Olympic Consent: manufacture this

If the Olympics Games serve no real importance, then why do we care? From Chomsky’s thought, what is that we are submitting to? Although it would be nice if it ended wars or created peace agreements, the Games don’t serve that purpose, nor can I recall a time it has; however, I can recall the times it did the opposite (i.e., Hitler fascist rise to dictatorship). What is the significance, perhaps even importance, of the Olympics? As hundreds of blogs (outside of our CBC) have pointed to it is about us celebrating our pride, and our great nation.

I recall my store manager for the Lethbridge Bay, saying something along the lines of “they must have underestimated Canadians’ pride”, she was referencing the fact that many stores including this one had run out of Olympic wear, as HBC had ‘under-guessed’ sales.

Now I’m not saying that these Olympic athletes don’t have legitimate reason to exercise their talents, nor is it contested anyway in this post. What I am asking is, why is it that the entire nation is partaking in these games, including all major news and media outlets. Why is there more open discourse around the signature mitts then there is about proluging parliament, including dialogue in newspapers? How did the combined discursive texts on Afghan detainees, Haiti’s transformation in the West’s personal garment factory and shutting down parliament get out weighed by Olympic coverage? How does something so obsolete like the Olympic Games get precedence over “things that matter” significantly more to Canadian and non-Canadians lives? Then again “matter to whom”, but I still wonder why should it matter more.

These games, like all major sporting events function (or at least act) as a major distractions for people. What a better time to shutdown parliament then when the games are starting up: people are order/buying Olympics merchandise (2 millions gloves had been sold then), people are making sure they have ordered the right channels to watch the games, people were securing accommodations for the Games or going early to see the giant flame, making sure they got a chance to see the torch when the runner came through their city, and arguing and debating who was going to win gold and in which competitions. The athletic competitions are one thing, but the precedence of these competitions over political/legal, social and economic problems is a very different issue. I cannot say whether games were created for this purpose, nor will I speculate; however, I will affirm that they now serve that purpose.

What real purpose do the games serve to our nation? The purpose these games serve is on a much more abstract and fluid scale, the games serve as vehicle for strengthening national cohesion, which is not necessarily a negative, but the function of the cohesion is important. Formulating a Canadian consensus, serves to reinforce those thought-regimes that are most privileged in the Canadian’s psyche. If we are Canadian, and proud to be it, what does that mean? What is Canadian, Canada has relatively unacknowledged legacy and foundation – that still plays out – of colonialism, racism, hetero/sexism, ablism, eugenics and poverty/classism. Many of these are relatively unacknowledged and sincerely attempting to make up for it (apologizing for it does not make up for it). But we have nostalgic ideas that are country is a peace keeping nation (see the Somalia Affair and the Afghan’s RAWA), human rights upholder and defender (we are flagged every four year by the UN for violating human rights in Northern Alberta under Sec 25, 26 & 27 of the UDHR, and by Amnesty under various international declarations), as well we are seen a harmonious multiculturalism (despite our discourse of multiculturalism upholding what Thobani refers to as White-supremacy or our racist immigration policies, and finally what many Native writers have called a “song & dance” forum). However, if your not engaging these discussion and just joining into “I am Canadian” then you just assume that the nostalgic ideas are reality. Even if you are adversely affected by parts of legacy you can still join in with the Canadian pride bandwagon, it might help you forget (forget things like the highway of tears).

One newspaper article (Globe & Mail, 02/25/10, O7) wrote about the Canadian fans and explained “not all the fans here are pro-Canada”… what is to make of those who did not root for Canada (remember we live in dichotomous/binary/dualistic society). Those who did not buy merchandise and cheer as loud as they could were anti-Canadian? Perhaps this is a leap, however, in Germany during FIFA 06’ a number of Black fans who had come to Germany for the games were beaten up by German fans (before the matches began). What happen to the anti-racist rhetoric of the games, or the bringing together of nations; these games are a hyper-masculine discourse; I am arguing that they do not serve the unity or peace (or any other temporary form veil of ignorance) purpose especially under rhetoric of competition. These games hegemonically serves as a positioning tool for each nation, to position the loyal and the Other, (un)fortunately FIFA was not embraced in Canada to the same scale demonstrated in other Nations, nor were the games anything like Olympics games. If we all join in as Canadians proud of our great nation, and shed all of our social baggage (race, gender-sex, ability and sexuality) what does it say as nation(al myth), WE ARE ALL EQUAL NOW – even though were not?

How are sporting associations that support a positive idea (anti-racism, anti-homo/trans-phobia or anti-war) going to do anything with a banner or statement? These issues are deep and embedded and require thoughtful discourse. Saying something like I'm against racism DOES NOT reverse or dismantle hegemonic and structural forms of racism, it further conceals it in oblivion, and produces what Mariana Ortega calls “knowingly, lovingly ignorant”, you recongize(d) the problem but are incorrectly equipped and act(ed) with ignorance.