(pause for emphasis)
Before this page returns to our regularly scheduled deprogramming, I would be remiss to not address some of the awestruck jawdropping among the media with respect to the spectacle of the past two weeks. I don't believe anyone thinks any differently about China as a result of these Games, the only difference is that viciously myopic Chinese Nationalists are going to be a little more vicious and myopic for the foreseeable future. Putting on spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies and winning most of the Gold Medals proves what a totalitarian regime with money to burn can accomplish, it does not, by any means, validate it. On that note, kudos to the CBC's Mark Lee for reminding viewers of the bloodshed at Tiannmen Square in 1989 as the marathon runners were passing through that square in 2008.
Before the Overlords of 'The Best Place on Earth' (tm) edition of the Five-Ring Circus get any ideas, let's put to bed any ideas of Vancouver needing to put on a 'better' Olympics than China did. This is somewhat of a ludicrous tipping point because Vancouver is still a city with some glaring self-esteem issues. A lot of my neighbours aren't happy with outranking Edmonton, Regina or Winnipeg, they want to mentioned in the same breath as Madrid or Rio or Tokyo. The lack of objective empirical criteria for great cities and respective bells and whistles doesn't faze these people, they're the same ones who can sustain heated arguments about which country had the best presentation at the Celebration of Light fireworks.
If the 2010 Opening Ceremonies feature Mike Reno screeching about how "Everybody's working for the Weekend.", so be it. If Whistler condo owners stage a blockade of the Sea-to-Sky Highway to protest the lack of ready access to their Whistler condos because of Olympics-related traffic, so be it. If Canadian athletes Groan the Podium rather than Own the Podium (tm), so be it. There's no such thing as staging a 'better Games', especially with only 536 days until the curtain rising at B.C. Place. However, there's still a chance to stage a more cost-effective, environmentally sensitive, and socially conscious Olympics. China has left the field wide open in those disciplines, and the home field advantages for Canadians, British Columbians, and Vancouverites are in the upcoming Federal, Provincial, and Municipal elections. We can put leaders in place who are willing to Go for the Good more than Go for the Gold.
VANOC: Everyone's watchin' to see what you will do...everyone's lookin' at you...
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