Can the darned media just GIVE US A GOOD TIME AT THE OLYMPICS? (I like the white backrounded Olympics logo better but this black one I found seems to fit my point better)I can surely understand their heavy coverage of the poor Georgian luger who lost his life, what a terrible shadow the Olympics opened under (by the way, the Yahoo article headline about that is "Luger who died was terrified of Whistler Track" The actual quote they then cite is this "...Dad, I'm scared of one of the turns." Well, I guess you COULD say "he was TERRIFIED OF THE TRACK", huh? (although I think it's a great insult to the poor young man) Anyway, since the awful death, Yahoo headlines are in overdrive with BAD NEWS:
TENSE MOMENT! A "Bumpy Ride" Ends in Gold For Kearny....(her Dad got too excited and got tackled as he tried to hug his daughter....so what? It's SWEET)
Canadian Hockey Women FACE CRITICISM!!
CANADA's "FIRST NATIONS" (indigenous) welcome the Olympic Torch with "misgivings"
Indigenous people hope the Olympics shed light on their plight (what? It's THE OLYMPICS, people) They were against the Olympics because it would HARM THEIR LAND, anyhow.
Olympic Torch Malfunction "Latest Olympic Stumble"
"Vancouver's HOST OF PROBLEMS" (I have to admit that is a very cleverly worded headline, but...)
I could add more if I remembered what I've seen in only the LAST TWO DAYS SINCE THEY OPENED! And, yes, I KNOW bad news is sexier, but can't we all JUST HAVE A GOOD TIME IN THE SPIRIT OF THE OLYMPICS AND STOP DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE NEGATIVES?
(Of course, you all remember how MR Z FELT about the Olympics! He wasn't exactly all 'sweetness and light' but he made good points about professional sports and the Olympic games and he wasn't picking apart every aspect of what's supposed to be a REAL GOOD TIME!)
Now, those of you who haven't, please wish me a Happy Valentine's day in my post below.. and know you're wished one by me. xx Z
14 comments:
"If it bleeds, it leads." Nothing more true about the MSM than that.
BZ
I can't remember if I did or not, so...Happy Valentine's Day, Z! I hope you had a good one!
We are enjoying the Olympics! We enjoyed seeing Apollo get the silver, but also sad for the Koreans. I hope they won't be put in prison when they get home!
The mogols hurt my knees and hips, and I'm sitting on my couch! How do they do that?
What a win for the American in the cross country. I was tired after watching that! 1st time for a medal in that event.
Ah well, it is 2 weeks out of 2 years, and they train and train. I am so proud of all of them!
Good grief, the Olympics are so riddled with political correctness why bother?
A mercy rule? The women's Canadian hockey team whips another team 18-0 and a "mercy rule" is being considered? Well, boo hoo, a team was drubbed!
A poor luger was killed, and it was a tragedy, but they move the men's starting gate down to the women's starting gate?
How does that comport with establishing a new men's world record?
The men have only been practicing their luge runs for years, and now they have to start at the women's gate?
Gee, I hope the downhill ski run isn't too long or too high, we wouldn't want it to be too difficult. After all they're only vying to be the best in the world!
Then there's that indigenous people's complaint that with all their problems they are whining about having the Olympics there.
And listen you all who enjoy the competition, what's the matter with you? You thought you could escape your hum drum lives for awhile and enjoy something?
Well the media will set you straight. It's not really all that much fun when pettiness and carping can spoil it. And boy is the media good at that!
Maybe if we just turn the sound down and watch.
Pris
BZ...so true.
Linda..thanks so much,..back at you.
I'm glad you're enjoying the Olympics and not succumbing to all the negativity I listed..It's supposed to be fun!
Pris....isn't it amazing...watching with the sound down's a good idea!
I also thought it was SO STUPID of Yahoo to make a big deal about Meredith Vieira calling TERRY FOX the Olympian MICHAEL FOX....honest mistake, but they've got to DO STORIES about it!!:
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Classic-mix-up-NBC-confuses-Terry-Fox-and-Micha?urn=oly,219520
Oh, well......it's a different, uglier, "gotcha!" mentality world....how bad can it get? We just have to watch and see.
Maybe this is the media's attempt to get back at the IOC for not picking Chicago for the Olympics after Obama's attempt to get them!
