W00t! It's the Olympic season! Time for medals to be awarded, records to be broken, tears to be shed, and glory to be won. It's time for the summer Olympics, and I'm absofrakinglutly ECSTATIC about this year's games!
I've always loved the Olympics. The sheer scale of the event, the intensity, the whirlwind series of events. Everything is just awe-inspiring, and this year it promises to be particularly stunning.
Regardless of your feelings about China–it's many human-rights issues, poverty, questionable politics–they are a major player on the world stage and this event is their chance to prove that they are no longer the isolated, xenophobic country they once were. And judging from the spectacular opening ceremonies, I think I am justified in quoting Bender when I say "We've come a long way, baby."
I think this is going to be one of the most amazing Olympics in history. Maybe the most amazing. To be sure, the sheer scale of the Olympic venues and the lengths the Chinese people went not only to put on such an important event (on where the entire world is LITERALLY watching) are unprecedented and few countries could manage such a feat. Just take a look at this amazing architecture:
The Beijing National Stadium, aka "The Bird's Next"
The National Aquatic Center, aka "The Watercube"
The National Theater, aka "The Egg"
I, for one, am extremely optimistic about the games. I think they will really force the Chinese government to pay closer attention to the scrutiny of the world and mend some of it's heavy-handed ways. With any luck, this will herald a new, more open China. One that is more liberal in it's politics and more open to the rest of the world. I'd like to travel to China one day. And I hope that, when I do, I find a country that can hold it's head high and with pride that they are not just a respected member of the international community, but one that works alongside the rest of the world to help solve the many problems that affect us all.
Because when you get right down to it, we're all stuck on the same tiny rock whizzing through space at quite ridiculous speed. And what affects this planet, affects everyone.
One thing the Olympics excel at, no matter who hosts them, is their ability to bring all the world's nations, poor and rich alike, together in one spot and for at least a couple of days set aside differences of ideology and culture and let the best of us demonstrate just how amazing the human body and mind really are.
Of course, it doesn't always work. The '72 games in Munich were overshadowed by the kidnapping and execution of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists. And the 1936 games in Berlin, the first games broadcast internationally on television, were tainted by Hitler's desire to use the games as a propaganda tool to demonstrate the supremacy of the "Aryan master race." Of course a black American by the name of Jesse Owens decided to give the Nazis a big "fuck you" and walked away with 4 gold medals. Probably walked away with more than a few German ladies' "gold medals" as well. Even the games in the last few decades are not without some controversy. The Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 games in Los Angeles due to "anti-Soviet" sentiments in the West.
And this year was of course not without quite a lot of unrest. The massive protests in countries like France during the Olympic Torch relay dominated the headlines for months. People held up signs showing the Olympic rings made out of handcuffs, spit on the torch bearers, and even attacked a Chinese paraolympian in her FUCKING WHEELCHAIR. What kind of lame ass protester decides "I will totally validate my movement in the eyes of the world by making a bold, brave statement of our ideology by attacking someone against whom I have a 2-1 limb advantage, is a national hero, could probably kick my ass from here to Shanghai, and, as a woman who competes in international athletic competitions using only her arms, has a bigger set of balls than I ever will. Perfect!"?
For a time, it looked as if the French were going to continue their recent track record of "Yeah, we're going to just sit this one out" (though to be fair I agreed with the French on this whole Iraq thing from the very beginning) and boycott these games. But this was no surprise. As Eddie Izzard said, "...and France hated them all ‘cause Southern France was collaborating with the Germans, embarrassing! So since then, they've been kind of spiky and kind of, French..." In the end, the French president (who by the way has the coolest name in the world) backed away from that sentiment and the French are competing after all. Which is good. Looking at the list of nations, just about everyone on the planet is showing up. I mean, just LOOK at this map! (Green = attending the Olympics)
Hellava party. Too bad we couldn't make it. Well the Winter Olympics in 2010 are in Vancouver. I'm thinking that would be an amazing trip. Anyone up for a jaunt to Canada in 2 years?
Update: Meghan posted this great set of hi-res pics of the opening ceremonies in the comments. Thanks!
That's right! A blu-ray player. Turns out we bet on the wrong horse in the format war. While I was hoping that the future wouldn't be divided into blue and red, but maybe a nice shade of purple, alas HD DVD died a premature death when Toshiba pulled the plug. I've been longingly watching movie after movie get released in delicious high-def blu-y goodness for months, but unable to partake. But thanks to my wonderful wife, I can now join with my fellow HD-obsessed geeks and frolick in the land of the blu. 
