I’ve decided I won’t watch. Not one single minute.
It is nonsense to think that the Olympics are not political.
Does any American not know the Jesse Owens story? The Berlin Olympics were
Hitler’s showcase, his opportunity to demonstrate that Nazism had rebuilt
German pride along with the German economy and that his country had resumed its
rightful place in the world. The American narrative of those Olympics offers
Jesse Owens as counter-point: an African-American hero at the Nazi games. It
was and is an explicitly political message. So was the 1980 boycott of the Moscow
Olympics. So, too, are Putin’s Olympics.
Maybe Sochi will have its Jesse Owens (I hope so), but more
important for me is the analogy with Nazi Germany. I want to be cautious here –
Russia is not a Fascist state, and there are reasons to be very careful about
throwing around the word “Nazi.” Russia’s law prohibiting “Propoganda of Non-Traditional Relations” is not a corollary of the Nuremburg Laws.
But Putin’s Olympics are pure politics, and they offer a
real corollary with the Berlin Olympics. Putin intends these games as a
showcase for Russia’s status in the world; he equally intends them as a
showcase for his personal power.
There is nothing for me to celebrate at these Olympics.
If they are a grand success they only lend support to Putinism. If they are a
grand failure, they will not end Putinism, and indeed may spur it on to new
depths. Authoritarianism should not be a spectator sport, and not watching is the best form of participation I can offer.
I haven't had the chance to watch the Olympics, not that I have much interest anyways.. but a recent post on facebook had me thinking.
ReplyDelete"Match against Russia, just like the old days!"
While this was just a random posting, it made me think about "What do people really know about the current Russia"
It seems much of the heavy viewed media has focused on sensationalism, whether it be stories about the hotels, or the lack of clear infrastructure in Sochi. It's disappointing because this could be a golden opportunity for western media outlets to pressure Putin and cover the arrests.
It's been made clear, that Putin hasn't slowed down on the arrests -- but if more western eyes saw what he was doing, and he wasn't able to put on the fake mask -- what sort of pressure would that bring? What about protestors? How would many westerners feel if this so called "modern democracy" was just a ruse.