It's probably not a coincidence that the Olympics are opening today, 8/8/08. I think it's probably just so damn convenient. What I mean by that is: there are plenty of different ways in which a date can be written. Some people prefer to put the day of the month first, some the month, and others even use the year first. With days like today, all those systems collide, and every one can remember the date of the Opening Ceremony.
But the Olympics in China are finally upon us. There seemed to be a tremendous uproar a while ago with all the "Free Tibet" campaigning going on during the torch running, but that really quieted down after a while. Then there was the earthquake and all the aftermath of that, but that quieted now. Now there's the issue of air quality, water pollution, heat, etc. There just seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding these games. China is hoping these games will help put them on the world stage as a serious power, yet a lot of countries are criticizing their human rights policy.
If you look back at just the past Summer Olympics, when was the last time we had such political fervor surrounding the games? Here's a list, in reverse chronological order:
2004 – Athens
2000 – Sydney
1996 – Atlanta
1992 – Barcelona
1988 – Seoul
1984 – Los Angeles
1980 – Moscow
1976 – Montreal
1972 – Munich
1968 – Mexico City
1964 – Tokyo
1960 – Rome
1956 – Melbourne
1952 – Helsinki
1948 – London
1944 – London (canceled)
1940 – Helsinki (canceled)
1936 – Berlin
1932 – Los Angeles
1928 – Amsterdam
1924 – Paris
1920 – Antwerp
1916 – Berlin (canceled)
1912 – Stockholm
1908 – London
1904 – St. Louis
1900 – Paris
1896 – Athens
The ones that stick out easily are the 1936 Berlin games and the 1980 Moscow games. Both involved countries with a lot of military might (one of whom would use it in the following years). The Moscow games were boycotted by many countries, including the United States, which was a reaction to the Cold War.
But is China like the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany? Sure, it's still communist, and had been allied with the Soviets, but it's become such an economic entity that it's really difficult to say how much longer pure communism could last, if it can even be considered still in use there. China has enemies, that's for sure, and they are on the rise. Could these Olympic games serve as a repeat of the 1936 games? But this time, instead of a physical invasion, could the Chinese instead become economic invaders, continually investing more and more into the debts of larger nations?
Who knows. All I do know is: I'm looking forward to these games. I'm not going apeshit over them, but it would be nice to see some top notch table tennis. It's a highly underrated game in this country. Paint the line!
But the Olympics in China are finally upon us. There seemed to be a tremendous uproar a while ago with all the "Free Tibet" campaigning going on during the torch running, but that really quieted down after a while. Then there was the earthquake and all the aftermath of that, but that quieted now. Now there's the issue of air quality, water pollution, heat, etc. There just seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding these games. China is hoping these games will help put them on the world stage as a serious power, yet a lot of countries are criticizing their human rights policy.
If you look back at just the past Summer Olympics, when was the last time we had such political fervor surrounding the games? Here's a list, in reverse chronological order:
2004 – Athens
2000 – Sydney
1996 – Atlanta
1992 – Barcelona
1988 – Seoul
1984 – Los Angeles
1980 – Moscow
1976 – Montreal
1972 – Munich
1968 – Mexico City
1964 – Tokyo
1960 – Rome
1956 – Melbourne
1952 – Helsinki
1948 – London
1944 – London (canceled)
1940 – Helsinki (canceled)
1936 – Berlin
1932 – Los Angeles
1928 – Amsterdam
1924 – Paris
1920 – Antwerp
1916 – Berlin (canceled)
1912 – Stockholm
1908 – London
1904 – St. Louis
1900 – Paris
1896 – Athens
The ones that stick out easily are the 1936 Berlin games and the 1980 Moscow games. Both involved countries with a lot of military might (one of whom would use it in the following years). The Moscow games were boycotted by many countries, including the United States, which was a reaction to the Cold War.
But is China like the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany? Sure, it's still communist, and had been allied with the Soviets, but it's become such an economic entity that it's really difficult to say how much longer pure communism could last, if it can even be considered still in use there. China has enemies, that's for sure, and they are on the rise. Could these Olympic games serve as a repeat of the 1936 games? But this time, instead of a physical invasion, could the Chinese instead become economic invaders, continually investing more and more into the debts of larger nations?
Who knows. All I do know is: I'm looking forward to these games. I'm not going apeshit over them, but it would be nice to see some top notch table tennis. It's a highly underrated game in this country. Paint the line!
No comments:
Post a Comment