The Olympic Contradiction

[Michael Allen]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/opinion/brooks-the-olympic-contradiction.html?_r=2&ref=opinion 

Main Idea: "If the opening ceremony is win-win, most of the rest of the games are win-lose. If the opening ceremony mimics peace, the competitions mimic warfare. It’s not about the brotherhood of humankind. It’s about making sure our country beats the Chinese in the medal chart."

Main Idea (My Own Words): The opening ceremony of the Olympics and the actual games contradict each other because where as the opening ceremony is supposed to represent unity among nations, the actual games make the nations compete against each other.

Response:

David Brook compares the the Olympic Opening Ceremony and the Olympic Games with peace and war, and that the Olympics appeal to both our feelings of fellowship and dominance. I both agree and disagree with his opinions, and although I think the war and peace comparisons are a little extreme, they have some truth to them. I do believe it is odd how we go from a celebratory event of togetherness into a struggle to get more gold metals. Considering how this is an event that basically everyone in the world with a television watches, and it only happens every 4 years, you would think more people would have taken this into account. However I can see how some can see the games as friendly competition that all people can come together and watch, rather than mimicking warfare. But there is no doubt that the only thing an athlete thinks of during his/her performance is wanting to win, beat the competition, and prove you are better than everybody else, not to win "friendship". This feeling of proving yourself is apart of human nature. This doesn't mean much to us, the spectators, because we are viewing it for entertainment purposes, but it is still something to contemplate.

[apadamparker]

I don't truly agree with Brook, who seems to believe that the games are meant to be a way for the world to Unite and be at peace. In my view while the organizers of the games would like to pretend that the sole purpose of the games is to bring the world together through the use of a common interest, sports, the real purpose of the games is to allow nations to metaphorically flex their muscles and show off. While friendships between individual athletes may be a bi-product of the games I do not believe that it is the true focus of the event. So in conclusion I agree with Micheal's statement that peace means little in the moment for the participating athletes.