The Olympic Opening Ceremony Was a Political Showcase (enemy, arsenal, Marines)
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I'm sorry, but how any sane person could have watched the opening ceremonies and somehow spun it in their minds that the organizers were trying to spin it as some "liberal propaganda" aimed at Americans with regards to our health care system is seriously delusional and needs to seek some help......
It gives new meaning to the phrase 'self absorbed'.
Yep, the average per-capita spend on health care in the UK is about 40% of our average per-capita spend.
Healthcare in the United States costs 30% more than in Switzerland (the world's most expensive country) which has universal healthcare which legally obliges all residents to purchase private healthcare insurance. The cost of living in Switzerland is approximately 25% higher than in the United States and the quality of healthcare in Switzerland is extremely high.
Something's rotten in the state of the United States... (Denmark has universal healthcare).
Only read the first page. The people who planned the show failed completely. National healthcare? Dancing doctors and nurses? Really? They couldn't think of any traditional or cultural British, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh things to feature? Stonehenge, Beefeaters, Palace Guards, knights, Irish dance, and many other things could have been included in place of NHC. London Phillharmonic playing music to traditional dances, angelic children's choir singing as the winged bicycles move across the sky or light shows. And instead of fast paced pop rock music, a string of stately march music as the parade of nations moves through giving the fans time to enjoy their entrance into the stadium.
Sailordave, I think you must have missed a lot of the opening ceremonies. There were Beefeaters and Palace guards. There were Cockney "Pearly Kings and Queens." There was also Mary Poppins and Peter Pan. It WAS a showcase of British history and culture.
It's their party so let the celebrate it anyway they want.
If they want to brag about their universal health care, let them.
A British man or woman, statistically speaking, will enjoy a longer life span than an average American. *
(According to the UN World Population statistics, the UK is 13th place and the US is in 38th place for life expectancy. The top honors go to places like Japan, Singapore, Iceland and Israel).
Last edited by Clark Park; 07-28-2012 at 02:29 PM..
I'm sorry, but how any sane person could have watched the opening ceremonies and somehow spun it in their minds that the organizers were trying to spin it as some "liberal propaganda" aimed at Americans with regards to our health care system is seriously delusional and needs to seek some help......
The OP believes that if the Brits didn't have America in mind, they should have:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaggy001
I doubt that the organizers really cared or gave any thoughts to the sensibilities of American conservatives.
Originally Posted by clb10
They should have, given all America has done for them over the last 100 years.
Don't you get it, EVERYTHING that happens anywhere in the world is all about AMERICA, because we are the only ones that matter on this planet. The OP is a perfect example of American exceptionalism at its finest. It's all about us, all the time. Posters like this are an embarrassment to all thinking Americans.
For you to start a thread that basically is saying, "Shame on the UK!" one assumes you were more than mildly annoyed.
Wow, really? Danny Boyle did that all by himself? Do you think the British government was stunned when they watched the opening ceremonies last night and discovered that he showcased national healthcare? LOL. You probably do believe that.
No, I think that for most of the ceremonies they yawned or changed the channel. It was dull and boring except for a few bright spots.
Sailordave, I think you must have missed a lot of the opening ceremonies. There were Beefeaters and Palace guards. There were Cockney "Pearly Kings and Queens." There was also Mary Poppins and Peter Pan. It WAS a showcase of British history and culture.
It's their party so let the celebrate it anyway they want.
If they want to brag about their universal health care, let them.
A British man or woman, statistically speaking, will enjoy a longer life span than an average American.
Are you talking about that brief segment of a flying camera played to the children's choir? An opening video of the countryside is nice but what I'm talking about could have been showcased within the stadium instead of children jumping in bed and dancing doctors and nurses. My complaint isn't political, it's about entertainment visuals. The overall show was dull and boring. My opinion of some bright spots was the Chariots of Fire with Mr. Bean (I laughed so hard and enjoyed the music on my surround sound system), the wings on bicycles were visually stunning, the lighting of the Olympic flame was a surprise, but the rest was dull and boring including the transition from green fields to industrial age and the lost cell phone.
Only read the first page. The people who planned the show failed completely. National healthcare? Dancing doctors and nurses? Really? They couldn't think of any traditional or cultural British, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh things to feature? Stonehenge, Beefeaters, Palace Guards, knights, Irish dance, and many other things could have been included in place of NHC. London Phillharmonic playing music to traditional dances, angelic children's choir singing as the winged bicycles move across the sky or light shows. And instead of fast paced pop rock music, a string of stately march music as the parade of nations moves through giving the fans time to enjoy their entrance into the stadium.
Three bits were so visually stunning even my cynical husband went "wow!" When the Olympic ring rose from being 'beaten' by the steel workers, to merge with the other rings and the fireworks poured down. The dove bicycles were so beautiful and the copper petals rising to form the flaming cauldron. Gorgeous pyrotechnics.
The dance that accompanied the beautiful singing of "Abide with Me" to mark a memorial for the Londoners who were killed in the 7/7 terrorist attack - which occurred only one day after London was awarded the Olympics - was very moving as were the deaf and hearing children's choir singing the national anthem.
One thing I appreciated: the suffragettes got a cameo. As this was the first Olympics for which women were present in every team (including the Saudis), a deeply symbolic moment.
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