Atlanta Opening Ceremony vs London Opening Ceremony (Smyrna: school, closing)

[cwkimbro]

I think Mathman said it right... this is kinda like asking a father how pretty his daughter is.

I'm not going to compare Atlanta's opening vs London's.

But after this thread started off so negative...

I just wanted to add to the voices that liked London's performance. I thought it was really good. It showed the country's roots, triumphs, problems, incorporated history, pride in itself, pride in what it brought to the world, pop culture, etc...

And yes... Technology has changed alot! I thought London did a good job of taking advantage of it. I loved how they made use of the LED pixels at every seat to make an image from far away in the seating are, yet everyone who was there didn't have an obstructed view by the technology.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by alinka72

It is uncanny the ability people here have to undermine/rationalize and dismiss their missteps and mishaps by just sweeping it under the rug. The bombing of the 1996 Olympics in ATLANTA is what it made it so memorable to everyone else. It was an intentional, calculated attack to call attention at a world event from a person who is an American citizen and GA resident. No different in intent and effect than Oklahoma, Arizona or Colorado.

What's uncanny is your insistence that the bombing -- an unfortunate tragic and UNPREVENTABLE incident perpetrated by a lone lunatic -- should somehow forever define the Atlanta games. The bombing happened, but took nothing away from the fact that the 1996 Olympics were the 100th anniversary of the modern movement, the largest peacetime gathering in the history of the world (which still stands today) and highly successful from an athletic viewpoint. Believe me, the athletes who won medals in 1996 don't obsess over an isolated act of domestic terrorism. They are JUST AS PROUD for participating in Atlanta as any Olympic athlete in any city over the past 116 years. And to try to dismiss their experience by calling Atlanta "a failure" is not only disrespectful, it's highly arrogant for those who were not even there.

BOTTOM LINE: The city of Atlanta, Georgia hosted a Summer Olympic Games in 1996 that were enjoyed bh millions of people, and today is a better place because of it.

[bizchick86]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Here it is. You be the judge.


1996 Atlanta Opening Ceremonies - Welcome to the World - YouTube

Looks like one guy underneath a cheerleader was fading in strength as the camera panned out of their view.

Interesting that there was difficulty explaining what a "cheerleader" was. Cheerleading is actually becoming a sport (if you'll let me call it that) around the world.

Don't care what nobody say, it brings tears to my eyes seeing this video. One, it makes me so proud of being Atlantan/Southern, and one thing about Southerners is that we are unabashedly so. Yes with the "y'all" and the steppers, and the marching bands, and the pickups! AND the fact that the organizers acknowledged unique Atlanta traditions, like including HBCU dancers, and then Bob Costas mentioned it! It's rare for people who make up a population's minority to take center stage like that in an integrated fashion and it helps to educate the world about a history of the American South they likely never knew existed. The Aussie Olympics include an Aboriginal segment. But that was more like, "and here's a tribute to Aboriginees" than one that represented Australia as a whole. Us southnas have a very distinct culture, and it's a welcoming one. It just reminds me of home so much!

Two, I was a part of the opening ceremonies as one of the white things that made up the "100" and the moving dove. The hours that we put into rehearsals, in the hot Georgia heat, and then to be a part of something so momentous and to be performing in this enormous stadium was exhilarating. That time of my youth was possibly the best of my life and it brings back great memories.

I loved watching this and all the memories just rushed on in! Thanks for finding this!

[Newsboy]

Another thing: Eric Robert Rudolph was convicted of the Olympic Park bombing but confessed to additional bombings of abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham and a gay bar in Atlanta. But people seem only to remember the Olympic bombing, and indeed BLAME the city rather than the right-wing extremist who was solely responsible.

Rudolph's own reasoning for his reign of terror, as expressed in his own words upon his capture and arrest in 2003:

"In the summer of 1996, the world converged upon Atlanta for the Olympic Games. Under the protection and auspices of the regime in Washington millions of people came to celebrate the ideals of global socialism. Multinational corporations spent billions of dollars, and Washington organized an army of security to protect these best of all games. Even though the conception and the purpose of the so-called Olympic movement is the promote the values of global socialism as perfectly expressed in the song "Imagine" by John Lennon, which was the theme of the 1996 Games — even though the purpose of the Olympics is to promote these despicable ideals, the purpose of the attack on July 27th was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand. The plan was to force the cancellation of the Games, or at least create a state of insecurity to empty the streets around the venues and thereby eat into the vast amounts of money invested."

