If you’ve been tuning into the Olympics this season, then you know it’s been one for the ages so far.
The return of Simone Biles and Sha’Carri Richardson. US Women’s Rugby’s last-second win over Australia. Noah Lyles becoming the fastest man alive. Cool-ass sharpshooters from Turkey and South Korea. Pommel Horse Guy. The dude who could have won the pole vault if he wore underwear. It’s a firehose of noteworthy backstories, dramatic finishes, first times, those beautiful moments that happen on the world stage when humanity is at its best.
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You can be forgiven for missing out on all the action if you’re just too busy to engage — like you’re working two jobs or you’ve got kids in day camp or, even worse, on a traveling sports team. But if you’re sitting out the Olympics because they offend you, I urge you to reconsider this position. Forces are at work to turn you against the Olympics; we are not sure why.
Perhaps you were offended by the opening ceremonies, which featured heavy-metal band Gojira pulling some satanic-looking shit on the side of a freakin’ castle, but also a theatrical performance piece that angered many misinformed viewers. It was a staged parody of a bacchanal that harkened, like the Olympics themselves, back to Ancient Greece — but not, technically to the Last Supper.
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If this is the case, you should get over yourself. A tiny group of American Christians has no right to dictate terms to the Olympic opening ceremonies… in Paris, a rather provocative city. And chances are you’ve got it all wrong.
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If you’re still upset about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, then I know you’ve got it all wrong. A right-wing disinformation machine targeted Khelif, who has been boxing competitively as a woman for years, distributing the lie that Khelif was a trans man competing in women’s sports. This was almost immediately debunked with facts troubling to those who insist upon gender as a simple binary: Khelif was born female in a country that does not acknowledge transgenderism; her body naturally makes a lot of testosterone, more than many “men”; and the fact that international press had to do a deep dive on this woman’s particular biology is troubling and weird.
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Don’t let this lie keep you from enjoying the rest of the games.
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This biennial tradition is always a global triumph, existing for spectators on a level somewhat removed from the petty politics of the world. It gives us hope, for our planet and our species. Maybe that’s why they hate it. But they should love it, too.
It’s also a banner year for the United States, with more medals, at 75, than any other nation up to this point and running second in gold only to China. Rooting for your country in the Olympics is the best and perhaps only acceptable form of nationalism, the only time when most of us feel comfortable chanting, “USA! USA!” which the right wing made weird years ago.
Because when one of our athletes takes the top of the podium, we can shout “We’re No. 1,” and it actually means something.
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