More Fakery From Opening Ceremony

[huaiwei]

We don't know what London's doing yet, but we do know a little girl was cheated out of her chance to appear in the greatest event her country has ever hosted because she doesn't "look right".

And we do know of countless other people around the world who were similarly "cheated" because they doesn't "look right", and miss out on opportunities they are otherwise fit for. Do they get their voices to be heard around the world? Not exactly, but this poor little girl did!

[savas]

This poor girl? Why poor? Because she dont fit the beauty criteria of the government? This is highly rasist and chauvinistic. For me it would have been a thousand times better and by far more sweet and touching to see a little girl with 2 teeth mssing singing. People can say what they want. Praise the Ceremony as you want. This is a matter of taste. But what you cant change is that this Ceremony reflects perfectly the fasistic character of the government which ignores the human rights. No respect for the ndividual human. Not even the fundamental ones such the dignity of human. And as the world is blended by this spectacular Ceremony, the Ceremony itself was the proof for this.

Computer generated "live" pictures, "ugly children" replaced by beautiful ones (by the central office of the communist party), 9.000 of the 14.000 performers are soldiers, the military raises the Olympic Flag. This is like rotten meat hidden behind tasty sauce if you ask me.

[Stu]

I don't really see the controversy about this - i'm sure I wasn't alone in being able to tell that the little girl was miming.

It wasn't a controversy when the percussionist in the Greek Opening Ceremony was obviously drumming at a recording of another drummer - it wasn't live!

[IceNarcissus]

Unforuntately, only a few people would find it "sweet" and the majority would think "wow. FUGLIEZ!!!"

As in the performance world goes in the athletic, only the strongest survive!

You don't see Brad Pitt being cast with a co-starring HIPPO do you? NO.

It's the sad reality of show business. That's why there is so much scrutiny on child stars and those in the business of young entertainers.

[baron-pierreIV]

9.000 of the 14.000 performers are soldiers, the military raises the Olympic Flag.

Uhmmm, there is a correlation. The military lent 9,000 of their men to the Ceremonies -- and I don't see anything wrong with this. When they first announced they were seeking so-many volunteer performers, I ALWAYS wondered why they didn't ask for just a few civilian volunteers when there were was all that manpower in the military just waiting to be used. And indeed, with what was required and asked of could not have been achieved by hordes of civilian volunteers.

The military raises the flag? Frankly, I would've been surprised if there wasn't a military presence at all.

Uhmmm...it's called an "Honor Guard." Mexico, Moscow and Torino (the Carabinieri) are 3 others that come to mind. Maybe Seoul, too. I am sure there are a few Winter Games as well that used the military. Are the soldiers NOT citizens of the host country as well?

Obviously, loaning 9,000 of its men, as I mentioned before, the military had its price for the favor -- and that was to raise the flags. Savas, how can you be so holier-than-thou? If the IOC didn't object, who are you or we to object?

Edited August 13, 2008 by baron-pierreIV

[Maryjane]

This poor girl? Why poor? Because she dont fit the beauty criteria of the government? This is highly rasist and chauvinistic. For me it would have been a thousand times better and by far more sweet and touching to see a little girl with 2 teeth mssing singing. People can say what they want. Praise the Ceremony as you want. This is a matter of taste. But what you cant change is that this Ceremony reflects perfectly the fasistic character of the government which ignores the human rights. No respect for the ndividual human. Not even the fundamental ones such the dignity of human. And as the world is blended by this spectacular Ceremony, the Ceremony itself was the proof for this.

Computer generated "live" pictures, "ugly children" replaced by beautiful ones (by the central office of the communist party), 9.000 of the 14.000 performers are soldiers, the military raises the Olympic Flag. This is like rotten meat hidden behind tasty sauce if you ask me.

that's kind of ultimate Cynicism going on here~I wonder if you convince me seeing Athens naked show all being recognized as an eyesore for muslims or other conservative audiences, because of the misleading masseage sending over other moral standards. And plus to choose Bjoke who's been considering not a quite good rule-example of the modern youth to sing for Olympics also a rotten sauce covering on the meat, isn't it just mean?

