Okay, so i know we're really excited about the First Annual FATMUN, but I thought I would bring up a topic I never knew was so touchy until just recently. Here it is. I have decided to opt in for the 2010 olympics tickets lottery. I know that the likelyhood of me 'winning' the option to buy tickets is low, but I am personally really keen on going to the olympics in Vancouver/Whistler. I believe that it is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to show off not only Canada, but BC, Vancouver, and our local friends and neighbours of which we are so proud. I believe that in the turbulent times of late (Bangkok int'l airport takeover, Mumbai attacks etc as recent examples), it is important to look at the possibility for positive future endeavours. Whether or not I do 'win' the option to buy tickets (seems silly, I know), I am looking forward to participating in whatever events I can, be they volunteer activities or not. If I am teaching, I am going to ensure that the events of the olympics are being followed in the classroom, and that activities surrounding them are actively pursued not only in the classroom, but also in the community. The olympics to me, seem like an amazing gathering of many of the worlds' best athletes for events with a common cause.
Well, with that being said, I have noticed a lot of negative feelings towards the olympics. Be they the recent Beijing olympics and the environmental issues that seem to have been 'whitewashed', or the political issues involved with the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 olympics (RAV line bankrupting local businesses, homelessness and the lack of affordable housing, and a lack of addressing poverty in Vancovuer, to name a few), people seem to look for the negatives associated with the olympics, and not the positives. My friends in Vancouver are so 'fed up' with the olympics that they are heading out of town while they are in town, and are opting to rent their houses/apartments for a 'quick buck' instead of reveling in the once-in-a-lifetime set of events in their own city. I believe that today, it is important to take a positive outlook on whatever we can, as we are exposed to far too many negatives in our daily lives whether we like it or not. So yes, I know many people are opposed to the olympics and what it represents, but I for one, am all for events that bring people of many nations together for a common cause.
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2 comments:
A point of curiosity: what is so great about the cause of the olympics (apart from the exceptional athletic talents)? what other cause is there?
While I understand why sports and athletic endeavors are so important to people, and how the sense of community can be hightened by puting on such and event, I kind of don't understand the sense of thrill people get if "joe blow canadian" who you really don't know at all wins a silver in an event you've never even tried or seen live, nor really know anything about.
Ok, I guess I'm admiting ignorance...ignorance by choice though. :D
Fill me in on why this stuff is so great? (And please don't stone me or flame me guys, k?!)
:D
Sarah (a gal who is highly competitive and athletic at times, definitely full of pride for her corner of the world/neck of the woods and finds that the issues and politics outside of the athleticism that the olympics brings more interesting than the event itself)
It's not admitting ignorance; it's a valid point. I can understand why some people argue 'what's the point?'. I mean, it is all a matter of opinion. Some people are interested in knitting, others may be interested in calligraphy. It is just a matter of opinion. The 'cause' in my opinion, is that of solidarity. Yes, a bunch of jocks getting together to see who can ski down a hill faster than the other seems like a silly cause to support, but I see it as more than that; I see it as overcoming racial discriminations, overcoming nationality discriminations, overcoming adversity, coming together for peaceful competitions (yes, I know it's oxymoronic). I can see both sides of this, and I am totally respectful and understanding of both sides of this. I just think that people do indeed forget what they are all about.
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