Everywhere, All The Time
So, I’ve returned from my travels and I have questions. Among them, why is a planet-wide celebration of athleticism and uncommon sporting prowess being introduced with yet another tedious display of cross-dressing, oddly selective sacrilege, and self-satisfied obesity?
Perhaps I’m missing something. By all means, illuminate me in the comments.
Update, via the comments, where dicentra adds,
I was struck more by the tackiness, the tawdriness of the thing. It just looked so inapt, so adolescent and low-rent. Hackneyed to the point of anachronism. It occurred to me that as a snapshot of a collective cultural psyche, a statement of where we are, or where Our Betters are. it doesn’t instil any great confidence. Or – what’s the word? – oh yes, pride.
Sort of,
I suppose the gender-bending and drag bacchanalia could be construed as some kind of comment on the current Olympic rules regarding who may compete in women’s events – i.e., women, not men. At least, not men who have gone through puberty. So, some men. But not as many as some activists and “allies” might wish. Say, ostentatiously “queer” artistic directors of Olympic opening ceremonies. Maybe even this small concession to physical reality – that men and women are different – was deemed a provocation, an outrage, and a basis for retaliation. As if not being allowed to cheat were a form of oppression.
It’s just a thought. Though not, I think, a wildly implausible one.
Also, open thread.
Drag queen quotas.
If any should doubt how real Jesus Christ is, let them see this. Because these people wouldn’t hate Him so much if He wasn’t.
Decapitated corpse talking to us?
Check.
Parody of The Last Supper?
Check.
Death come a-ridin’ in on a pale horse?
Check.
And some for some early morning listening.
I’ve been busy with other matters and I’m not, it has to be said, the world’s foremost sports enthusiast. I was barely aware that the Olympics was happening. Still, in my ignorance, I was expecting the opening ceremony to have some loose but discernible thematic relevance. The Beijing Olympics, as I recall, featured thousands of co-ordinated drummers, itself an impressive physical feat.
But from what I’ve seen, this year’s offering placed a much higher priority on transvestite vamping. The relevance of which escapes me.
I hesitate to say much more, as I didn’t watch the whole thing – and based on what I have seen, I wouldn’t care to. But as a snapshot of a collective cultural psyche, a statement of where we are, or where Our Betters are. it doesn’t instil any great confidence. Or – what’s the word? – oh yes, pride.
Sort of, “Yes, the Chinese put on a dazzling display of thousands of co-ordinated drummers, but hey, WE HAVE DRAG QUEENS, DECAPITATION, AND A FAT SEX-SWAPPED JESUS.”
Perhaps the intention was to demoralise the home teams.
Until last night, I never thought anything could top the rather cringe NHS worship segment of the 2012 Olympics. I was wrong. Frankly, the opening to Paris 2024 felt more like a humiliation ritual than an opening ceremony.
Highly suitable.
Maybe the Olympic Committee subconsciously wants SMOD…or a rain of fire upon New Sodom.
Ah, for the days when French women were typically rail-thin chic clothes horses existing on cigarettes and dry Martinis…
Speaking of athletic events,
Looks like someone didn’t get the memo.
That.
I’ll also take this opportunity to repeat a question I asked a few years ago. Namely, when relatives politely ask what this blog is about, what should I tell them?
Fashionable insanity.
Fashionable insanity.
Speaking of fashion for the insane, it appears these guys are still in business.
The elites are in a race to destroy the fabric of western civilization before enough wake up to destroy them first. Simple math really. The transition from rheostat control to on/off switch gets closer every day.
…when relatives politely ask what this blog is about, what should I tell them?
An online symposium of diverse international thought leaders examining the historiographies and psychosocial developments and ramifications of present and evolving trends and patterns of early 21st century arts, literature, sciences, and politics.
So…my experience last night…Wife looooves the Olympics and the opening ceremonies. I’ve lost interest over the years but still like to catch swimming, gymnastics, some track & field (I will watch virtually any kind of race), etc. After the best opening ceremonies that I remember in Atlanta in ’96 they have gotten more tiresome and overproduced IMNSHO. But she wants to watch and I sat here on my iPad trying not to roll my eyes too loudly. The crap and the PC/woke commentary (seriously, WTF does Peyton Manning have to do with the Olympics?) during the odious torch passing was pushing my patience. I was tempted to post a hostage rescue request on here. But after they lit the big torch I was drawn into it. Not a big Celine Dion fan, though as divas do I kinda like her and even as a Frenchy-ish some of the crap they throw at her is a bit overwrought). Assuming that wasn’t lip sync, her performance was awesome. I wish we had the technology to put the words of that song in English and some way scroll them across the bottom of the screen. Sigh. Maybe one day, should God grant me mercy(?) to live so long, we will have such technology. Anyway, I was feeling a bit bad about being so cynical. Then I saw this crap. F*** people.
