Torn

A year and a half ago, the Winter Olympics were held in my home country (albeit 4512 km (2803 miles) away from me.  (As information: the distance from the easternmost city in Canada -- St John's, NL -- to London, UK is only 3744 km (2326 miles). And St John's is 3172 km (1970 miles) from me. As the Arrogant Worms so memorably put it, Canada's Really Big.

("It isn't what you do with it, it is the size that counts...")

I have to confess I got sucked right into the maw of Olympic over-enthusiasm last time. In my defence, I was far from alone: hell, over eighty percent of this country watched Canada win the gold medal in men's hockey. It was something of a relief to stand up and be counted, to imitate the rah-rah U S A! U S A! patriotism we have seen so much of. And to be justified in doing it, as we won more gold medals than any host nation had ever won at a Winter Games.)

The Olympics are a spectacle, and spectacles are by definition mesmerizing. If they were a  movie, the poster might look like this:

It used to be easy for me to subsume myself in the pomp and pizzazz of the Opening Ceremonies, to immerse myself in the thrill of competition, to cheer my country on. That was back when setting a "personal best" actually mattered...these days, it often seems to be all about medals, specifically gold medals. But every Olympiad brings stories of incredible obstacles overcome, sportsmanship, tragedy and triumph that are captivating, and I try my damnedest to keep my mind on these stories and the competitions themselves. I try not to think about the McDonald's has the exclusive right to serve so-called 'chips'. You know, McDonald's, that most British of institutions that's the first place you think of when you think of authentic fish and chips. I try not to think about the possible terrorists who were let into the country despite an obscene amount of money spent on security. I try not to think about how just saying "London Summer Olympics 2012" in any combination and in just about any context could land you a thirty thousand dollar fine.

You know, that's a pretty long list of things not to have to think about. Don't think of a white elephant. Damn, too late...oh, speaking of white elephants, check out the Beijing 2008 venues just four years on.

Yes, I'll probably be watching and cheering. The pull is damn near irresistible. But for the nothing it's worth, I'll be watching this year with a heady dose of guilt to go with the anticipation.