So my posts thus far have been few and far in between. Surprise!
The Olympics always astound me, not so much because of the superhuman athletic stuff going on (yay Phelps), but just the coming together of so many people from so many places, whether good or bad. I'm, well, not surprised, but disappointed that we, the American Audience, doesn't actually get much of a glimpse of China's culture, or the culture of any other country attending the Olympics. I find the motives behind their attendance much more interesting than the sports themselves.
And why not show us their art and music, too?! At the opening ceremonies, music from China, Mexico, and Scotland was played. Out of how many countries? We should be showcasing the countries holistically, not just athletically. There's a lot of things to discover, and anything with that kind of world-wide attendance could easily help us learn to live with each other.
This past summer, I've been working at a Giant Eagle grocery store, (I always end up working food service somehow) and I'm always amazed at the how difficult communication with other people is. And it's not a personal thing. Most people think and act as though if something happens, that's good enough. But that's never been good enough for me. I'm not sure how to put it into words, but I find myself being able to communicate better with people who don't speak English with the many other people who can.
Maybe we take language, and the existence of other people, for granted. We jump ahead of individuality, avoid confrontation, and close ourselves. I can't tell whether it's an issue of active apathy or a cognitive non sequitur, but something has to be changed.
On a side note, the Russia-Georgia conflict scares me. This is almost the same setup as the last two world wars, with two conflicting nations gathering allies and arming up against each other. Hopefully an agreement will be made before something very regrettable happens.
Orwellian fiction seems more and more realistic these days...
The Olympics always astound me, not so much because of the superhuman athletic stuff going on (yay Phelps), but just the coming together of so many people from so many places, whether good or bad. I'm, well, not surprised, but disappointed that we, the American Audience, doesn't actually get much of a glimpse of China's culture, or the culture of any other country attending the Olympics. I find the motives behind their attendance much more interesting than the sports themselves.
And why not show us their art and music, too?! At the opening ceremonies, music from China, Mexico, and Scotland was played. Out of how many countries? We should be showcasing the countries holistically, not just athletically. There's a lot of things to discover, and anything with that kind of world-wide attendance could easily help us learn to live with each other.
This past summer, I've been working at a Giant Eagle grocery store, (I always end up working food service somehow) and I'm always amazed at the how difficult communication with other people is. And it's not a personal thing. Most people think and act as though if something happens, that's good enough. But that's never been good enough for me. I'm not sure how to put it into words, but I find myself being able to communicate better with people who don't speak English with the many other people who can.
Maybe we take language, and the existence of other people, for granted. We jump ahead of individuality, avoid confrontation, and close ourselves. I can't tell whether it's an issue of active apathy or a cognitive non sequitur, but something has to be changed.
On a side note, the Russia-Georgia conflict scares me. This is almost the same setup as the last two world wars, with two conflicting nations gathering allies and arming up against each other. Hopefully an agreement will be made before something very regrettable happens.
Orwellian fiction seems more and more realistic these days...
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