Tell them it’s about time, it’s about space. Then show them this video. It won’t help but they likely will stop asking. But should they persist, I have other ideas.
I should add, again, that the relatives doing the enquiring are, I think, generally doing so out of politeness. At best, a mild curiosity. I already have to introduce to them the concept of blogging as a thing one might do. And so far, I’ve managed to escape comparisons with Instagram influencer. A comparison that’s both appalling and quite funny.
Nostalgie de la boue on a civilisational scale is the best I can come up with.
‘Watching others rearrange the deck chairs whilst offering advice’?
Tell them it’s like OnlyFans.
Heh.
YOU UTTER BASTARD.
Not that I’m trying to promote things one way or another but I’ve followed you and Ace, and to some extent Patterico, a few other blogs here and there for what…a dozen years or more. In all those years you and Ace have had some very interesting and/or funny stuff that I shared, providing the source as well. Especially when I was working I was a little nervous one of those many like-minded people might recognize me from the comments, should they bother to read these things as well. Personally I have been somewhat relieved that no one has dug into those and WTP remains a completely disconnected entity from my meatspace life. And yet…a dozen years or more…many reposts…you would think…eventually…
I don’t think he’s trying to chase them away.
Life hack.
*waits for drag queen Mohammed*
Surely they are all familiar with the concept of the newspaper or magazine columnist. What you do is much in that vein, but unconstrained by a publisher’s demands or by limits on length or by strict requirements on publishing dates. And with the added advantages of multimedia and direct links to sources.
Leave that blogging thong in the back of the dresser drawer where it belongs.
I suppose that is a possible outcome, but if they are not frightened, they’ll be fascinated.
Just been informed that The Other Half has ordered squid.
Tonight we shall be dining on tentacles.
A drag queen Last Supper?
How stunning and brave. *yawn*
Seriously, this just feels so hackneyed and trite by now—what a 15-year-old would consider edgy.
Just amateurish twaddle, all the way down.
Fried? Broiled? Au naturel?
Breaded and fried with chillies, I believe.
[ Considers chopsticks, opts for fork. ]
That reminds me of an answer in a Year 7* Science summer exam paper which the teacher who’d marked it passed around the staffroom. The question ran: “How does an amoeba feed?” The pupil’s answer: “The amoeba pushes out its testicles to capture its prey.”
*Equivalent to Grade 6 in American schools.
Took me a second to spot that one.
[ Slides browning, partly-peeled banana to Sue. ]
The purpose of Soviet propaganda is to force the public to repeat obvious lies. There is no more obvious lie than a man can become a woman.
Then stacking anti-Christian obscenities on top, and making the athletes compete under this banner? Somebody is feeling very cocky, dare I say.
If in doubt aways go for the fork.
Just got word that this showed up on my sister-in-law’s radar. She’s puzzled by this. Apparently she’s still a Christian/Catholic (raises eyebrow) and is having trouble understanding why they would do something like this. I’m sure someone who is not me will explain it to her so her in the context of her Narrative her ego won’t be affected. She’s a smart one, you know. Smaaaart.
In my case, adding chopsticks to the mix would risk turning the meal into one of those mechanical-claw arcade games. I have, as you know, many redeeming qualities. Proficiency with chopsticks ain’t one of them.
.
[ Dabs chin with napkin. ]
The squid was pretty good, since you ask.
..
Reportedly authors Larry Niven and and others were dining at a seafood restaurant when Niven suddenly addressed his dinner saying “So, General Gllbrtz, will you now tell us of your troop movements?”
With enough chillies you won’t have to taste the squid.
There was a time when things like this were done just to take the piss. But now…qui sait?
The decline and fall…rien ne me choque!
Someone tried to assassinate a former president and everyone was back to tik tok and insty the next day as if nothing happened. I’m never sure if we’re living in Brave New World or 1984. Perhaps a blend of the two?
It strikes me as just tacky, contrived and adolescent. It involves no obvious and relevant skill, is jarringly at odds with the spirit of the event, and is hackneyed to the point of anachronism.
I mean, my initial response was “That’s it? That’s the best you could do?”
But hey, progress.
It strikes me as just tacky, contrived and adolescent.
We’ve gone so far over the edge that there can be no more edgy.
Actually, conservative, old world, Christian values are now edgy. We are living in Bizarro World.