Sochi opening ceremony was depressing

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Oh man.

What ever happened to “THE SPIRIT OF THE GAMES?”

I agree that people have a right to their opinions…but golly.

It’s supposed to be inspiring! Fun! The brotherhood of mankind if you will…

Let’s just agree to enjoy the spectacle that is the Olympic games!

😃
 
empther said:
My sister said it was all trash. She and my brother take a trip every year. They’ve been to China, Egypt, England, Ireland, Italy, France, Greece, Russia and I forget where else. She says of all the peoples she saw the Russians were the grimmest.
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Russia and Eastern Europe have suffered substantially more than USA. It’s something you guys won’t understand. Be glad you have a society full of smiling people and let it be. 🙂
 
Russia and Eastern Europe have suffered substantially more than USA. It’s something you guys won’t understand. Be glad you have a society full of smiling people and let it be.
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Interesting how people always try to make something look like what it isn’t.
If I said the prisoners at Auswitch were grim, that’s not criticizing them. It’s just telling it like it is.

I’m well aware of Russian history and European history in general having read many books about it for the last forty years, thank you.
 
empther said:
Interesting how people always try to make something look like what it isn’t.
If I said the prisoners at Auswitch were grim, that’s not criticizing them. It’s just telling it like it is.
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Interesting. Because my old rather conservative priest used to compare us and other Catholics in Cape Town to Evangelicals and said we had no need to have a happy go lucky church with happy expressions. This was in response to a charge that the Catholics around here also look rather grim compared to other Christians. 🙂

I didn’t insinuate that you meant anything negative by this. It’s just that hundreds of years of tough history make people seem less happy. In your country your last war was the Civil War which was a war mainly between military forces. WW2 by contrast was a war of attrition where millions of civilians in Eastern Europe and USSR were murdered and/or suffered terribly in other ways, e.g. forced deportations, becoming widows, widowers, orphans, loss of children, loss of health care, starvation, confiscation of property etc. Nazi Germany considered Slavic people as Untermenschen, little better than Jews. Then of course came the Commies, and of course in some cases Commies preceded the Nazi Germans and followed them too. Up to 100 mil dead thanks to the Communist experiment, and we’re living with the consequences now as elites were exterminated first by Communists and then by Nazis and then again by Communists. The First World War, Russian Civil War, Polish-Soviet War are other conflicts which had heavy tolls on the region too. Then came the collapse of Communism a time where mafias, corrupt politicians, ex Commies, and others became very rich quickly and many social problems followed through a change in the economy and collapse of social /health care systems. And of course there have also been latter conflicts: Balkans, Chechnya and so on.
The 19th century also saw brutal put downs of various national uprisings.
 
I didn’t insinuate that you meant anything negative by this. It’s just that hundreds of years of tough history make people seem less happy. In your country your last war was the Civil War which was a war mainly between military forces. WW2 by contrast was a war of attrition where millions of civilians in Eastern Europe and USSR were murdered and/or suffered terribly in other ways, e.g. forced deportations, becoming widows, widowers, orphans, loss of children, loss of health care, starvation, confiscation of property etc. Nazi Germany considered Slavic people as Untermenschen, little better than Jews. Then of course came the Commies, and of course in some cases Commies preceded the Nazi Germans and followed them too. Up to 100 mil dead thanks to the Communist experiment, and we’re living with the consequences now as elites were exterminated first by Communists and then by Nazis and then again by Communists. The First World War, Russian Civil War, Polish-Soviet War are other conflicts which had heavy tolls on the region too. Then came the collapse of Communism a time where mafias, corrupt politicians, ex Commies, and others became very rich quickly and many social problems followed through a change in the economy and collapse of social /health care systems. And of course there have also been latter conflicts: Balkans, Chechnya and so on.
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There’s not a word in there I didn’t already know.
Quick! Why did Churchill want the American Army to make a landing in Greece?

The American people have always had sympathy for the Russian people. Many now live in the United States. I see them all the time passing through my place of work. I’ve worked with a couple of them.
It’s the Communist government we didn’t like.

Now, we have Putin and his cronies who seem to have learned nothing from a century’s experience.
 
Say all you want about Russian history and politics. I’ll tell you what I’ve seen while “on the street.”

