So who is gonna watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony??

[a kennedy]

I’m gonna…….I love to see all the countries in their fabulous country outfits……love it. 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

[applegrove]

1. Boycotting the whole thing. This from Sttudents For A Free Tibet:

Last edited Thu Feb 3, 2022, 11:30 PM - Edit history (1)

In the remaining hours before the Opening Ceremony of the Genocide Games, we showed the world the power of our movement. In more than 65 cities around the globe, with thousands of supporters, we took to the streets to take one last stand against the CCP and the International Olympic Committee before the official start of Beijing 2022.


As part of today’s Global Day of Action, SFT-India held a powerful political theater action.

It is easy to occasionally feel powerless in the face of authoritarian regimes and corrupt international organizations. But there are impactful ways we can all resist and stand up to Xi Jinping and Thomas Bach. Listed below are 3 things you can do right now to join the resistance against Beijing 2022!

Commit to not watching the Olympics and call on your friends and family to do the same. Share on social media with the hashtag #IWillNotWatch. Together, we can make Beijing 2022 the least watched Olympics in history.  Call on athletes to boycott the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. It is easier than ever to contact your favorite Winter Olympic athletes. Search their name on Instagram and send a message asking them not to attend in support of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians, and Hong Kongers. Additionally you can send them this article from the Washington Post covering the boycott, which features SFT's Executive Director, Dorjee Tseten. Tune in to SFT’s Facebook page starting at 6:30am EST/11:30am GMT (February 4th) for an alternative opening ceremony filled with the voices of cross-movement activists and artists!

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[MLAA]

2. Me! I remember the last opening ceremony in China and it was exquisite with the

Hundreds of drums and martial artists.

[nycbos]

3. I have mixed feelings about it.

I really enjoy the Olympics. In particular I think some of the winter sports are really cool. If the NHL was sending their players to the Olympics I would hope for great gold medal match between the US and Canada.

However given that it's in China I feel maybe I shouldn't watch given the atrocious atrocities being a perpetrated on the Uighurs.

[applegrove]

5. And the Tibetans. They kidnapped a child monk and have had him and his

family somewhere unknown for a generation. They basically stole the second most important spiritual leader. They have also been having massive immigration into Tibet from other parts of China to hurt the culture there too. And Hong Kong. They are socially genociding more than one people.

[nycbos]

13. Indeed.

But as Bob Costas said the Olympics has enduring appeal and has too much going for it for than ever to be hurt by all the scandals and corruption.

[applegrove]

14. Thanks for that.

[zipplewrath]

4. Kinda been over it

NBC and the Olympic committee have turned the whole thing into one big con. Too bad too since many of the participants aren't really in on the con.

[Slammer]

6. Curling FTW

I've been enjoying the curling.

[chillfactor]

7. Better things to do with my time.

[NoRethugFriends]

8. Nope

[BigmanPigman]

9. Nope. I am boycotting anything from China.

[Silver Gaia]

10. I will watch with you.

The Olympics is about the athletes for me. They can't help it that it's in China, that China sucks, or that the world in general sucks right now. Many of them have dreamed of this and worked hard for it since childhood. I will watch to support them and their hopes and dreams. Four years is a long time in the life of an athlete. For some this may be their last shot at being an Olympic athlete. I will be there for them.

I also love the opening ceremony. I have always seen it as a ritual, the only one I know of that is celebrated worldwide. It always inspires me, as do the athletes who stretch themselves to their limits. For themselves. To know for the rest of their lives that they could and did. But back to the ceremony, it has always been, for me, a ritual of peace and unity. It is my hope to feel that again in some part however small it may be.

I'm fine with those who want to boycott it. I respect your reasons, and agree that the Chinese government is horrendous and has committed, and will continue to commit, many atrocities. But I don't plan to boycott watching this. As I see things, me not watching this won't fix anything that's wrong.

All that said, I am not a sports person. I generally detest team sports. But this is different for me. I love the individual sports where, most of the tine, they are actually competing with themselves more than with each other. And for most, they respect and cheer each other on. That is always heartening to see.

My favorite sport of the winter Olympics is, of course, figure skating. (In the summer, it's gymnastics and swimming, and some track and field.) There is artistry and skill, and sometimes sheer perfection so beautiful it takes my breath away. I NEED to see this. I need to feel it. I need to experience it. So, yeah, fuck China. But I will be there watching with you. And this is why.

[a kennedy]

12. I absolutely love the parade of nations.....and their uniforms...

they’re athletes, they work sooooooooooooo hard for these games. I’ll watch, root, cheer, and applaud all their efforts. They can’t help what a horrible country China is…..they will just do their best to win and I love that. USA, 🇺🇸 USA, 🇺🇸 USA, 🇺🇸

[Silver Gaia]

15. 👍😊 🇺🇸

[DinahMoeHum]

11. Not the opening or closing ceremonies (in protest). But I will watch the competitions.

BTW, the originally selected USA flagbearer, Elena Meyers-Taylor (bobsledding) will not be there, because she's in Covid protocol (she'll be out of it in time to compete in her events). So she gave the honor to the runner-up in the voting, speedskater Brittany Bowe.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[aggiesal]

16. If you haven't seen the opening ceremonies yet ...

my favorite part is when they play John Lennon's Imagine.
Such a fantastic song.

[a kennedy]

17. Yes, yes, yes, one of my favorite songs of all time.......sad China had to use it I felt like

it was just used for propaganda purposes. But I did love hearing it.

[aggiesal]

18. Everything they did was for propaganda purposes. ..

The most egregious was who lit the cauldron.

[El Supremo]

19. All I'm seeing are commercials!

This happened 14 damn hours ago. I'm sick of the Olympics.

[a kennedy]

20. I KNOW.....WAY TO MANY....UGH...I DVR almost everything so I can pass the commercials.

USA Network, CNBC and NBC are carrying the most “live” competitions but they are in the AM’s……..China is about 13 hours ahead of us, so I do DVR all the live stuff, and watch during our day.

[Silver Gaia]

21. I watched, but I'm on the West Coast, so I am watching later than you.

I enjoyed most everything. I liked the opening sequence very much, showing how the Chinese view the seasons of the year. That's cultural, not political, and is an ancient tradition.

I also liked the use of Lennon's Imagine (my all-time favorite song), but at the same time thought it felt like an odd choice. Some here have suggested a propagandistic use, but I am wondering what you saw that led to that opinion. My thinking centers around the anti-religious nature of the song, and how that might appeal to the Chinese government, which is famously anti-religion. I understand that point of view and why it exists, and can even feel some affinity given the current state of religious extremism worldwide, but I see it as also being at the root of a lot of the worst oppression put forth by Chinese communism. So, my feelings on that are mixed. But it was pretty!

I didn't notice much if anything overtly political, but I did think some things, such as the theme of peace and unity, should be taken with a grain of salt. The only thing I really disliked was the use of those black uniformed, herky-jerky military guys in conjunction with raising the Olympic flag.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. Most of it was very beautiful.

Oh! And I definitely appreciated seeing Putin caught on camera all alone and fast asleep. LOL

++++++++++++++++++

Afterward, I went in search of Nathan Chen's outstanding skating from last night. Found it. Am in awe... this is OUR guy. Nothing like nailing your first performance of the year on the ice at the Olympics! He left the rest of them in his icy dust. USA! 🇺🇸