The opening festivities took place during my work day today, but because I work from home and had a rather light on-the-phone day today, I was able to have the television on, across the room from my work cave. I wasn't able to stay tuned in from end to end, and much of it was on with the sound turned down while I worked, but from what I was able to catch - it was very well-done.
The ceremonies are hard to describe. Imaginative, ingenious, trippy, whimsical, freaky, artistic, stereotypical, stunning, breath-taking, over-the-top, tacky, wonderful, all at once. As pageantry, I can't think of anything I've seen recently that comes close to it. I loved all of it. I loved the boats sailing down the Seine with the athletes. I loved the entertainment breaks. I loved the references to French history, culture (including pop culture), literature and the arts.
In some ways, I think contemporary culture is losing its appetite for public ritual. These spectacular opening ceremonies have been a tonic for people (like me) who think the public needs ritual.
France, and increasingly the Olympics, are two entities which tend to get bad raps in America, especially from conservatives. Maybe I am just a closet Francophile, but anyone who can watch those ceremonies and not fall in love again with France doesn't have a heart that beats like mine. France midwifed our nation's birth. Then our revolution helped inspire theirs. Then, in the 20th century, we helped save their bacon - and if they ever called upon us again, if it was up to me we'd do it all over again in a Paris minute. We can find the French hard to love, and they can return the sentiment, but we are intertwined, and we need one another, and the world is better for having both of us in it.
As for the Olympics: maybe I'm the only one who has issues with it. I find many of the athletes impossible to love, and the Olympics seem to bring out ugly nationalism, at least in some Americans. But the modern Olympics movement was founded to breed peace, and seeing these athletes from all these countries marching together and with mutual respect, I found myself thinking that maybe Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are actually within reach.
Did you watch the ceremonies? What did you think?
I didn't watch the ceremonies, but now I am incentivised by your description to try and find some footage of them. It sounds like they were fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit to having reservations about the Olympics, especially with regard to young people who give up any kind of an outside life in order to go for the gold or the silver. What happens when you reach the pinnacle of your life when you are barely into your twenties? I guess they think it's worth it or they wouldn't do it. But you hear too much about some not-great things that happen to them on their way to the ultimate victory.
Well-heeled friend had visions of her daughter being an Olympic gymnast. Enrolled her in Twistars, highly competitive kids' gymnastic racket at age 4. Some of their kids were funneled into the Michigan State program. Friend yanked daughter out of it a year later when she felt Twistars was toxic. The kid would come home from sessions sobbing for getting yelled at for not being as good as others. Then Twistars associations with Larry Nassar came to light.
DeleteNo argument from me about the French. They always do things well and creatively. And no one can sing of liberty like the French. Here is Poulenc's "Liberte". The last note just knocks me out.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/nNse9ycuhdA?feature=shared
Here, Mireille Mathieu sings the theme from the movie "Is Paris Burning?"
https://youtu.be/pSLP8lPur5g?feature=shared
They don't care if it's the Nazi occupiers or their own government cutting back benefits. "To the barricades!"
Not a big fan of the Olympics. But the boat parade looked fun, and looks like it went right past Notre Dame as it is being restored. Maybe they can keep the Seine clean permanently.
ReplyDeleteFrench things? Joan of Arc, the godawful Reign of Terror, Napoleon, smoking, New Wave Cinema, William the Conqueror, or anything flambé: Non.
But Charlemagne, Flaubert, Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, crusty bread, Montreal, allowing women to age gracefully, Impressionism, yé-yé girl singers: Mais oui!
Jean, I must ask: you are anti-William the Conqueror? Perhaps you see him as a destroyer of culture?
DeleteWilliam's policy slash, burn, slaughter, and enslave. Some literary historians read Sauron and his Orcs as an allegory for William.
DeleteNormans and Saxons, brings back memories of reading Ivanhoe as a teen.
DeleteWe watched about an hour. I love seeing Paris and was so lucky to have lived there for almost a year. I was a little sad though because it’s not likely that my husband and I will ever go to France again. I am grateful for the half dozen or so trips that we did have in France. We had planned to be there again this summer (but not during the Olympics!)
