Because everyone (everyone) is an expert on international relations, the nuances of diplomacy, and the current state of Sino-American politicking, a big deal has been made about President Bush's attendance at the Olympic Games' opening ceremonies. Because Thursday was a slow news day, a bunch of major news outlets reported Mayor (of NYC) Bloomberg's opinion on the matter.
Said Bloomberg (who is, coincidentally, a Phi Psi, and therefore my brother-from-another-mother, or "brosef"): "I thought the president of the United States stood up this morning and said what a lot of Americans believe: that individual rights aren't as open there as they are in America and that they should be".
I'm not going to comment on Bush's attendance, nor on Bloomie's response. I have opinions on both, but I don't care nearly enough to write about them. However, I will say just one thing about the whole affair:
It's pronounced "America", Brother Bloomberg. Not "Americker". Your accent is ludicrous.
I'm not a big fan of pageantry. Josh was right when he warned me about the Opening Ceremonies, that there was nothing really going on. It was one of those weird circumstances where the sum is way less than any of the parts. Taken in 2-minute segments, the dancing and costumes and whatnot were actually pretty damn cool. Whoever choreographed that show was creative in a way that I can't even imagine.
But I watched for more than 2 minutes... which reduced the whole spectacle to a boring waste of time. Funny how that works.
Who gave Bob Costas a microphone?
The parade of nations is actually kind of enjoyable. Kind of. I like the idea of creating a painting by having athletes walk across it. I also enjoy the stories of the flag-bearers. But come on, Costas and Lauer. COME ON. How can they so mindlessly "commentate", by which I mean "mock indiginous clothing", "comment on politics", and "say nothing of athletic consequence".
They could have introduced us to so many dramatic stories, making the events of the coming weeks that much more interesting. I might actually watch some stupid sport - let's say equestrian - if I knew that there was a Phelps-Lochte-esque rivalry.
Instead, all we got to hear about, when Costas and Lauer deigned speak of athletics, was Phelps and the like. As if people need to have that sort of story hyped any more. I call that a wasted opportunity.
Bob Costas is the new Al Trautwig. Pleasant of voice, and capable of filling airspace for hours... but with an endless capacity for making me ornery.
Coolest. Torch. Lighting. Ever.
Everybody's heard about how the American cyclists - specifically, Meatball and Syd's brother - have incurred the wrath of the Chinese government for wearing filter masks. Again, it never would've been reported if Thursday wasn't a slow news day. But there it is, all over the news: Americans have offended the Chinese, who insist that THERE IS NO POLLUTION, because THE GOVERNMENT IS NEVER WRONG.
FOR SERIOUSLY.
I love that this is happening. Everything that the government has tried to keep under wraps - Tibet, pollution, poverty - has just been magnified by media attention to the downplaying itself.
Do you think that anyone would have thought twice about Beijing residents' fondness for spitting, had the government not cracked down on it?
Totalitarianism is kinda cute, in a better-them-than-me sort of way. In a more absolute way, it's horrifying.
That's it, Bob Costas. You're done. I'm putting you on Double Secret Verbal Probation.
Did anyone else catch how prevalent Environmentalism was as a theme in the opening ceremonies? It makes sense because the Chinese are super-green. Oh, they're not? Okay, but at least they're working hand-in-hand with us Americans to sacrifice prosperity for sustainability. Oh, that's not true either?
Wait. Don't tell me that the Chinese stand to gain economically from America's environmentalism. Oh. I see.
Well that certainly puts the whole environmentalism-as-a-theme thing in a different light.
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4 comments:
Did the American delegation really wear white flatcaps? I thought that was very french ...
Coincidentally, Costas did have his mic taken away in a live feed last night with Bela Karolyi. Sort of. They couldn't get the mic set up before the feed went live so Costas held it in front of himself and Karolyi had no mic whatsoever. It was comical. The segment ended thusly:
"Are we done? Ok, we're done."
Huh, at dinner on Friday night, some friends of mine and I were talking about how amazing the opening ceremonies were. The multitudes of performers, beauty of choreography, compelling history lesson, utilization of the facility, and use of man-power wherever possible were astounding.
I was in China just before they were chosen as hosts to the 2008 olympics. A common taxi driver was elevated to hero status for giving a friendly tour of the city to a member of the Olympic committee, unknowingly. When the Olympic representative arrived at his meeting, he was very impressed with Beijing and its people. Whether the story was true or not, it emphasizes their culture's value of the common man. That is why it was so perfect for the printing press scene to be implemented with men, rather than servo motors or hydraulics.
China has been around for a while. The history, tradition, and culture is a great source of pride to them and a value that we can not know. The richness of their culture and presence throughout history was appropriately emphasized, as that is a unique strength of China that can not be minimized.
One of my favorite comments of the night was about China's emergence... After someone spoke of China's increasing influence, one of the commentators reminded us that China has been a superpower for 19 of the last 20 centuries. Oops, you forgot about Dre.
I'm not saying you were wrong not to enjoy it. I'm just saying that there was something there for one to appreciate. Ballet, for instance, may be astounding, but I would likely not enjoy it.
Make that, dinner Saturday night.
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