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Remembering the Olympics

#5
As a Canadian I have to say that I hope this country never hosts the games again. WAY too much hype and I really got the sense that the reason so many Canadians got so excited is that Canada is such a bland country in general. These games just seemed to mean too much to too many for all the wrong reasons. :spit:
 
#7
bass12 said:
As a Canadian I have to say that I hope this country never hosts the games again. WAY too much hype and I really got the sense that the reason so many Canadians got so excited is that Canada is such a bland country in general. These games just seemed to mean too much to too many for all the wrong reasons. :spit:
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I have to disagree. As a Canadian I felt so much pride in my Home and Native Land, I had a hard time keeping a dry eye! I don't think Canada is bland at all - laid back, yes, but bland, never!
 
#8
Yvon said:
K.D. Lang is a great singer.
And that Leonard Cohen song is also amazing and will sound great no matter who sing it I think.
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Great singer, great tune. Got to play it with DK Imobeka singing it this weekend. Brilliant.

I came to Canada 30 years ago and I have to say that these two weeks of Olympics helped me feel more Canadian than I have ever felt. Same for my Dad.
 
#10
bass12 said:
As a PATHETIC Canadian I have to say that I hope this country never hosts the games again. WAY too much hype and I really got the sense that the reason so many Canadians got so excited is that Canada is such a bland country in general. These games just seemed to mean too much to too many for all the wrong reasons. :spit:
Click to expand...

If you had balls you'd leave.

But you don't. :eyebrow:

I fixed your lame post for you.
 
#12
bass12 said:
As a Canadian I have to say that I hope this country never hosts the games again. WAY too much hype and I really got the sense that the reason so many Canadians got so excited is that Canada is such a bland country in general. These games just seemed to mean too much to too many for all the wrong reasons. :spit:
Click to expand...

I can only hope I never feel that bitter about anything in life.

If the only accomplishment of the Games was too instill a greater sense of patriotism in Canadians for our country then they were worth it.

I think it accomplished more than that though.
 
#14
bmc said:
If you had balls you'd leave.

But you don't. :eyebrow:

I fixed your lame post for you.
Click to expand...

If I had balls I'd leave where? Given that you don't know me, I find it strange that you should come to the conclusion that I don't have balls. :hmm: You might be surpised, Swiss Miss, by how many Canadians were embarrassed by the display of patriotism at the games this year. Pathetic is, indeed, the word I would use to describe Canada's poor sportsman-like behaviour regarding the whole "own the podium" initiative.
 
#15
Geddyfleaharris said:
If the only accomplishment of the Games was too instill a greater sense of patriotism in Canadians for our country then they were worth it.
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Yeah, instilling patriotism really is what the Olympics are about aren't they? Again, if Canada needs the Olympics to provide some sense of self, I'd say that's saying a lot about how Canadians view themselves in general. Sorry, but hosting the Olympics is not, in and of itself, an accomplishment.
 
#16
Instilling patriotism is not what the olympics are about. Not at all. But what emerged was a true sense of identity embraced by Canadians that had never been seen before. Owning the podium was simply the challenge of rising up to be the best we could be. And we achieved it.

And I say we because I am a Canadian and a damn proud one after the event in Vancouver. We try to be "international" or watered down. We try to be like any other country. We didn't have to be. We were ourselves and the world embraced it and applauded it.

Canada has been a melting pot of cultures since its inception. Living next door to the USA made it hard for Canadians to grasp just what a Canadian was. American TV, fashion, programming, culture floats across the border every day. Canadian's sound, look and act like American's. (except for the "eh" thing)

Canadian's are friendly, crazy fun loving people. We discovered that those attributes were defining elements of our collective personality and we woke up to it in February 2010.

Yes, not all Canadian's agree. But those that don't get it will always moan and complain about everything. Always. It's never perfect. It's embarrassing. We're so stupid. I wet my pants. Why can't we be like somebody else. The country owes me a life. Blah blah blah.

It was a glory moment for Canada. They don't come around often. It was great. We did well. We were good hosts. We faced very tough competition. We almost lost the hockey game to an arguably better team. Be proud.
 