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I think that becoming an Olympic athlete can be a very different experience depending on the sport and the country. In the summer, the “glamour” sports that get most of the attention in the US are swimming and diving, gymnastics, basketball, and track and field. The US does not subsidize our potential world class athletes. But many countries do support their athletes financially. China identifies them quite young and starts sending them to special schools etc. I don’t know how many of their athletes compete because of their love of the sport. It’s considered their patriotic duty I think. My husband was a rower and so was our youngest son. It’s a minor sport in the US (although George Clooney may have boosted interest). Both competed in international competition, but my husband only made it as far as a big regatta in Canada. Our son rowed in international competition in Canada, England and in the Under 23 World Championships in Belgium - designed for younger rowers to gain major international competition experience because generally they peak in their late 20s and early 30s. It was very exciting to be there watching. But the world press seemed to have forgotten about it. Even Olympic rowing doesn’t get much press in the US. My husband has( had - in their 80s now):several friends who were Olympians, as does my son, although neither my husband nor son made it that far. In the US, rowing is not a glamour sport that gets lots of attention. It’s really big in England, and pretty big in Germany and a few other countries. Generally, rowers in America row and compete because they love the sport. My husband’s closest friends throughout his life were his rowing friends. It’s the same for our son, who married a coxswain. Her parents were Olympians - her dad rowed for the French and her mom coxed the Polish Olympic team. They got engaged at the Montreal Olympics. Rowing is in the family.
The American rowers don’t receive a dime. When our son went to the World Championships we paid all his expenses. .Some of his teammates didn’t have families who could support them so their friends and families threw fundraising events. In Belgium at the Championships we learned that the crews from Australia, New Zealand and many other ( most) countries were subsidized. Our son’s friends who continued on to try for the Olympic team took “rower jobs” in order to train - retail, restaurant, barista etc to have flexible schedules for training.They bunked together, often sleeping on air mattresses on someone’s floor - rowing enthusiasts would host them in their homes so that they could survive on little money and keep training. The priest who ran the Catholic Student Center at Princeton was a big rowing fan and hosted more than a dozen rowers when they were at Princeton training to go to Belgium, including our son, with most sleeping on the floor. Katherine, obviously some Olympic athletes fall apart later. But based on Olympians I know personally, all rowers, the discipline, teamwork, and other personal skills they developed while rowing also helped them throughout their lives, and they went on to live good, productive lives - personal successes ( marriages, families, community etc) and careers. I enjoy watching the Olympics and am happy for the athletes who are there as long as it’s not because it’s their patriotic duty. I think the athletes in the glamour sports that get all the attention have the hardest time and are the most likely to have been abused or traumatized by the intensity in some way. Those in sports that are mostly ignored ( like rowing) and are not under the intense glare of the TV cameras probably enjoy the experience more.
Anne, a couple of months back, there was a documentary on PBS about the University of Oregon rowing team from the 1930s. It may have been an American Experience episode. Did you happen to catch it? It was fascinating. I understand it's a minor sport now, but apparently it was very popular then and received a lot of media coverage.
DeleteAnne, I think you are right that becoming an Olympic athlete is a different experience depending on the sport you are in.
DeleteOne sport that you hear some disturbing things about is gymnastics. For one thing it isn't a team effort like rowing, so more pressure on the individual. And there is heavy pressure for the gymnasts to stay small and light, sometimes leading to eating disorders and unhealthy training practices.
Many young gymnasts were sexually abused by coaches especially at a live- in training center that the girls were sent to. I believe it is in Arizona.There was also abuse at Michigan State. It’s the biggest abuse scandal in US sports with roughly 500 gymnasts abused over the years, according to Wiki. I think women’s ice skating might also be problematic. Skaters are usually small and light also and it’s one of the high visibility Olympic sports. Many Olympic sports have doping problems too. Right now there is a controversy with the Chinese swimmers.
DeleteSick coaches taking advantage of cute young girls. Young girls not knowing how to handle it or how to tell their parents. There has barren abuse in some other sports, but women’s gymnastics had the biggest problems.
Jim, the documentary was about the University of Washington rowing team that was made up of poor working class boys during the depression. At that time rowing was mostly popular at east coast schools, especially the Ivies. And apparently it was legal for UW to pay the rowers so hundreds turned up to try out for the team. The team shocked the country by being selected as the Olympic team ( now the rowers are selected individually after being invited to “ selection camps”. Not whole teams. The UW team then shocked the world, especially Hitler, by winning the gold. George Clooney produced a movie that came out last December based on the UW team story in the book called The Boys in the Boat. UW still dominates collegiate rowing in the US.
