Once every four years, the world comes together. It's a time of peace and appreciation, unity and genuine camaraderie. The Olympic season is my favorite time of the year. It doesn't matter, the winter games or the summer games, I love watching the Olympics.But it's more than just watching the insanely awesome, out-of-this-world athletes perform at the global level. The Olympics to me represent a cultural collision like none other. I have tried very hard to come up with other instances of such unity. Unfortunately, none come to mind. It seems like the Olympic games are the only time when 200+ countries send forth their top athletic citizens to compete, to race, to perform, and in some instances, to collide.
If given the opportunity, I would love be there where the action is taking place. Sure, it's fun to watch from home; you see the best video footage, hear the athlete interviews, and have the warmest seat in the comfort of your own house. But what could ever simulate actually being there, amidst the multitudes. I wouldn't be of the majority as an American. I would be the minority to the Canadians, and in the same boat as the other 200+ different people groups - experiencing diversity like never before. Imagine walking down the snow slope to the souvenir coffee shop. You would hear at least 10 different languages being spoken amongst the different peoples. I wonder if the signs and package labels/prices would be converted into several languages? Here's another interesting thought: because it's in Canada, will the whole premise of the event be Canadian, or will the more global representation surface? If you happen to go, let me know.
As someone interested in different cultures, I would prefer the answer that says the world's cultures would be representative of the event, and not just Canada's alone. If I were the Canadian, nationalism would take reign; I'd want Canadian culture highlighted throughout.
Thinking back to the summer Olympic games two years ago, I'd say the Canadian flare will shine through, especially during the opening and closing ceremonies. The Chinese opening ceremony was highly Orientally orientated. In fact, I had the amazing opportunity to see an entire outdoor performance by the same Chinese man who composed/orchestrated the opening ceremony! It was a nocturnal show on water, with lights, music, fireworks, and performers from across the country of China (particularly those from rural rice paddy farms).
While the Olympics foster rare global unity, nationalism prevails simultaneously amongst the competing countries. Unlike on the international sectors for business, economics, and politics, this competition (to my understanding) is pretty without harmful precipitates. What I am trying to say is that just because Switzerland might get more medals than France in, let's say, skiing, the two aren't going to launch nuclear attacks on one another. Rather, the precipitates cause reactions within one's country. No matter where you live, for those two weeks, you are glued to your TV screen cheering for a guy you've never heard off because they bares your flag on their jacket and are competing against a guy you've also never heard of but bares a foreign flag. Even the most unpatriotic citizens wind up screaming when "his man" wins the half pipe event with a perfectly landed 1080.
The Olympics can also teach you a lot about different cultures. For one, you hear names of countries during the opening ceremony that you've never heard of, nor could pronounce or spell correctly. Then, all the names of the athletes appear on screen coupled with their respective flag. (It's cool to see all the different colors and patterns peoples of the world pledge their allegiance to.) And then throughout the games, the announcers to a great job of talking up the athletes, especially when they are from a particularly small or unheard of country. I love hearing the stories of triumph that got some of the athletes from their minute town to the global stage.
In the end, the Olympics underscore two huge concepts worthy of noting:
1) We, the inhabitants of Earth, are in more ways similar than different. We love to compete, to representative, to push ourselves to the limits, to set goals, to reach goals, to smile, to laugh, to win.
2) If 200+ countries can come together peacefully in an athletic arena, why not in all arenas - political, business, economic, and cultural. That's not to say everyone has melt into one big homogeneous mixture. That would be awful. But it is to say that we have the capacity to unite despite different geographical homes, different cultural standard, different religious values, different political views.
VANCOUVER, HERE WE COME! The clock is ticking. Opening ceremony is February 13th. I can't wait! If you are like me, check out the official Vancouvre 2010 Olympics website: http://www.vancouver2010.com/.
*Image courtesy of SkiRebel Magazine
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