POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL
"Own the podium" is a genuinely stupid expression,
not in keeping even with Olympic ideals.
Naturally, money and resources dedicated to any object,
however trivial, can give results.
I wonder how many Canadians care enough about things like
rowing or badminton or trampoline to even walk down the street to see someone
playing?
Not a lot, would be my guess.
With all our genuine needs as a society - everything from
bridges and roads in need of replacement to medical needs - the dedication of
large amounts of taxpayers' money to sports is of doubtful merit.
As for the Olympics themselves, the constant repetition of
country names, flags, and anthems is in direct contradiction to genuine sports
ideals.
It is supposed to be a competition of individuals in an
international atmosphere, not a mock war between nations. Indeed, this modern
emphasis owes a great deal to Hitler's Berlin Olympics in 1936.
Indeed, that is when truly barbarian concepts like the
quasi-religious running of the Olympic torch had their beginning - stuff
straight from Dr. Goebbels' mind.
One thing Canadians might learn from this waste of money in
search of momentary drum-crashing national prestige, the same principles are
now being applied to politics by Harper.
He works tirelessly towards the American system, which is
one where vast amounts of private money from special interests are collected to
finance campaigns.
It's precisely what has turned a democratic institution into
a plutocracy.
