Watching the entrance of the athletes at the Sochi Winter Olympics, the shocking numerical dominance of Caucasians is, well, shocking.
Given the Eurocentric origins and continuing Eurocentric name of these "global" games, it's not surprising.
Snow White Privilege.
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1 comment:
My analysis of the opening ceremony: The horses and wheel of fire was an obvious reference to the pagan mythology of Russia's past; this was bolstered by the use of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," which is about pagan Slavic religious ceremonies. The show skipped over the periods when the seat of Russian government was in Kiev and Novgorod, probably because this would require referencing the Viking (and thus, Western) influence in Russian history, and many Russians refuse to acknowledge it.
The reference to Peter the Great, the great autocrat who modernized Russia into an Enlightened state and expanded its sphere of influence, clearly tells you who Putin is modeling himself on. The ballet segment referenced Russia's great cultural treasures: its dance and literature. I never read "War and Peace," so I can't say if the particular scene chosen had any significance.
The Soviet segment was decidedly… nostalgic. The moment of silence for WWII was more effective than that of the London Olympics; it focussed more on the absolute horror of the war, without a hint of romanticization. The rest was nationalistic propaganda at its grandest. Tellingly, they glided right past the horrors of Stalinism.
All in all, an insanely prideful and patriotic opening ceremony. A Western country would never dream of doing something like that for their opening ceremony.
-Sean
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