The bloody Olympic flame. I suppose it's meant to represent the ever burning human spirit or some such bourgeois cripe. You know, the universal idea of human fraternity, endeavour and striving. The Olympics are a thoroughly modern invention despite all the ancient Greek conotations. The games represent a capitalistic faux internationalism where sport is bound up with national prestige, diplomacy, corruption and contracts.
But the globalisation the nineteenth century started has started to look distinctly wobbly at the moment. The huge tax payer bailouts to our well intentioned but unlucky speculators and bankers who have, in part, created the current economic impasse/international recession are a massive indication that something is else is going out. Symbolically, the extinguishing of the flame in France can be interpreted as a rupture a tiny fissure in the smooth operation of monster capitalism.
The centre of the dispute is China and Tibet, of course, but faced with pissing off the Chinese with all its mouth watering profit factories or supporting a load of Buddhist no hope monks - our great leaders make only symbolic protests and change the subject. Besides, Gordo the UK arch Politician at the moment, has even gone so far as to call off the torch parade for the London games (sounds a bit 1930's as well doesn't it - apparently this whole farce can be traced back to the controversial German leader of the 1930's one Adolf hilterhttp://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/aryan-ideals-not-ancient-gr.html-were-the-inspiration-behind-flame-tradition-805746.html ). I wonder why Gordo did that? The sensationally difficult answer is, bien sûr, that if this little local dispute can create such an international hoo hah - what might the reaction be to the torch for the 2012 games being held in a country currently butchering civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan?
My bet is the Brits only 'won' the bid for the 2012 because Tony knelt down and assumed the position on Iraq for the Bush thugs anyway. Bugger the Olympics.
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