19th
The Pointlessness of the Olympics
Over the past few months I’ve enjoyed the unscheduled absence of television from my life. It’s actually difficult to imagine returning to a medium in which I have no control over anything I see whatsoever. I can’t sit down to watch the news knowing it is Lou Dobbs, or Bill O’reilly or even Jon Stewart who is in charge of what is put in front of my eyes. If I’m not able to control what I see and when I see it, I don’t want to see it. Channel surfing does not remedy anything because it does not change the fundamental problem, that is the fact that massive corporations with agendas, in pursuit only of money, are the ones who control what is seen and how and when on TV.
Which brings me to the Olympics. What good are those massive HD screens people plunge themselves into debt nowadays to “own,” what good are all the stereo systems in the world, when you they are not turned on to a series of silly little games people in tights play once every four years? It’s understandable why national sports leagues are popular-the teams are localized to specific geographic regions that tend to have similar demographics. It’s easier to root for your local football team than it is to root for athletes playing for the whole country itself. How can you even root for your country when they’re is no instrinsic benefit to the individual when a U.S. athletes win a gold medal? At least if your baseball team wins the World Series you’ll get a parade down main street, and perhaps a bounce in the local economy. Michael Phelps recently won 8 gold medals. So what? Who does that help other than Michael Phelps? I’m not trying to belittle the accomplishment, but the difference here is Olympics is all about gratifying individual egos. National league sports are about community. I’m no fan of either sports mode, but I at least appreciate the difference.
It’s no wonder they only play the Olympics once ever two years. One can only stand so much concentrated selfishness displayed in one venue at any one time. Anything more and there’d eventually be a boycott of all things Olympic. I don’t buy into the whole “national pride” thing, either. No one not directly connected with the Olympics or Olympic athletes could honestly say they are prouder of their country due to its athletes winning a few metal trinkets in an athletic competition. What kind of a basis is athletic aptitude in determing your respect of your country, or of a country’s respect for another? Will Russia respect America more now that we’ve secured the lead in gold medal count? Hardly, Putin’s Playground is just as likely to attack our allies or us if given the chance, perhaps more so now.
Forget the Olympics. Forget television. Forget, forgo and spurn anything that tries to provide you with an artificial experience of life, or inflate your spirit with any kind of appreciation for things that do not matter.
