Olympic Farce
Once upon a time, the Olympics were about patriotism and the celebration of virtue. Now they're a multi-culti festival.
by David Brooks
02/08/2002 12:01:00 AM
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David Brooks, senior editor
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WHEN I LIVED in Europe, I used to watch the Olympics on European TV. I loved watching the BBC because their announcers were so good, but the problem was that if, say, a British runner came in eleventh in a particular race, you never found out who came in the top ten. Their cameras would only focus on the local hero.
Then I'd turn over to a French channel to find out who was winning and what I'd see was a bunch of really small sailboats. I didn't even know there was sailing in the summer Olympics, but apparently there is and apparently the French do well in it. So they'd cover it up le wazoo.
We are about to enter the Olympic season, and there are going to be a bunch of obnoxious stories about the overbearing patriotism of the host Americans. My point is first that all nations are overbearingly patriotic come Olympics time. And all nations should be. Patriotism, the love of something larger than oneself, is one of the noblest passions known to man.
But there has been an attempt over the past few years to hijack the Olympic spirit, to minimize national pride and turn the events into a UNICEF-style celebration of global harmony and cooperation. The organizers are trying to turn the Olympics from a series of sporting contests into a multinational festival.
Which is a total perversion. The Olympics are meant to celebrate honorable rivalry and maximum skill, perseverance and toughness. The Olympic events, after all,
are won by people who are ferociously competitive. On the medal stands we celebrate their prowess and their drive. We honor them because they are the best on earth at what they do. Through the games, and through competitive sports generally, we celebrate a set of moral habits: Striving for excellence even through pain and tedium; perseverance in humiliating circumstances; facing defeat with honor and celebrating victory with grace.
Yet there is a certain sort of person who chokes on the stark inequality that is inherent in competition--the fact that some are better than others. That sort of person only knows how to celebrate cooperation.
So now we have a whole propaganda machine built up to spread the distortion that the Olympics exist to bring people from all over the world together to enjoy togetherness--when the reality is that the Olympics are there to bring people from all over the world together so we can see who is best.
The propaganda machine reaches its climax during the only two ludicrous moments of the Olympic games, the opening and closing ceremonies. These ceremonies were fine when their major feature was the parade of nations. You could see the teams, the diversity of nations and cultures, the spirit of friendly but determined competition that is supposed to dominate the games. But over the years this parade has taken a back seat to the great propaganda show, often featuring cute children, multicultural cliches, and Up With People-style dance routines. The whole thing is designed to spread the message that we are all just one great big loving human family.
Val:Y
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