The US Olympic committee has now issued two formal apologies to the Ravelry community. One for their original inflammatory accusations and a second to apologize for their apology in which they invited knitters to make them free stuff. This, I think, proves that it is unwise to piss off two million people holding sharp sticks.
This is not surprising. After all General Ginger's army took the Emerald City armed only with knitting needles, Madame DeFarge oversaw the guillotine executions of the ruling monarchy of France without dropping a stitch, and Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the United Nations Commission on Human Rights with her knitting in her lap.
Knitters are, generally speaking, a pretty laid back bunch, I'd say. But we are, by the nature of our craft, diligent, tenacious and creative problem solvers.
So don't piss us off. Unless you want to look like a moron on the sports page of major new sources across the country. Then go for it.
Some folks are still hoisting the Ravelry banner high and yelling that what got kicked down from the USOC isn't good enough. That Ravelry still might have to change the name of the Ravelympics and that's unacceptable. My take? Let me tell you what I try to teach my five-year-old. Learning to graciously accept an apology is just as important as learning how to make one, and it's often harder. This trademark thing isn't totally cut and dry. I personally feel that that name "Ravelympics" is distinct enough from "Olympics" so as to prevent any kind of confusion and should thus be okay, but I'm a geographer, not a judge in a court of law. To me the big thing that had me stomping around the house weilding my Addi Turbos like daggers was the ignorance and insult. We stood up. They apologized. I'm cool with sitting back down again and putting my needles back to that sweater where they belong.
Behold the unfettered power of united geeks on the internet, folks. We can evoke change, shake down nations, demand responsibility. Now, how do you guys feel about AIDS? Famine? War?