Friday, February 10, 2006

Questioning the Winter Olympics

I'll come clean here, as publicly as my tiny and marginal piece of the I-Space can be called public.

I am an Olympics junkie.

I admit it -- every year there has been an Olympics since I was old enough to understand what they were, I've plopped my butt in front of the TV and watched from beginning to end. From the parade of teams and flags to the extinguishing of the flame, I'm there, watching and cheering, not just for Canada but for any underdogs who attempt to compete with the powerhouses of the world.

And perhaps because of my childhood hometown of Winnipeg, colloquially often referred to as "Winterpeg", I've always been particularly partial to the Winter Olympics.

So it shouldn't be that surprising that I was all excited about the opening ceremonies today, for the Winter Olympics in Turin (Turino?) Italy.

Just as I was about to pack it up here at my laptop and move down to the TV, I read this article. And I paused.

And I questioned myself.

By watching, by participating in the spectacle and giving my eyes over to the commercials, am I contributing to the elitism of the Games?

Oh I'll probably go downstairs anyway now, but at the same time, now I'm wondering. Now I'm being self-critical.

Now I'm not so sure I should be fanning the flames.

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