Jim, the preliminary round of water polo games is today. I marine the only way to see them might be on the internet.
DeleteHungary loses to Canada in men's saber fencing. Szilagyi has beautiful form, but Fares was just more aggressive and quicker. Szilagy has won three gold medals, and guessing Fares studied his moves until he could anticipate what Szilagyi would do. Here's the tight cut. So fast, I couldn't follow it all!
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/gz3altWDqfQ?si=neEZkN-skaEb-3Wq
Everybody needs to stop watching the Olympics now. Bishop Barron and other Christians are mad over the fact that some drag queens participating in a drag show arranged themselves into a loose configuration of the Last Supper, which they took to be anti Christian.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.foxnews.com/media/viral-catholic-leader-says-christians-becoming-too-weak-against-olympic-drag-queen-spectacle
Sorry, drag queens participating in a fashion show. Plus gay icons Lady Gaga and Celine Dion were there. Cover your kiddies' eyes!!
DeleteWhat I am reading is that the ones who thought it was the Last Supper got it wrong, it was supposed to be a representation of Greek mythology, Mt. Olympus and that sort of thing. Of course maybe the biishop wouldn't think that was any better, because pagan gods.
Deletehttps://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/olympics-opening-ceremony-last-supper-controversy-a-misunderstanding-birmingham-business-owner-says/ar-BB1qKG1p#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20scene%20in%20question%20was%20not%20a%20depiction,in%20ancient%20Greece%2C%E2%80%9D%20Johnny%20Grimes%20wrote%20on%20Saturday.
DeleteMy reaction is that there are a lot of Christians out there who work extra hard to find things to feel offended and persecuted about on behalf of our Lord. Are a few guys in eye shadow and stilettoes worth freaking out about next to the rest of the world's troubles?
DeleteJean, my sentiments exactly. Before Barron and bishops and right- wing Christians who see blasphemy everywhere they look drew attention to it it’s likely that relatively few people even saw the performance and that even fewer would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was a take off of the painting. I have read that others - art experts included - say there are too many differences between the performance and the classic painting to say definitively that it was meant to represent the Last Supper. For example, there were 17 performers but only 12 apostles. Etc. Another tempest in a teapot.
DeleteI've seen parodies of the Last Supper with cats. Maybe they could send out some pressers on that, too. But they won't. Unless the cats are gay or in drag.
DeleteWas discussing this subject with my sister yesterday. She reminded me that the words "provocateur" and "double entendre" have a French origin. They are kinda good at both.
DeleteNot an expert on French things by any stretch, but speaking of provocateurs, Paris gave us the Moulin Rouge's naughty can-can and the Theatre Grand Guignol, grandmere of the modern horror movie generally. It reflected early 20th century fears about science running amok without moral controls, especially the Weird Science/Mad Scientist themes. It can get repellent at tines, but "deviant art" (and tolerance of it) has a long French tradition.
DeleteAnd, just because I was idly looking up examples of deviant or degenerate art, I found this interesting bit from the Victoria and Albert Museum about the Nazi attempt to cleanse its museums of objectionable art. The V&A has the only catalogue still in existence that lists all the pieces found objectionable to the Third Reich and removed from German museums for degenerate art shows, sale, or destruction.
Deletehttps://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/entartete-kunst-the-nazis-inventory-of-degenerate-art
Fine to object to art that pushes boundaries, but so often the True Believers decide it must be banned altogether, whether it's statues of Robert E Lee or copies of that kid's book about the gay penguin.
I missed that part of the opening ceremonies, and haven't had a chance yet to watch the video clip, but my understanding is what Katherine noted: that it wasn't supposed to represent the Last Supper at all.
DeleteIf the the segment was supposed to be a riff on Leonardo da Vinci's famous mural: da Vinci was Italian, and his mural is in Milan. So it's not at all clear why opening ceremonies that clearly was celebrating all things French would choose that as a subject.
According to a report in the Washington Post this morning:
Delete“The idea was to do a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus,” Opening Ceremonies choreographer Thomas Jolly told the Paris-based BFM network on Sunday, according to France 24. “You’ll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone.”