#18
To me it was hilarious see people going totally ape#### because someone they've never heard of won a medal in a sport they'd never heard of before the television coverage started 30 minutes previous. Cool if they're having fun, but if that's patriotism ... maybe I don't have that gene. Just can't get my national identity wrapped up in financial boondoggles and minndles whooping. Try to get people to show up to protest further eggregious taxation, borrowing, & waste ... or even to vote in elections - real patriotism - and almost no one cares.

Speaking of waste, I don't see how wasting money on the Olympics is a good thing. Or having "security" everywhere and black police helicopters overhead. It's a scam, and the opening ceremonies in my book were so-so while the closing ceremonies were something between an embarrassment and a disgrace - most shamefully the VANOC clown that couldn't pronounce any French words (how long did he have to prepare for this worldwide broadcast ... only 3 years?) and all the lip-synching. Sorry, world.

The sporting was generally good, though some of the events are obscure to the point of being silly. One man on a sled going forwards, one man going backwards, one woman going backwards, two women going forwards, two men, four women, one first nations two immigrants and a pear tree ... geesh. Same event the next day would likely have 3 completely different countries on the podium - one gust of wind in the chest and you lose 20/100 of a second and finish 5 places lower. Still, it's fine drama and it's nice to see ski bums and pothead unemployed snowboarders elevated to national hero status if only for a couple of days. I mean that very sincerely.

I do wish more focus in the speeches and broadcasts was put on how much work it takes to excel at that level. I do respect that work ethic and dedication a LOT. I wish that's what the Games were about in the public domain rather than sponsorships, graft, and overblown ceremonies. The Paralympics are now on - talk about athletic triumphs !! - yet no one cares. Even this thread talks about the Games in the past tense.

Never made any sense to me to have Winter Olympics in Vancouver anyway. We're lucky to see snow in this city in a given year. While the Olympics were going on we were hiking comfortably in t-shirts and shorts on the same mountains that some of the 'alpine' events were being held.

Glad it's almost over.
 
#19
bmc said:
Instilling patriotism is not what the olympics are about. Not at all. But what emerged was a true sense of identity embraced by Canadians that had never been seen before. Owning the podium was simply the challenge of rising up to be the best we could be. And we achieved it.

And I say we because I am a Canadian and a damn proud one after the event in Vancouver. We try to be "international" or watered down. We try to be like any other country. We didn't have to be. We were ourselves and the world embraced it and applauded it.

Canada has been a melting pot of cultures since its inception. Living next door to the USA made it hard for Canadians to grasp just what a Canadian was. American TV, fashion, programming, culture floats across the border every day. Canadian's sound, look and act like American's. (except for the "eh" thing)

Canadian's are friendly, crazy fun loving people. We discovered that those attributes were defining elements of our collective personality and we woke up to it in February 2010.

Yes, not all Canadian's agree. But those that don't get it will always moan and complain about everything. Always. It's never perfect. It's embarrassing. We're so stupid. I wet my pants. Why can't we be like somebody else. The country owes me a life. Blah blah blah.

It was a glory moment for Canada. They don't come around often. It was great. We did well. We were good hosts. We faced very tough competition. We almost lost the hockey game to an arguably better team. Be proud.
Click to expand...

+1
 
#20
bass12 said:
Yeah, instilling patriotism really is what the Olympics are about aren't they? Again, if Canada needs the Olympics to provide some sense of self, I'd say that's saying a lot about how Canadians view themselves in general. Sorry, but hosting the Olympics is not, in and of itself, an accomplishment.
Click to expand...

All that is your opinion and you are welcome to it.

But......

Why isn't it about feeling pride for your country? I loved seeing the Canadian flags in the stands. Why isn't it an accomplishment? Is it not ok to show off our great country to the world and feel good about it? Own the Podium was not pathetic. It was a goal. There is an old saying that says you aim above the mark to hit the mark. I am not sure what "poor sportsmanship" you are referring to. The athletes I saw on TV all presented themselves with class.

Oh that's right. Canadians are supposed to be humble and have the attitude that ...gosh....gee whiz...we are just happy to be here. Even if we finish 39th all the day. To heck with that. Go big or go home.
 

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