We've been thoroughly enjoying watching the Olympics thus far. Swimming has been awesome to watch, obviously (Way to Go, MPhelps!), basketball is exciting, gymnastics is always fascinating and track and field is mind-boggling. Joseph likes to watch totally random sports that I would ordinarily never watch a second of like badminton, table tennis and the steeplechase. He says its fun to watch any sport at the Olympic level. This got me thinking...
"The Olympic Level" by definition is the very highest level of competition in the world, the very best, fastest and strongest athletes coming together on a World stage to determine who is THE BEST. To be the best at the Olympic Level, that's is the aim, hope, goal and dream of every athlete there (not to mention families and coaches), plus the crushed-spirited thousands who trained just as hard for four years and didn't quite make it. People give up their entire lives to try to get to the Olympics, to get a taste of the glory that representing and winning for your country brings. In an International sporting event so huge, one that unites nations and creates heroes, it seems only natural to me that it be fair.
The Chinese "women" gymnasts were underage. They not only clearly look like emaciated children, but there are journalists writing about their fake passports and hidden medical records and genetic experts analyzing their undeveloped facial features on tv. The truth always makes its way out eventually, so why try to deceive the WHOLE WORLD? When the truth does make its way out, will they take the gold medals away from the sad little gymnasts whose childhoods were sold to their countries athlete factories and who were forced to lie about their ages? That doesn't seem fair. But neither does lying to the entire world.
What about the little jenky-toothed angel-voiced Chinese anthem singer who was deemed "too ugly" to represent the country. And the 56 children supposedly representing the 56 nationalities that make up China. Turns out they were all from only a few regions that produce the most appealing (according to the Chinese government) children. Why tell the entire world they're each from a different country if they're totally not? Is physical appearance really more important than integrity? Really, at the Olympics?
I know, I know, it's all about marketing. Money. They do it in the NBA too, the refs make terrible calls in each and every game, because they're supposed to, to keep the games close and the crowd interested. I know that everything in America these days is lies, everything. A few examples: "Reality" tv that we all know is scripted but pretend to think is real, plastic surgery center commercials selling the idea of your family not recognizing you at your next reunion, our unfairly-elected President (whose campaign was partially funded by Enron, a company built on LIES) telling us to keep driving SUVs so we don't look like we're scared of running out of oil, when we clearly should be being told that we are in fact running out of oil and need to find a solution. How about Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire, they were paid millions and idolized for breaking records... all liars. We are deceived by everyone and everything in the United States, we know it and we don't care. I guess I have to say I expected better at the Olympics.
Turns out, The Olympics is all about money too. Too bad, I always thought it was about sports.
1 comment:
Well said, Amy.
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