But organizers reportedly acknowledged Sunday that Jolly “took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting.”
I have not seen it, and I'm not going to bother looking for it because I'm a Bad Catholic tired of rightwing outrage over perceived irreverence toward their totems.
Would be interested in your take if you watch it, Jim.
Jean - I started a new topic, so I could put the two images side-by-side.
DeleteJean, I am a True Believer when it comes to (misguided) honoring of Confederate leaders. I live within two hours drive of the sites of the bloodiest battles of the civil war. In my town, there are two communities that were founded by freed slaves. Their descendants still live in them. I suspect that those who live far away from where this history occurred don’t really grasp how upsetting it can be for African Americans to constantly see statues and memorials that honor those whose fame came because they were fighting to preserve slavery. There are/were many statues and monuments to confederate leaders all over this part of the country. I have no problem with Lee’s statue (and others) being in a museum, along with appropriate commentary that conveys the history - that he was a traitor to the US - an admired general who betrayed his country - not for a moral cause but for an evil cause.
ReplyDeleteThere is an historic marker by the Episcopal church that we attended for years. It told the history of a Confederate general riding into town and arresting all the members of the Vestry who had condemned the confederacy. I was pleased to learn that even then this small church in a small town in Maryland, south of the Mason Dixon line, stood up for what was right, which was not true of all the churches in the south.
Leave the monuments alone is my view. Let communities put up new monuments nearby to add context. Remaking the public square to reflect only your views is not America. It's why the Michigan Capitol grounds has a Christmas tree, a menorah, and let's the Satanists put up their "snaketivity."
DeleteTwo of my great-great grandfathers survived the entire Civil War, damaged, but alive. John Hughes and Albert Deits. They had brothers who weren't so lucky. More men in my family died in that war than any other. Both attended Civil War encampment reunions every year, where they met fellow soldiers on both sides because nobody else understood the horrors they'd seen. If they could bury the hatchet, I'm not sure why I have the right to keep the feud going.
I guess we will just have to disagree on this one. Your ancestors weren’t African American nor are you, as far as I know. It’s one thing to show the history in a museum, but it’s another to have these statues in pride of place in cities and towns, and villages all over the south. The problem to me is that the symbolism - especially when wreaths or flowers are left at the base- is that they are honoring these people. Normally those honored in public places did good things, not bad. I have African American grandchildren who are beginning to learn about racism, who are descended from slaves. Trying to explain why Americans are still honoring these men should not be required. In driving throughout Germany on several trips I did not see statues that still honor Nazi leaders. I don’t propose changing names such as Washington and Lee University in Virginia because the name is because Lee helped establish this college. It is not called that to honor his role as a Confederate general.
DeleteI understand what you're saying and that you are emotional about this topic.
DeleteI'll just say that I'm not sure how anyone can understand America without understanding why people admired (and sadly and still admire Confederate leaders). A law banishing these monuments wholesale from the public square strikes me as sweeping things under the rug.
The problem is that they are honoring these people. That’s why they need to be in a museum with appropriate commentary.
DeleteThere are huge monuments in DC to Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. But few monuments to Revolutionary War figures in the small cities, towns, and villages even though there are statues of confederate leaders. George Washington’s home town was Alexandria, VA just 15 minutes ( by car) from where the District of Columbia was founded in 1790. His plantation was outside the city but he attended church in Alexandria, went to taverns there, etc. lots of historic markers in Alexandria. But no statues of Washington. Like Jefferson, his plantation depended on the labor of slaves but he didn’t free them until his death - it was in his will. He struggled with the moral issue apparently but the practical issue won out. Jefferson also was very dependent on slave labor at Monticello . Jefferson had tried to get something in the documents - the Declaration of Independence- that would require freeing all slaves but backed down because he was practical too - he needed the southern colonies on board to ratify the Declaration. Later he needed the slaves to keep his plantation. He knew it was a terrible moral wrong, but he didn’t even free them on death. As we all know now, he took a slave as his mistress after his wife died and bore several children with her, now officially acknowledged because of DNA tests on her - and his - descendants. He was broke then, bailed out by rich friends to save his plantation. His heirs had to sell it. However he and Washington are honored for what they did to free Americans from rule by a totalitarian government. They are not honored for fighting to retain slavery as the Confederate leaders are.