Wish I could contribute to the good Olympic conversation here, but I have only read, and not watched. I have been following Apolo Ohno.
Happy Valentine's Day, Z.
I simply cannot get excited about the Olympics this go-round. Don't know if it's me, or if I've had enough looking @ snow to last me a while...ah, well, you're exactly right about MSM & BZ's quote is right on, "If it bleeds, it leads."
ugh.
IMO there is something so basically ugly about the Olympic Games that has become evident over the past few years. It seems to becoming more evident in Vancouver. Not only with the death of the Georgian luger but with the street thugs demonstrating in the streets and busting stuff — especially glass windows in the old capitalist roaders like the Hudson's Bay Company in downtown Vancouver.
In a recent televised interview the head of the Canadian Olympic Committee,Richard Pound, commenting on the accident on the luge run said it may be that the athletes lack the ability to handle the course which has been designed for speed. It struck me as the typical thinking of the bureaucratic mentality where the authority of the collective must be beyond question and point the finger of blame at the individual participant who crashed because he lacked the ability to handle the course — not that there may have been any design or engineering flaws which could lead to more of the same type of incidents. The Olympic Committee is beyond question ...
What self-respecting individual would partake in this four year farce? Too much pressure is placed on individuals to win for the primal pride of the tribal collective — and the cost of the farce to the taxpayers of the host countries is ridiculous when one considers that these athletes are treated like prima donnas living off the taxpayer for the years in training leading up to the games. But once the "games" start the pressure is placed on the shoulders of each individual to "win the gold" for the country — as if now the loan has been called to perform or else — and to do it for the "nation". Sorry, but I've never signed on to that sort of shallow nationalistic thinking.
Now the saying of the week is "we own the podium" and that is true literally since it is the Canadian taxpayer who has been conscripted into paying for this fraud, and to see the pressure placed on the individual athletes as they are hounded by the media ask if they can win a medal "for us". Is it any wonder that they don't perform as well as expected?
Waylon
P.S. There are some interesting blogs at the National Post site about the games — one by Rex Murphy might rile some Americans especially those who revere the "journal of record" the New York Times.
Oh, what the heck ...
Here's the link to the above mention column. I'll check back tomorrow to pick up the pieces ...
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/02/13/rex-murphy-faster-higher-stronger-dumber.aspx
Waylon
Waylon, I don't have time to check your link tonight but will on Monday.
But, thanks..I realize I forgot to put the LINK where I spoke in my post about how Mr Z felt about the Olympics anymore...
http://gollygeeez.blogspot.com/2009/08/mr-z-talks-about-sports-doping-big.html
It shows other reasons for not liking what they've become...this will really rile you up!
Thanks for supplying that, I'm eager to look when I can...got to make a phone call and I'm pooped tonight.. see you Monday.
Mr. Z said it well and covered the underlying ugliness of the Olympics in detail. I agree with him. One of the media stars of these Vancouver games is a black skier from some African country, which I don't recall off the top. But he looks cool in his snow leopard outfit and sunglasses on the slopes.
BTW, Z, I think you'll enjoy that article, it's good.
Waylon
The Olympics used to provide us with many an underdog hero, with an interesting story of hard work and dedication against difficult odds... Now it is highly politicized and as you point out, the MSM only wants to cover the negatives. I think perhaps the terror attack against the Israeli athletes in Munich years ago fed the medias need to find the negative aspects to report on, I really don't know. Also, the use of steroids and the increasing number of athletes who are sponsored for years and make no real sacrifices to get there may contribute. As I said, I don't know. All I can say is, I used to watch them continuously, now I can't tell you the last time I sat down and watched the Olympics.
HAM
I didn't watch any of it. I used to be a huge fan, but over the years the Olympics has lost its appeal for me.
Waylon, finally was able to read your link...it's not only excellent, but very sad and VERY funny "Carbon footprint of lint"..
I don't love the AntiCalifornia stuff, but 'if my shoe fits, I've got to wear it', right? And, mostly, he is right.
So, we've come to people feeling guilty about WINNING again.....heck, don't dismay for Canada, we're TEACHING how not to win in OUR country; to our kids and to our soldiers.
boy
Post a Comment