timeimmortal

Vox Day weighs in.

I hate everything about the Olympics. Its smarmy one-worldism, its long tradition of glorifying dictatorships, its pseudo-religious aura, its fake amateurism, and the ever-present corruption which begins with the host city bids and ends with the athletes. I hope the Beijing Olympics are the debacle that spells the beginning of the end for this long-running, obnoxious charade.

Don’t get me wrong, I still get passionate about what sport does actually occur at the Olympic Games, when said sports are not marred by drug scandals, doping scandals, or judges taking bribes. And I think most people feel the same way — most of us are drawn to sporting events, and revel in the successes of athletes.

The question, I think, is what price we are willing to pay to partake of sport, and what price we are willing to impose on others in our desire to revel thusly. How much corruption are we willing to permit? How many brutal crackdowns and other human rights abuses are we willing to turn a blind eye to? How many steroid-ridden sprinters are we willing to tolerate? How much legitimacy are we prepared to offer to nations that deserve nothing of the sort?

What is watching Canada take gold really worth to the average Canadian citizen? What should it be worth?

Update: Welcome, Steynians!

~ by Kenneth on April 8, 2008.