Until then, I'll say only that I'm intrigued to see how all of the hype and strife over the Beijing Olympiad will play out. Not only because my good friend Willis has a front-row seat for China's preparations, but also because of my own hypothetical sojourn in Europe or elsewhere next school year. And, then, too because of my basic interest in matters historical/national.
The modern Olympic Games has always been a fascinating exercise in the forced smiles of international public relations. And - modeling them as we did after the ancient Greeks - what did we expect? Though there are scholarly controversies associated with interpreting the available evidence, this much we know: many of the athletes were professional, many of the contests were brutal, and the shame of the losers - along with the pride of the winners - was etched into marble for all of eternity.
Wasn't - and isn't - it a wild presumption that sportsmanship, idealized or otherwise, could lead to peace? By what process of alchemy do we transform throwing elbows into throwing the olive branch? It is willful self-deception that allows us to believe that the occasional dignity with which individual athletes comport themselves could somehow overpower the militaristic impulse and blustery chauvinism of the countries they represent. Granted, the modern games were resurrected before Roid Rage and the humble proclamations of Terrell Owens, but it still strikes me as delusional. And why would we think that athletics could be an effective and healthy way to channel aggression and the competitive instinct? If anything, sports seem to amplify these tendencies. By 1896, most nationalists had figured out that sports could provide the rhythm for the drums of war, not a muzzle to drown them out.
Here we are in 2008, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But at this point, how could the potential for Olympic-induced violence be at all surprising?
Which brings me to a picture I noticed today on APOD:
Doesn't it remind you of this?
Now, I know I've spent some time talking about divergences here and here. But, unfortunately, the Convergences Contest over at McSweeney's has ended, otherwise I would have sent them this pair of pictures. The former comes from Mars (named, of course, for the God of War) and the latter has become one of our most cherished symbols of peace and - therefore - the goodwill spirit of the Olympic Games.
And the name of the Martian landscape: Aureum ("Golden") Chaos. Just like the Olympics.
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