this past week in Oz

tinota at primus.com.au tinota at primus.com.au
Sat Aug 19 02:24:32 PDT 2000



>From Carl:
Most Australians scorn what they see
>as America's fondness for hype, orchestrated sentiment, and 'I'm No. 1'
>braggadocio. So the more Olympic officials here try to whip up passion for
>the Games, the more Sydney residents bridle. 'Australians don't like being
>told things,' says Mr. [Dennis] Watkins [of the Sydney Opera House Trust].
>'As soon as we're told we should feel this way, or behave this way, we're
>sure to do the opposite.'

The emphasis here should be on "most", I guess. Those running the games are doing their level best to whip us into a frenzy of patriotism and rah-rahness, and probably with some success. Children are being encouraged to sing songs of welcome ("g'day, g'day"), athletes (the most highly govt-funded in the world) are being held up as models of determination and individual achievement, and politicians are happy with the distraction.

It's baby and bathwater stuff - lots of people actually like the sport and want to watch it and are therefore probably willing to have their stomachs turned and to plug into the saccharine mainline.

Tim



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