2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony & National Anthems Downloads
August 7th, 2008 by Karen
War and Why the Olympics Just Don’t Matter Anymore
News broadcasts are abuzz with the impending 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony in China set to be held on August 8, 2008.
But do the Olympics really matter?
There are countless wars going on in the world right now.
Actual, legitimate wars with people being murdered and lives destroyed.
With that in mind, it’s difficult to decide whether convincing the world’s warring nations to temporarily tolerate each other long enough to compete in the 2008 Olympics is a step towards true diplomacy, or simply a way of placing a bandage over the real issue. Pretending to get along for something meaningless, while ignoring the world’s real problems.
Will seeing athletes from diverse nations compete reinforce the need to dominate each other, or illustrate the basic commonalities that extend beyond borders and political agendas?
Or, worse still, will it just be two weeks of jocks on parade pounding their chests to the beat of empty patriotism and national anthems and failing to provoke any thought in the audience beyond wondering who can run the fastest?
Then again, perhaps this spirit of (hopefully) friendly competition gives athletes and fans a chance to put aside their difference and escape the harsh political realities that plague their countries and simply enjoy the games. And there is certainly value in that.
Let’s hope that this Olympic season—a particularly important and potentially volatile one at that, as has already been shown by the violence in China—inspires some thought (and perhaps some legitimate diplomatic progress) within the global community.
Are the olympics important during times of war and political turmoil? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.
