I’m going to be honest here, I fucking love the Olympics. I always joke it’s my excuse to be obnoxiously nationalist for two weeks before going back to my usual hate-filled ways. I remember where I was, crying, for both of Canada’s hockey wins in Vancouver 2010. I had pictures of Adam van Koeverden on my bedroom wall before Beijing 2008 – he’s now a Liberal MP so we have beef, but we’ll always have Beijing, Adam. Names like Clara Hughes, Alexandre Despatie, Virtue and Moir, Simone Biles, Andre Degrasse, Usain Bolt, Alexandre Bilodeau all mean things to me and bring out genuine emotions.
But here’s the thing. I fucking hate the Olympics. I hate the IOC. I hate the destruction and displacement marginalized communities face when the Olympics come to town. I hate the way Black women are treated by the IOC and sub-associations such as World Athletics. I hate the inherent transphobia, misogyny, and misogynoir of the gender divide and panic over testosterone levels. I hate that they’ve banned protesting and “political statements”.
And guess what! There’s an extra layer of Olympic bullshit this year: Covid-19. The Olympics should not be happening. Bottom line. But they are. Because capitalism. Because the IOC is evil. Because we, as a society, have reached the point where Covid is “over” for us and we should be allowed to enjoy things again. And it’s shit! As of writing, 2 South African soccer players tested positive, the first positive cases in the Olympic village (this is probably already out of date). But there have been other athletes outside the village test positive prior to the games. You know, the people who have to be at their physical peak. But don’t worry. The Olympics have warned athletes not to use the free condoms handed out in the Olympic village (what) and have apparently constructed “anti-sex” beds made of cardboard. Boo to the Irish gymnast that debunked this. We have so little in this life, Rhys.
So I love the Olympics. But I also really hate the Olympics. Am I going to watch the Olympics this year? Fuck, probably. Will I feel complicit? Probably. The same way I felt complicit watching NHL hockey the past two seasons, the same way I felt complicit watching the Euros this year despite their position on so-called political statements – is there anything an international athletics organizations love more than banning political statements? I want to support these athletes, that work so hard and are such extraordinary athletes. But at what cost.
What I’m Listening To:
I think about this tweet a lot because:
It basically embodies the intersection of my interests, and;
It reinforces (to me) where I was and the capacity level I had to understand world-altering events that happened during my youth.
Specifically, in terms of this podcast recommendation, the Iraq War. Growing up as a lower-middle-class, white Canadian, my understanding of the Iraq War was limited to whatever was being said on CNN and the local news station my family watched while we ate dinner — which also wasn’t super informative as coverage mainly focused on Canada’s ongoing war in Afghanistan. A lot of my life and own personal education journey has been like an unlearning of the Iraq War, or more generally, the War in the Middle East. Unlearning the propaganda and misinformation fed to me by politicians, media, journalists, educators, etc. Blowback has been incredibly informative in terms of getting the FULL timeline of America’s involvement with Iraq and all the different aspects of the War in Iraq.
I’ve already started season 2, focusing on the Cuban Revolution, and am really enjoying it. What a topical podcast.
Internet Shit:
Jason Sudeikis Is Having One Hell of a Year
Jason, I have said this on Twitter but I would never cheat on you (allegedly) with Harry Styles as I’m terrified of his fans and also deeply believe I would try to fight him within an hour of having to talk to him. Please call me. I’m literally always free.
‘This is who I am’: Predators prospect Luke Prokop comes out
Till next time!
xoxo, Liz