More Olympics

[karohemd]

with bits from the BBC website

So, the ceremony is directed by House of Flying Daggers director Zhang Yimou. Nice.

"How are we going to compete with this in 2012? Don't think we could or will."
Nope, nor any other Western country because over here, most people expect to get paid or at least not to be exploited and only by doing that can a country like China afford such shininess.
Thinking about it, this actually makes me glad I won't be able watch it (not just because of the time difference).

Comments

[screen-death.livejournal.com]

not to mention the thousands of displaced families that where [with need for a better word] booted off the land where the "birds nest" stadium now exists. Hardly in the olympic spirit if you ask me!

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

Mmm. I'm trying my best to avoid the coverage. I'm slightly pissed off that the IOC didn't cancel the games, given that they would have been well within their rights to do so...

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

most people expect to get paid or at least not to be exploited and only by doing that can a country like China afford such shininess

Scuse me, I'll just try to wade through some of this sanctimonious bullshit to make a small point: I'm no fan of the Chinese State, and I don't know if the comment about people being "booted off their land" is more or less than the compulsory purchase orders that our governments move when they want to build something, but people doing things without payment equals exploitation? Well it might, but it might also make them volunteers, who want to be part of the biggest and most spectacular show they will ever see or have chance to be part of in their lifetimes.

If you got asked to be part of a 2000 strong synchronised Tai Chi display, that would be broadcast live on worldwide TV, would you do it voluntarily or would you insist on being paid, and complain about exploitation if the pay was either absent or negligible?

The Chinese have got enough black marks on their record that we really don't need to be pissy about stuff that isn't worthy of it.

Especially given that amateurism; excelling for something that you do not get paid for, is what the Olympics were always meant to be about.

[eviltwinemma.livejournal.com]

*applause*

Also, how can we top this in 2012? Get Ridley Scott.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I should have made myself clearer as I put two thoughts into the same sentence. I really need to get my streams of consciousness under control when it comes to tricky subjects...

I didn't mean that the participants were exploited but the whole country to make this possible. Remember last winter when there wasn't enough fuel to get aid to those who needed it? Have you seen that huge Olympic flame? That'll be burning for two weeks. I have no idea how many Chinese homes who didn't have any last winter you could heat with that gas but I'd imagine it would be quite a few.

It revolts me to see a country pulling off a multi-million spectacle like this while a large percentage of its population live in poverty. That said, some Western nations aren't much better (the US' non-reaction after Katrina while pouring more and more budget into the war comes to mind).

Oh, I would jump or even pay for the opportunity to take part in something like this but I can imagine volunteering here and there are entirely different. They might say what they want but it's still a totalitarian state. I don't believe for one second that all those who took part are just volunteers. They will have been carefully selected and screened volunteers.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

see my comment to Malk for clarification.

Hmm, Bladerunner style Olympics. Still 4 years to go, you think flying cars might be feasible then? Rain shouldn't be much a problem. ;o)
Other suggestions I've read were Chas&Dave, Morris Dancers, floating gigantic pork pies and flyovers by the Flying Arrows and a squadron of Spitfires...

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Hmm, Bladerunner style Olympics.

Yes! That would rock!

Enough of the bright colours and lycra-clad campness that have dominated the Olympics since the 70s. Now it's time for a dark, gritty Olympics!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

It revolts me to see a country pulling off a multi-million spectacle like this

I must say (at the risk of further sanctimonious bullshit) that it would revolt me to see even a wealthy nation like ours spending as much as the Chinese did on something as frivolous as an opening ceremony. There aren't people here as poor as there are in China, but even so there are a lot better things that a few tens of millions of pounds could be spent on than blowing up a bunch of fireworks, however spectacularly.

Olympic spectacle as national willy-wagging is not especially edifying...

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely with you there.

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

I've been offline for a few days (holidaying in darkest Wales), so I hadn't flounced off in a huff after posting! Clarification received and understood. As I said, I'm no fan of the Chinese state, and am not about to defend the way it runs its day-to-day business. I do think that Western governments and media... especially media, are very quick to point the finger at China though, when our own countries are either just as bad, or culpable as part of the problem (how much of China's pollution comes from the West paying the Chinese to undertake cheap manufacturing contracts for them? Quite a chunk I would guess, though it's usually painted as All China's Fault).

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I think that they should ease off the throttle a bit on the opening ceremonies too. Hosts seem to have been indulging in peeing contests with the Olympic Opening ceremony since Los Angeles.

One thing that puzzles me about how the UK will handle it is that so much of our prominent history is about us... well... sending out ships filled with men in red coats and conquering vast chunks of the globe, or other military events. Perhaps a bit tactless as the content for the Olympic opening ceremony.

Of course we had the first industrial revolution too, but in this environmentally conscious era, is it much of a boast to point out that we were responsible for kicking off the massive acceleration in industry that caused most of the man-made pollution in the first place?

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

The Sydney one (in my hazy memory) cut straight from some Aboriginal doings to the Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, Kylie Minogue et al. I'm sure we can learn from that.