Aug 19 2008
The OLYMPICS from Across the Ditch
Was New Zealand @ the Olympics?
There I was watching the open ceremony, looking forward to and wondering how I would feel watching ENZED enter the beginning parade.
When we finally got to it………after lots of commentary and team USA promo patriotic adverts………………. team New Zealand entered the stadium…………ahhhhhhhhh. I started to feel things.
Was Sam Warriner there from my hometown? THEN after barely 5 seconds of seeing Black….’we are gona cut to a break now!’
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. No it wasn’t our politics or nuclear policy, pure and simple someone made a call that we didn’t matter, that some other nation of ONE entrant was more interesting.
In that one moment I had such a vivid illustration of worldview and NZ place on the world stage thru American eyes. Didn’t they know I was watching in Denver??? LOL.
Of course its normal and good and okay for USA to be there for the collection of news about themselves. If Naru had a broadcasting crew, they wouldm be there for Naru. Which makes me wonder, who does cover the little guys @ the Olympics for the fans at home. Eg,Samoa and Tuvalu had a representative this year….who does I wonder.
Maybe coverage isn’t that important, but being there is.
And there is worldview in a nutshell. America wants to see America, NZ wants to see NZ, Ukraine..Ukraine and so on down the line.
It all illustrates our preoccupation with ourselves, which to be honest some of which is good and healthy and needed BUT if we go deeper into it, PERHAPS the Olympics is just ritualised imperialism or one upmanship for some nations. And nothing is really gained from the spirit of competition that is mind broadening beyond a fascination and cutesy value of other competeing nations. Apart from the opening and closing ceremonies the media does nothing that will perhaps parallel relationally what is happening on the ground between the athletes in terms of life changing meetings.
IMAGINE if the media talked to competitors and people from other countries than there own, and there was passion and pride in a more global way. THEN I think the Olympics could be a defining time for all the nations.
IMAGINE being interested in the worldview of other atheletes from strange lands.
I didn’t mean to deep here but here I am again pondering serious stuff. IF I had been in NZ I know we would have got more than 5 seconds of USA entering the stadium. I know you gotta cut to the break somewhere in the studio BUT? I think NZ has a less self absorbed view of itself and others.
So I want to have a worldview that sees the adventure of getting to know what others think as a primary objective. It by no means giving up your own convictions, or worldview BUT it sets a platform for UNDERSTANDING and with understanding comes tolerance, and sometimes understanding comes with a big stick too. I don’t want a gushy accept all behaviour kinda world. Its just not good when the stick comes out from self absorption or the road to understanding hasn’t been walked first.
So I wont get to see NZ’s entry and performance at the games, and find out how I will feel about it.. I don’t have a clue from TV how many medals we’ve got or how Sam Warriner did.
BUT the USA team patriotic adverts are the same, just no silver fern or black. AND I am happy to feel pleasure and pride in USA’s achievements. Its a different worldview, thats all.
I like your comments as it certainly initiates some debate within ones self. I do stand on the throne of being proud of ‘kiwi’ acheivements and especially our sporting ones. Its because they do put us on the world stage. Other than that we have our Sir Ernest Rutherford. Now he is famous. It just seems that as ‘kiwis’ alot of our inventions or things that we are good at that are not sport, get lost in the big wide world. We don’t have Henry Fords or famous politicians like US Presidents, or famous gansters or buildings, or a space program. We do have kiwis that work in some of these places around the world but they are absorbed under the banner of the country or company they work for. So at least our sport puts us out there and as a result I become a little ‘one eyed’ at such occasions as the Olympics, even a little ‘teary eyed’ with joy for our little home nation. The dose of humility is accepting a loss but being proud of the effort that has been made to even get there and compete with other nations. For having done so we all get to witness the efforts of others from around the world and hopefully that will broarden our view and stir us to ponder the many cultures of our planet.
Well said John. Well said. This well captures the kiwi perspective and stance I think.