Clearly, Rudolph FAILED in his ultimate goal to embarrass Washington, cancel the Games and empty the streets around the venues. In fact, the OPPOSITE happened! When Centennial Park reopened two days after the tragedy, there were more people there than before! Rudolph failed, and both the Olympic Movement and the City of Atlanta TRIUMPHED!

You can hate on Atlanta all you want, but you're completely WRONG for using the Olympics or the bombing to do so. In the brilliant days that followed that one moment of darkness, I was never prouder of the city and state where I was born and will always call home.

[RoslynHolcomb]

A free society is always going to have headcases like Rudolph. The only way to stop them is to stop being a free society.

[JoeTarheel]

I had forgotten how beautiful the Atlanta Opening Ceremony actually was...it is generally ranked among the best, earning #4 in a ranking on thebleacherreport.com (The Top 10 Opening Ceremonies in Olympic History).

Regarding the London Opening Ceremony...it had it's moments, but it was mostly forgettable. The stadium definitely outdid Atlanta's, but that is just a small part of the overall atmosphere. Of course that's just one person's opinion.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by bizchick86

Don't care what nobody say, it brings tears to my eyes seeing this video. One, it makes me so proud of being Atlantan/Southern, and one thing about Southerners is that we are unabashedly so. Yes with the "y'all" and the steppers, and the marching bands, and the pickups! AND the fact that the organizers acknowledged unique Atlanta traditions, like including HBCU dancers, and then Bob Costas mentioned it! It's rare for people who make up a population's minority to take center stage like that in an integrated fashion and it helps to educate the world about a history of the American South they likely never knew existed. The Aussie Olympics include an Aboriginal segment. But that was more like, "and here's a tribute to Aboriginees" than one that represented Australia as a whole. Us southnas have a very distinct culture, and it's a welcoming one. It just reminds me of home so much!

But the Aborigines, as their name suggests, were native to the land and have a deep and old culture that is theirs alone to showcase. The same was true for the LA Games which included all the tribes of America. It was a touching and fitting acknowledgement by both countries. American Blacks were literally taken from many African cultures and basically had to form their own. As a result, American Black culture is a fusion of European and African. A subculture within a dominant white culture. Interesting though as I think American Black culture has more world influence than any other black culture.

Two, I was a part of the opening ceremonies as one of the white things that made up the "100" and the moving dove. The hours that we put into rehearsals, in the hot Georgia heat, and then to be a part of something so momentous and to be performing in this enormous stadium was exhilarating. That time of my youth was possibly the best of my life and it brings back great memories.

You guys did good!

[atltechdude]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Well,,,unfortunately...this is sort of like asking a father how pretty his daughter is...or how intelligent a parents' child is. You'd think everyone's child was above average.

I've heard a lot of people slam Atlanta's opening ceremony too. One thing they didn't like were the pickup trucks.

Beijing enjoys a level of control over its people that most countries (thankfully) don't.

Rio de Janeiro's Ceremony might be good because they have the "Spirit of Carnival" to top anyone else's. I'm sure it will be wild and colorful. More human and free than Beijing's Berlin like games.

Anyway...I'd like to hear criticism from unbiased sources.

The bolded is an important point. All of those people in the Beijing ceremony probably trained for a year or more for that performance, and probably for very little pay. Not something that could really have been done in the US.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

A free society is always going to have headcases like Rudolph. The only way to stop them is to stop being a free society.

Even that is no guarantee.

[bizchick86]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

But the Aborigines, as their name suggests, were native to the land and have a deep and old culture that is theirs alone to showcase. The same was true for the LA Games which included all the tribes of America. It was a touching and fitting acknowledgement by both countries. American Blacks were literally taken from many African cultures and basically had to form their own. As a result, American Black culture is a fusion of European and African. A subculture within a dominant white culture. Interesting though as I think American Black culture has more world influence than any other black culture.


You guys did good!

I see what you're saying, but the bottom line is I appreciate the integration of a pretty unknown piece of American culture in the world's largest stage and Atlanta being bold enough to show diverse facets of its Southern roots with pride! I didn't realize the importance of that during the games since I was both young and in the midst of it.