Okay, kids, what’s up with the Olympics? I was going to ignore the whole thing, but it’s just a huge farce. And it’s barely begun.
Lessee… building a d*** stupid luge track that kills people who haven’t practiced on it; turning our perfectly good National Anthem into a pop song (ick); and to top it all off, proclaiming “WE’RE THE BEST”.
Hello! We’re only the best if we don’t brag about it!
I think we’re no better or worse than any other nation in the world, but congratulations to us, we’re just the next country to find out that the Olympics brings out the worst in the whole flippin everything. Everyone who gets the Olympics tries way too hard, and this just makes them targets for criticism. Targets with neon glow-in-the-dark bullseyes. (and if they don’t try hard, they will get criticized for not spending lots of money! And if they spend lots of money, they get criticized when it’s over budget (and still lame)! D8 infinite loop lose-lose situation! Curse public opinion…)
To bring up stereotypes – we have a pretty good one. We’re the nice, quiet, fairly polite, cynical bunch up north with a dysfunctional political system that we ignore anyway. In general. We’re often the butt of jokes, but we don’t really get too worked up about it. Unlike the other stereotype down south, the Americans, who are all patriotic in their DNA and like to laugh loudly and some of them are pigheads, though none of the ones I’ve ever met. (the ones I’ve met are usually pretty awesome folks) And we’re not like the British, who are all supposed to be fairly stoic and goodnatured or whatever. And we get to act as translators between the two. : ) Okay, that had nothing to do with this, but whatever.
So, yeah, we have no more or fewer of jerks and loudmouths and ignorant people and pigheads and hypocrites than any other country in the world. That’s because we’re all humans together, no matter the culture.
But if we start bragging about how great we are, we immediately set ourselves up for a big, long fall.
I guess it’s kind of like what a friend was talking about the other day: everyone’s only interested in the next huge spectacle. But from reports from (my brother in) the basement, it’s not even that spectacular. (also Google twitter reports I glanced at are not impressed with the rendition of our Anthem either so I’m not alone).
I’m not interested in politics. I usually don’t have any idea what I’m talking about. But this sports deal is just way too stupid to ignore.
So, Canada, please stop trying so hard. It’s not working and you’re just embarrassing the lot of us.
Apologies for the rant. I’ve been having problems with life in general and felt like being snarky. It was sunny today, but it’s mostly been cloudy and cold and wet and spring break is here so no school and my repertoire is hanging in there but I in no way measure up to halfway to the people on my recordings. I wish I was a kalla.
I had the idea that I found Tam’s Last Stand song the other day, but I’ve forgotten what it was. : ( I think it was Mozart but I’m probably wrong.
As national identities go, the passive-aggressive one that we seem to have espoused for the games is pretty rotten. I’d say even more annoying than the Americans.
Comment by Nathan — February 15, 2010 @ 9:56 pm
The more I listen to Dad talking about it the less interest I have in seeing any of it.
Canada is really appearing to me to be a pretty loser nation. : (
I did like the bit in the opening games with the whales, the kid flying over the prairies, and the redwoods, though.
Comment by Illinia — February 16, 2010 @ 5:56 pm
Okay, I learned some more things… Germans built the luge track and it was inspected by an International Committee of some sort, so that’s not our fault. But we’re still pretty lame.
Comment by Illinia — February 20, 2010 @ 10:01 am