The technological wizardry, choreographed precision, and sheer grandeur of everything on display during last night’s Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics kept me so mesmerized – in such shock and awe – that I even sat through the commercials.
In fact, I found myself continually exclaiming – ‘How did they do that?!’ Specifically, I marveled at the serene manner in which the Chinese fused twenty-first century technology with ancient graphics, costumes and choreography to remind us that they were the world’s only superpower for centuries before the Americans even thought about fighting the British to give birth to the United States of America.
(“Opening Ceremony of Beijing Olympics: Unprecedented, Spectacular, Awe Inspiring,” The iPINIONS Journal, August 9, 2008)
It was generally felt after the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony that no country could ever surpass its novelty and grandeur. And, despite impressive efforts since then, no Olympic host country has.
Perhaps this is why Russia staged an Opening Ceremony last night that was apparently aimed more at reinforcing national pride than entertaining foreign audiences. In this sense, it was more like the nineteenth-century pantomimes North Korea is famous for than the twenty-first century extravaganza China displayed.
But if you had no knowledge of or interest in Russian history – complete with the great contributions its people (most notably, scientists, politicians, and artists) have made to mankind – most of this ceremony, which paid homage to that history, was probably lost on you.
Incidentally, the Russians really showed why Caucasian, the anthropological classification for White people, is derived from the Caucasus region where their country is situated: there was not a single dark skin among the thousands of bit players performing in last night’s ceremony. By contrast, it was interesting to see so many Caucasians representing African countries during the parade of nations – even if they are only athletes for hire….
All the same, I thought the film dramatizing “1000 years of history in three minutes” was actually quite entertaining.
The honor of lighting the Olympic Torch went jointly to Hockey great Vladislav Tretiak and Olympic Figure Skating champion Irina Rodnina – who, alas, is now more known in the West as the twit who tweeted a mock picture of herself feeding President Obama a banana as if he were her pet monkey. That racist image aside, commentators could be forgiven for remarking more on the fact that the Torch was handed to this pair by a relay team that included tennis great Maria Sharapova and, more titillating, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rumored girlfriend, ex-rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
Unfortunately, Western media are raining on Russia’s, um, er, pantomime by spending far too much time reporting on the technical glitch that left one of the five Olympic rings dangling in midair during a set piece; or on the attempt by some drunk Ukrainian to hijack a Turkish airliner, claiming he wanted it to take him to Sochi. (The pilots ignored him and continued their flight as scheduled from Ukraine to Turkey, where that nincompoop was promptly arrested without incident.)
Not to mention all of their mantra-like reporting on potential terrorist attacks, which is taking on the spectacle of seeking self-fulfilling prophecies. We get it! Notwithstanding the billions Putin dangled before IOC members, it was probably not a good idea for the committee to award the Games to him to stage, as a pet project, on the edge of a war zone. Except that, even though the rest of Russia remains exceedingly vulnerable, the reported ring of steel Putin erected around Sochi will probably make it the safest place on earth over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, this obsessive media reporting on the Damoclean sword of terrorism is being matched by beating-a-dead-horse reporting on the $50 billion Putin invested in putting on these Games. Specifically, they are belaboring allegations that half of that money went into the Swiss bank accounts of his personal friends and political cronies, as well as bemoaning that, with three hotels still unfinished and others looking like gilded, pest-infested money pits, their accommodations are a complete shambles.
Mind you, the media prima donnas are conveniently ignoring the fact that most athletes are raving about their accommodations in the Olympic village and the conditions at all sports venues.
Then, of course, there’s the ongoing media fuss about Russia’s anti-gay laws.
I especially urge athletes (from every country that supports gay civil rights) who take the medal podium during these Games to participate. They can do so by making a show of taking a small gay-pride flag out of their pocket, after the playing of the winner’s national anthem, and waving it proudly for the world (and Putin’s homophobic Russia) to see.
(“Boycott Olympics Over Anti-Gay Laws?” The iPINIONS Journal, August 10, 2013)
To be honest, though, it’s debatable whether, by featuring the notorious faux lesbian rock group t.A.T.u., the Russians giving the middle finger to critics of these laws or trying to appease them. After all, anyone who knows anything about this group knows that its two members are probably no more sensitive to and aware of LGBT people and issues than the mayor of Sochi – who declared last month that there are no gay people in his city.
And what are we to make of the music of British rock band Queen figuring so prominently? After all, one would’ve thought Putin and his organizing homophobes would’ve been wary of impressionable Russian boys being so moved by this music that they would want to grow up to be just like its charismatic lead singer Freddy Mercury — who personified campy homosexuality.
In any event, I was pleased to see so many countries showing passive-aggressive defiance by donning uniforms featuring the famous rainbow colors of gay pride. Some athletes also wore Olympic pins that featured those signature colors, while others waved banners emblazoned with “same-love” symbols. Enough said … and done!
This brings me to the only part of any Opening Ceremony that ever holds any real interest for me: the few seconds of jingoistic pride I get from seeing members of my national team march by during the parade of nations.
Of course, given that The Bahamas, the country of my birth, never fields a team for the Winter Games, I’m always left conferring my national pride on some other team. This had me dividing my loyalties and cheers last night between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.
I’m sure the world gets that Caymanians are islanders; therefore, it seemed a bit silly for their team to march in wearing “Bermuda” shorts and flip-flops. Idiots! If not frostbitten toes, then the onset of pneumonia will probably hamper whatever modest performances they were bound to give. On the other hand, the most entertaining part of the night for me was watching Jamaica, comprised entirely of the four members of its reconstructed Cool-Runnings Bobsled team, bolt by (all clothed in attire suitable for the Russian winter).
Apropos of which, it’s yet another indication of America’s greatness, and of the opportunities it affords people from every corner of the earth, that the NBC commentators had cause to note that leading members of almost every national team on parade last night, including Jamaica’s, spent some time training in the United States.
I’m loath to say any more lest I too begin raining on Russia’s Olympic parade. But I feel obliged to clarify that the $50 billion Russia spent putting on these Games is criminally obscene. Especially when one considers that the United States spent less than $2 billion to put on the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and Canada spent less than $1 billion to put on the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. But such are the governing prerogatives and proclivities in a de facto dictatorship like Putin’s Russia.
Let the games begin!
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