DeleteUntil just a couple of years ago, when entering Old Town Alexandria - the historic district - the first thing you saw was a large statue of a confederate soldier with his back turned towards DC. It was finally removed.
I have driven through many cities, towns and villages in the south with statues honoring confederate leaders but no statues honoring the founders of the nation.
I can't stand being Down South. It's like a foreign country. Had to go to Augusta, Dallas, New Orleans, and points in southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio on business. Somebody always got around to telling you how their Meemaw had a beautiful home in the country but the Yankees burned it up, killed her hogs, and ran off her "people." Huh. That's what happens when you lose, Beauregard.
DeleteVirginia is purple because it’s two states - northern Virginia, which includes the counties that are essentially suburbs of DC are blue. The culture is not southern. From roughly Richmond south it is the southern culture - the more southern the closer to the North Carolina border you get. When we drove to Florida every year we knew we were in the Deep South once the McDonalds stops for the kids had sweet tea and grits on the menu. And everyone said y’all.
DeleteNever been to Virginia. Raber went to school in Ohio near West Virginia just before The Boy was born and attended an Episcopal church there. Great people. Might have moved there had there been any jobs.
DeleteIn recent decades, the states of the Old South - many of them, anyway - have received influxes of Northerners looking for jobs and cheaper real estate. That's one of the main reasons that states like Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, and even Kentucky, are turning purple-ish. Around here, it is quite the trend for people contemplating retirement to buy property in Tennessee or Arkansas. So look for them to start trending a little more purple-ish, too. I haven't heard of anybody moving to Alabama or Mississippi, but perhaps they're experiencing some of it, too.
DeleteJust about every retiree in the local parish here winters in Florida or Texas. But they still vote up here, and they all live in Michigan enclaves down there. Would be interesting to know if northern retirees affect politics much.
DeleteAs for Yankees looking for work in the South, mixed bag. Cost of living is cheaper, but wages are lower unless you're in tech or finance. My brother went down there in the '80s, and I expect he'll move back after his mother in law dies.
Climate is nearly unliveable and will get worse. Cousin's carpenter husband was sent to Louisiana for clean-up after Katrina. Pay was good, but he said working conditions (rot, heat, snakes) were unbearable.
So how much Democratic Yankees will affect demographics going forward will be interesting to see.
Jean, we went to Sanibel Island for spring break with the kids when they were growing up. It’s on the Gulf Coast, near Fort Myers. My husband and I continued to go there in the winter once they were grown. Occasionally we went to the Atlantic coast, but much preferred Sanibel - no high rises, low key. Two thirds of the island is a wildlife refuge, and no building can be taller than 3 stories. Sanibel is very popular with mid-westerners, so we met mostly people from Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. The east coast from Jacksonville to Miami mostly attracts northerners from the Atlantic coast states. The snowbirds do head north again once the weather starts to get hot. Our oldest son lived in Fort Lauderdale for several years. He said a lot of Floridians had second homes in the mountains of Tennessee where they went in the summer to escape the oppressive heat and humidity of summer in Florida.
DeleteA few years ago, maybe during the run- up to 2020 elections, Margaret Renkl wrote a column in the NYT extolling the beauty and lifestyle of Tennessee. She lives in Nashville. She was trying to persuade Democrats in blue states to move to Tennessee and help transform the culture and politics.
Ha, the idea of anybody going to Tennessee "to escape the heat" strikes me as ludicrous. Curious: If Renkl loves Tennessee culture so much, why does she want to lure a bunch of Yankee Democrats down there to "transform" it?
DeleteProbably cooler in the mountains. Nashville’s is blue. Surrounded by an ocean of red. Maybe she’s hoping that the spillover of blues into surrounding communities will turn them blue too and that the process will continue. North Carolina is more purple these days because a lot of northern types moved to the Research Triangle area near Raleigh for work, diluting the red. The Dem governor of NC removed himself from possible consideration as a VP candidate because he feared that if he was gone campaigning the Republicans would somehow get bad stuff done in his absence via the Lt Gov who is a Republican. Not sure exactly how that would work.
Deletehttps://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nc-gov-cooper-opted-harris-vp-vetting-part-112387433
Jim, it’s a tempest in a teapot.
ReplyDelete