Let’s talk about the Olympics. I
know. It’s the most obvious event to discuss on this forum, but take a look at
what’s happening. It’s a joke. Personally, I love the Olympics. I cry, I laugh,
I’m on the edge of my seat to see who’s going to win gold. Those Cinderella
moments are priceless (actually if Cinderella wins, it’s worth a hefty
endorsement post-games). Besides all the triumph, shortcomings, theatrical
stories, and epic disappointments, something is wrong this year.
The Olympics are too political. The
controversy surrounding Putin and his anti-gay agenda and athletes and supporters
protesting, has turned the Olympics into a political PR battleground. Just look
at the team gear for each country. Germany is wearing a rainbow for the opening
ceremony. Obvious statement, much? Even the people working the event have
rainbow uniforms. Frankly, the Olympic workers’ uniforms are way better looking
than Germany’s.
These Olympics are a joke. It may be
my love for the summer games that has me thinking this, but then again, I don’t
think so. This year’s Olympics are nothing more than a giant international
scale version of high school girls fighting. None of the parties ever say
exactly why they’re upset. They make subtle statements. Is this really
diplomacy? Obama sent Billy Jean King as the U.S. representative. Google made a
rainbow banner with a quote attached to subtly express their disagreement with
Putin. Is this what our society has come to?
The millennial generation already
has issues. We’re taught to write fifty pages for a statement that could be
expressed in a paragraph. We learn very quickly how to drag things out,
bullshit, and express ourselves in symbols and colors. How about we stop that?
How about we say “We disagree with your view” or “I support ___”. Just say it.
I realize this basically goes
against the purpose of PR, but wouldn’t PR benefit from straight talking,
especially on the international scale where translation, symbols, and messages
already get confused and misunderstood. Why not cut back on the bullshit and
just say “Putin, we disagree with your view”? I might be naïve about what’s really
at stake or is there a cultural reason. There might be a cultural generality in
terms of communication and how things should
be disseminated across the world (thinking about the Zaharna reading).
Essentially, there’s a certain way to talk in high school.
Thoughts, complaints,
concerns?
I am in in total agreement with you that these games have spiraled out of control. The Olympics are supposed to be a time of international unity, an event where everyone in the world can come together, put aside their individual countries and culture, and celebrate the physical prowess of these amazingly talented athletes. While we all may root for our country, that doesn’t mean we aren’t appreciative of the achievements of the others who made it there, or of the beauty and wonder of another country and the show they put on. The Olympic committee knows this, and yet Sochi was still chosen as the site for this Olympics – and as a fan of the winter games I’m disappointed in the display of power money made in this decision. In terms of the messages that came after this decision, as Americans, I think we definitely tend to lean toward more blatant communication, but we must take other cultures and the delicate nature of politics into control. It may be that (to those in power at least) this is simply not an option, because we can’t afford to blatantly piss off Russia. Instead of making a condemning statement, or boycotting the games, the USA and others are simply finding ways to twist the knife of disapproval just a little bit deeper into Putin with each quiet display of support, and leave him silently seething with no real way to get them back, since they haven’t made any real statement. I’d like to think we are sort of making the best of a bad situation with these actions – we were given games in an awful location with a horrible situation, and now we’ve got to do what we can with them.
ReplyDeleteI do think it is interesting that the media outlets, well at least the U.S. media outlets, have had a seemingly continuous dialogue with their readers about the failings of Russia in putting on these Olympics. The gaffe during the Opening Ceremonies, the issues with hotel rooms not being finished, the killing of rabid dogs, the condition of the halfpipe and the list goes on and on. The Olympics coverage has seemed less about the athletes and more about everything that has gone wrong in the lead up to and during the games. It doesn't help the situation that NBC delays all of its broadcasts so it can pick and choose what to highlight, and usually that is something that speaks negatively about Russia. I am not saying that it doesn't deserve some negative press for the state of this year's games, but to my knowledge I don't recall a games that has focused less on the actual international athletes and competitions as this one has done.
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