I sat in front of my TV for 3 1/2 hours on Friday night watching the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies. How could I not after all the hype? A few observations.It was spectacular and very well done. It made me proud to be a Canadian on a certain level. Being in our back yard made it even more meaningful. I have not been a big fan of the Olympics, but neither have I been a protester. There are two Olympic worlds, the politics and money, and the sport. The sport I have no problem with and the ceremony celebrated the athletes, and in part, the events that will take place in the following days.
For the uninitiated, it would appear that Canada is a French country full of Aboriginals. This has not been my experience in the 61 years that I have lived here. Why portray our culture so heavily leaning to the Native Indian culture? That was our beginning, but none of us live in that century any longer and Canada can be defined by some of our modern day attributes more accurately. I suppose it is political correctness.
Why do we have to listen the embarrassment of Alberta, KD Lang. Again, for the uninitiated, it was probably impossible to tell its gender.
When will we put Wayne Gretsky out to pasture? In my opinion he was a manufactured hockey player and was not that great except for his very early years. Gambling scandals and a dismal coaching career (when we all learned his limited and profane vocabulary by lip reading his rants) have turned me against him as a sports icon.
Other than those beefs, I thought the event was very well done and I must say that I had a moment or two of pride that I was a Canadian. But then I have always felt that way and I do not need a multi-billion dollar event to boost my pride.
The photo above was the one moment when things did not go well. That empty hole on the left was supposed to be a fourth pillar of fire, but alas, the hydraulics did not function and it was a blemish on an otherwise perfectly executed ceremony.
Tomorrow the events begin. The weather is a concern for many of the outdoor sports, but somehow they will manage to get the medals awarded. They always do.
6 comments:
We went in to the Dress Rehearsal for this performance on Monday. Of course we didn't have the flashlights etc but the aura of the performances caught us a bit off-guard...we were immediately wrapped up in the excitement and sentiment of being Canadian and hosting the world's sports communities. To watch on TV added a different dimension....but was still awesome (now we could see the detail as we had not brought binoculars on Monday, as well as "no security" 2 hour check in). Should be an interesting 2 weeks.
It was a great celebration. Unlike the complaints about the Beijing Canadian program, this WAS Canadian and did us proud. Perhaps the aboriginal component served several purposes. A bit of history to show the world and the opportunity to instill pride in a downtrodden people.
I thought it was great on all accounts!!!!
You put my exact thoughts into fantastic words. The whole french/aboriginal thing and KD lang (barf!) took my patriotism down a notch. I'm not sure either why they put these particular things front and center every time there's something 'Canadian' when there are SO many other great - and more relevant - people to represent 'us'.
Besides all that, I'm still a proud Canadian.
I'd like to swap KD Lang for Jann Arden. My kids had to ask me if KD was a man or a lady :)
KD Lang has a great voice. My suggestion would have been to keep the lights off during her performance. I am wondering how many millions of people around the world were asking the same question that your boys did.
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