I wonder what's going on with Barcelona coudrum-lighting there compares to a few fireworks manipulation

Talking about the child~I won't say it again~It's just a showbiz selection maybe gettin a bit Simon Cow there, but why would you have to make it as doomsday for your notion of Olympics? Nobody is ideal right? So someone's overdo also become a rooten evidence of destroying the games~I wonder I'll rather to have an UN games better for the ideal justice here

Talking about Chinese ''soldiers'', they are actually the honourguard who only carries the most honoured flags within Chinese tradition~It's just a different way to be honoured~Otherwise I wonder what's going on with Salt Lake City G.W.Bush and a few U.S Army bringing a half burned American flag of 911 into Olympics as bringing kind of message for all mankind to mourn for the United States somehow in regard to that occasion?

Also~talkin about army~I wonder....What a big deal~but is it a big deal?

[savas]

I am not holier-than-thou. I never claimed that. And if i am severe with my opinion on other things this applies to many other issues also. Issues on the World, on Europe, Greece but above all on myself. This isnt about right or wrong. It is about what i accept and what i refuse in my own reality of things. It is completely a personal sense. This is why i never claimed Athens to be the best Ceremony ever. But for me the Ceremony was a mirror reflecting in an erotic way my sense of hellenic culture, of our existance. It was a dreamful connection to what i concider to be the truth. This is why this Ceremony is so extremely importand for us Greeks. Because it touched long forgotten parts of us still existing though. I may be too serious on this and it sounds too wannabe philosophical to you as you concider the Ceremonies to be a Show. Maybe it is a nostalgia for something but this is how we feel.

This is why i tried to explain you the meaning of the Ceremony in other threads. I know you never asked me to do that, so it was my mistake. And because this is going really too far and the Athens Ceremony belongs to the past for the rest of the world i will just drop it. Enough with the "deep stuff"

[Olympian2004]

Computer generated "live" pictures, "ugly children" replaced by beautiful ones (by the central office of the communist party), 9.000 of the 14.000 performers are soldiers, the military raises the Olympic Flag.

Besides what Baron already said about this topic -- may I draw your attention to this video of the entrance of the Olympic Flag at Athens' opening ceremony?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=54ApjLtuIWY

Look at the end of the video. There you'll see that also in Athens, uniformed members of the navy (I guess) hoisted the flag. This is simply an Olympic tradition, while only a few opening ceremonies (at least Munich and Salt Lake City, as far as I know) didn't have members of the armed forces raise the flag.

OK, I wasn't a fan of the soldiers' goosesteps before they raised the flag in Beijing -- it reminded me of the flag carriers in Moscow who made goosesteps all the way through the stadium. But the simple fact that soldiers raised the flag is nothing objectionable or "typically Chinese".

[huaiwei]

This poor girl? Why poor? Because she dont fit the beauty criteria of the government? This is highly rasist and chauvinistic.

Ah shucks I forget to insert the quotation marks around that "poor little girl" phrase. There are people determined to paint her as a victim, hence my "poor little girl" comment. And since when is race an issue here now?

[savas]

I don't really see the controversy about this - i'm sure I wasn't alone in being able to tell that the little girl was miming.

It wasn't a controversy when the percussionist in the Greek Opening Ceremony was obviously drumming at a recording of another drummer - it wasn't live!

This isnt right: Both of the drummers are musicians.

The drummer of Ancient Olympia is a proffesional percussionist, one of the very view in Greece who can play all type of drumms.

The young drummer in the stadiun is am artist of pontiac dances and he plays pontiac drumms and lyra.

He played live, the drummer in ancient olympia was prerecorded which was absolutely clear for every one.

[Rafa]

christine Anu's, my island home...now thats sensational!!!

[Rafa]

re athens 2004:

i would have liked a huge fountain come out of the water in the the form of the rings, but similar to those fountains with the lights in vegas.

[baron-pierreIV]

re athens 2004:

i would have liked a huge fountain come out of the water in the the form of the rings, but similar to those fountains with the lights in vegas.

Maybe for London, the whole infield will be a field of glowing lava, and then your 5 Fountain-rings a la Vegas' Bellagio (designed BTW by the same company that designed the Salt Lake cauldron) will emerge to douse the field of Fire!!