Olympics closed the door last night. If you listened to announcers, this was the most amazing show on earth. The greatest spectacle. The show of brotherhood and peace. etc. etc. etc.
Is it me, or did the opening and closing ceremonies reached embarrassing propositions and scale. Did we really enjoy the sight of hundreds of thousands "volunteers" performing groups dances and acts? If you live in North Korea, it may have. They are used to these types of spectacles on the weekly basis while people starve in the countryside. Is it not scary, that this country of over a billion people can control and present its propaganda to the rest of the world? And the we are all eating it up. Beware Americans, they will out-capitalism you. Beware Europeans they will "out-socialize" you. Beware Russia, they will "out-muscle" you. And it seems like we will all go along with it.
This country is run by the people who have spectacularly butchered the best and the brightest of their own. They have rewritten history, and we go along with calling old Peking, Beijing. People never mattered and still don't. China's domination at all costs. And we are having a love-in with them while they tell us to our face what is it that they are after. That Chinese anthem they were playing for their "16 year old" gymnasts? ....here are the words:
Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves;
With our very flesh and blood Let us build our new Great Wall!
The Peoples of China are in the most critical time, Everybody must roar his defiance.
Arise! Arise! Arise! Millions of hearts with one mind,
Brave the enemy's gunfire, March on! Brave the enemy's gunfire,
March on! March on! March on, on!
Do we need more information here? Famously during the times of military tensions between China and Soviet Union, Mao told Kruschev, "I can lose 50, 70, 100 million people in a war, no problem. How about you?". If we think we area dealing with a different mind set now, we are gravely mistaken.
The falsehood of propaganda face shown to the world can only be matched by the hollow circus that the Olympics have become. Yes, the thrill of pure sport competition among the best of competitors was exciting. But would be the same if they were held anywhere. However, the obvious absurdity of most of the "judge based scoring" sports was about on par with Chinese propaganda. And the fact is that the days of athletes representing their countries are passing us by. So a Russian by birth gymnast took the best overall gymnast for America. And the country of Georgia all of a sudden found itself represented by players from Brazil in the venerable sport of "beach volleyball". And I think the entire track and field team from Jamaica was educated and resides in US. So who represents whom? and has it all become about money and jingoistic propaganda by each member country. Is that the spirit of Olympics?
I hope London has enough class and judgment to lower the propaganda volume and run low key sports events concentrated on the athletes and their achievements. We will see.
