my miracles are not on ice

[pauraque_bk]

I've never liked the Olympics. When I watched them I found wondering if people would succeed too anxiety-inducing, and watching people lose too depressing. Then when I quit TV (more and more I think of it like quitting a horrible drug), I realized I was just being crammed with sentiments about sports I didn't know anything about, played by people I had never heard of and would soon forget.

Around here there's a lot of commotion about boycotting the Olympics due to China's human rights violations. Rather like the "free Tibet" bumper stickers that are extremely common here, and the customers who ask me where a toy is manufactured, it often makes me wonder why they have picked that particular cause, and whether they really know anything about it, or are simply parroting the popular soundbites of the moment.

A long time ago I saw the Tony Kushner play Homebody/Kabul, and the only thing about it that I really remember is the Homebody's line: "I love the world." The audience laughs uncomfortably at the ignorance of that -- fixing on shiny little shallow pieces and thinking it counts as knowledge, that breadth without depth. Probably recognize it in themselves.

Comments

[scarah2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've watched a bit of it but, eh. There are some events that I like to watch because they are beautiful to me, but I have zero clue how they are executed or anything.

There is one channel that shows no other events but boxing, like 24/7. I hate boxing.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I like to watch events that I know something about - hockey and football, mostly - and equestrian events with my girlfriend, where we can turn off the nationalist commentary and she can tell me what's going on. But I don't like the medal counts, and the constant cries of AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, and the racist commentators, and the fact that we're paying the salaries of professional athletes.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I get everything you're saying and I don't disagree -- but I have always liked to watch figure skating, and before they changed the scoring system could call the scores to within a tenth of a point, so there at least I know what I'm watching.

With the summer Olympics, well, there are an awful lot of very well-shaped men wearing very little clothing on my television, and this is a very pleasant occurrence. Especially the diving. Especially the synchronized platform diving -- SLASHIEST THING EVER.

Seriously, skip as much of the coverage as you like, but give a quick Google to Thomas Finchum and David Boudia, just for the pretty, slashy goodness.

[ook.livejournal.com]

I like to watch because there are muscular, atheletic people wearing spandex and very skimpy bathing suits. :D

I also watched the women's marathon just to watch the various scenery of Beijing as the contestants ran through the city.

[black-dog.livejournal.com]

I found wondering if people would succeed too anxiety-inducing, and watching people lose too depressing.

That's really interesting -- I feel the same way about watching, say, baseball when a pitcher gets into trouble. It's like a drama about the fear of choking in a tough situation, which for some reason cuts too close to home for me. :)

It's really weird, because I don't really watch that much sports, but one of the things I sort of use watching sports for is a kind of psychic reminder that you don't always choke, that some people can constitutionally keep functioning under that kind of stress and it's a good thing.

Yeah, I am from Mars visiting Earth. I was always the kid with a book sitting on the sidelines when other people played softball or something. I've come to terms with it. :)

I wish I had watched some of the Olympics, but it's been years and years since I had a TV. So actually the idea seems almost nostalgic. And I don't mind the big events with lots of competitors -- like track or swimming, because someone's going to win.