing blood doping is selfish because that blood can be drawn and given to people suffering and in need of that person's type blood. Since this is a form of cheating in the Olympic/ sports world Armstrong should not have done this because once he was caught people realized that he is not that amazing because he added more blood to his body for a better performance. To agree with Hannah, I think blood doping should be avoided at all costs because it is a form of cheating and of every one could do this, they would be as good as athletes who do not do this.
ReplyDeleteBlood doping can be a good idea. However people should not use it for simple things like athletics. Blood doping can really help someone who really needs it. For example, if someone is extremely sick and they need energy to function, this can be a perfect method to give them energy fast. However, many people take advantage of it because in the world, there is extremely selfish people. Many individuals only blood dope to get energy and be successful at athletics. I also agree with Chloe and Rosemarie because now many individuals will not feel successful.
ReplyDeleteIn general, I think everyone should have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies (with exceptions like if obtaining it is illegal.) However, can it really be classified as illegal drugs if it's your own blood you're injecting into your body? Even though I think it is too dangerous to every want to vencher into, I think it is up to the person to decide if they want to blood dope. It is like a multitude of other things that people do on a daily basis knowing the negative consequences, like binge drinking and smoking, but continue to do anyways. Hope talks about how practice makes perfect but I just do not think that's a realistic approach or slogan to preach since everyone wants results and most don't want to spend the time and energy to get them. Obviously I wish this was not the case but that is the world we live in, people strive to be the best because it is an instinct that has existed since our existence- survival of the fittest. Also, would agree that it probably wouldn't be the best idea to use as a professional athlete because you can be stripped of your metals and it takes away from the satisfaction of winning (even if not caught) like Declan and Chloe stated. Do you think they'll ever be a time where it is accepted to blood dope for athletes (because it is somewhat normal since Lance Armstrong isn't the first to be stripped of metals)? I also wonder how often these methods are used in the medical field today (like what type of patients may be giving the options of blood doping to have extra oxygenated blood) or if the cons outweigh the cons in most cases and therefore it is used infrequently?
ReplyDeleteAlthough people have the rights to their own body they should always be aware of the consequences. For example many of the steroids Lance used caused many health issues. They would interfere with the production of blood cells, blood, sperm , and muscles. However, Lance wanted to improve his body for certain events he had to be aware of how it could affect his health. I believe he knew the consequences but he was more focused on how it would advance him more than other. In addition, mentioning that mostly all of these methods that Lance used is illegal.
ReplyDelete