What a relief! The PRC have their gold medals and their flawless ceremonies, so there’s no chance they’ll invade Taiwan next week out of pique.
Anne Applebaum writes in Slate:
And here’s a prediction: In the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, Londoners will complain about the traffic; politicians will carp about the cost; critics will call the ceremonies tasteless; no one will use the phrase Olympic triumph. But there won’t be arrests or police intimidation; there won’t be forced expropriation of property; there won’t be stony-faced acrobats marching in formation—and in the end, the whole thing will be a lot less sinister, a lot less damaging, and a lot more fun.
And how! Although given the terrorism visited upon London of late, not an entirely safe prediction, that last bit. I hope that the games don’t return to the United States for a very long time.
I read the same article earlier today. I must say, having spent some time in England, it would not entirely surprise me to learn that the English invented pessimism. While they are certainly wonderful people, I get the feeling that if we learned tomorrow that an asteroid was hurtling toward Earth, and would wipe out humanity in a month’s time, your average American would say, “Well, I suppose now’s the time to take that class on Mediterranean cooking.” Whereas your average Englishman would say, “Well, isn’t that just bloody typical? And have you seen the weather report for next week?”
Comment by kojak3 — August 26, 2008 @ 5:44 am
Call it a result of selection pressure. If their ancestors had been optimists they’d have gone to America.
Comment by nekobijin — August 26, 2008 @ 9:01 am
I succesfully avoided all things Olympic except Phelps’ 8th which my mom made me watch in Morro with her. I refused to have anything to do with the 1936 Berlin Ol… damnit, I get them confused… 2008 Beijing Olympics. And the subjective sports were about as well judged as the Mr. Popularity Contest in Rome, 1933 was. 99.4% for Mussolini? Who woulda figgered…
Comment by Doug Glendower — August 27, 2008 @ 1:59 pm