It can’t come soon enough, can it? The awe-inspiring spectacle that is the Olympic winter games; I can’t wait. A little more than two weeks of watching athletes from around the globe come together to compete for fame and corporate endorsements.
It truly brings out the best in everyone doesn’t it? It warms my heart to think of those local politicians who went out there and fought to earn the right to bring something truly special to the people; the land developers who get to leave their mark on the city for years to come; the television reporters who get an opportunity to rub elbows with some of the world’s biggest celebrities; the pharmaceutical companies that can ensure a healthy future by sponsoring (unofficially) a couple dozen gold medal winners. The city of Vancouver will never be the same.
The one aspect of this incredible event that puzzles me is not only that some people aren’t as excited as I am, but that they are completely against the olympics altogether. They even plan to protest; it seems crazy to me. Don’t these people realize that they have been given a gift that will last for decades atleast? I really don’t get it..
It’s alright though; let these malcontents try to protest. The great opportunities this event will provide is not limited to just the few folks I’ve mentioned. The wonderful Vancouver police department also gets leave their mark on the games :
LRAD: Long Range Acoustic Device…Sweet.
This ‘communication device’ will be used by the police in order to communicate amongst the unruly mobs according to Const. Lindsay Houghton, “The primary function we’re using the device for is its ability to communicate with very large groups with respect to crowd control, evacuations, tactical situations where we may need the loudspeaker portion of it.”Apparently, the “loudspeaker portion” is capable of 150 decibels – above the Human pain threshold – and is clearly audible up to a kilometre away. This thing is completely neccessary and was used to contain the hooligans that attended the G20 summit. With the city’s police force finally properly equipped to handle the all-out urban warfare that I think we can all fully expect, it seems like all the pieces are in place for one magical ride.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there have to be some very minor negatives as well; I certainly like to keep a positive outlook, but I’m not naive. Let me think about this…
Well, the ’76 Montreal Olympics ran a little over the $310 million they budgeted – it cost $1.5 billion and took 30 years to pay off. I guess potentially making people’s grandchildren pay for a giant slalom race you watched 30 years ago isn’t that good of a thing.
In Atlanta, the central business district was declared a “sanitized corridor” and police pre-printed arrest citations, with the words “African-American,” “Male,” and “Homeless” already filled in. In the lead-up to the games the city arrested about 9,000 people, a “crime” that has significant implications because people with criminal records are not eligible for public housing. Some of the homeless were given one-way bus tickets out of town; so I guess that could be considered a negative as well.
In Barcelona, housing prices shot up over 200% during the lead-up to their games in 1992, and ultimately put taxpayers on the hook for $1.4 billion; Athens is swimming in $9 billion of debt, Sydney took on $3.2 billion, the 2012 London Games has already spent twice its budget, and Beijing came in around $40 billion and led to the displacement of 1.5 million people??
The olympic village for Vancouver is slated to have a future cost overrun of approx. $3 million more; security was penciled in for $175 million and is now estimated to be hovering around $900 million according to Reuters.
It seems my overwhelming anticipation of the games may have been the product of ignorance. Now that I’ve taken the time to think about the real outcome of the olympic games and what they really stand for, I can’t wait to not watch a single moment of that oppressive, elitist circus.
I feel like speaking out; getting active and doing something; like protesting…
I wonder how well that LRAD really works?
Let’s not forget the Greenies that are looking forward to the “Games” that have failed to realize the environmental impact of people attending and competing in them. Think of all the plane fuel that will be dumped over Vancouver and it’s waterways. Think of all the garbage this is going to result in, and the millions of barrels of gasoline and oil that will be used in preparation for this spectacle. I wonder how the high priest of these “Greenies” feels about the Olympics now?