Though my wife and I are not Russian, not in the least, we have been to St. Petersburg and Moscow a few times. We have spent quite a bit of time walking around, sightseeing, shopping, and “casual” dining, equipped with a phrasebook and only a rudimentary grasp of the language. We had a great time and we have many fond memories of our interactions with the Russian people. I definitely wouldn’t characterize Russians as grim or unhappy. They tend to be direct and no-nonsense. Indeed, that’s the Russian way. They are also helpful and sincere. Sure, we saw plenty of cultural differences, but we also got the sense that we have quite a lot in common with the people we met there.
 
Beryllos said:
This is a common misperception. A smile does not mean the same thing in every culture.

If you google “russian smile” you can find helpful explanations like this:

from About.com - How to Behave in Russia
The reason Russians don’t smile at each other on the streets is because smiling is generally considered to be something to be shared with a friend. Smiling at a stranger is considered to be an “Americanism” and is assumed to be insincere. Even Russian waiters and store clerks will usually not smile at you. Don’t be afraid – and don’t walk around grinning at everybody, either.
You mentioned a performance at the Los Angeles Olympics. Well, in Hollywood they know how to put on a big smile.

Funny, I read this quote from a Russian:
“I hate the way American people smile, they are like machines.”
You think they look like robots. They think we look like robots. It’s all about cultural differences.
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This is a good and true point. Also I’ve had French and German people tell me they dislike the smiley wait staff of American businesses. They feel that a smile is personal and your employer cannot and should not force you to smile as part of your job. It’s just a different view of things.
 
You think they look like robots. They think we look like robots. It’s all about cultural differences.
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I just noticed that. Didn’t see it before. Where was it?

Why can’t people just get it right once in while? :confused:

I never said the Russians look like robots.
I said the performers in the opening ceremony looked like robots. You can’t deny I’m right if you saw the Stalin 1930s industrialization segment, and others.
 
empther said:
I just noticed that. Didn’t see it before. Where was it?

Why can’t people just get it right once in while? :confused:

I never said the Russians look like robots.
I said the performers in the opening ceremony looked like robots. You can’t deny I’m right if you saw the Stalin 1930s industrialization segment, and others.
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It’s choreographed. Perhaps it was intensed to be robotic to set a mood or symbolize the lack of freedom during that time.
 
I didn’t see the ceremony but I heard that it was very ‘Russian’ – which is fine by me.
 
empther said:
I just noticed that. Didn’t see it before. Where was it?

Why can’t people just get it right once in while? :confused:

I never said the Russians look like robots.
I said the performers in the opening ceremony looked like robots. You can’t deny I’m right if you saw the Stalin 1930s industrialization segment, and others.
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That was deliberate.
 
I found it much more interesting than London’s 2013 Summer Olympic opening ceremony.
 
I still haven’t seen the opening ceremonies in video, but I did see some still photographs. The scene with the people inside gears was very powerful, very moving.
 
I thought it was way better than London, way better than Vancouver and Way better than Salt Lake. 🤷 In fact Russia seems to be blowing other host cities out of the water. Unless you wish drink the cool aid of the western media.
 
I thought it was way better than London, way better than Vancouver and Way better than Salt Lake. In fact Russia seems to be blowing other host cities out of the water. Unless you wish drink the cool aid of the western media.
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The Sochi opening was high tech based. If that’s what you like then Sochi has been unmatched.

It’s a matter of taste.

Which movie would you prefer to watch this evening,
The Sound of Music, :extrahappy: :bounce: 🍿
or * The Matrix * ? :bigyikes: :banghead: :sleep:
 
I loved the opening ceremonies - far better than that tacky pop culture parade in London. It had a quality to it that reminded me of Cirque du Soleil, and I was so pleased to see some classical music and ballet dancing. Not only were the visuals stunning, but I found the opening ceremonies to be entertaining, beautiful, and thought-provoking. Not “trash” at all.
 
empther said:
The Sochi opening was high tech based. If that’s what you like then Sochi has been unmatched.

It’s a matter of taste.

Which movie would you prefer to watch this evening,
The Sound of Music, :extrahappy: :bounce: 🍿
or * The Matrix * ? :bigyikes: :banghead: :sleep:
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You are really just talking about taste. The LA ones were not to my liking. Awelfully hokey if you ask me. A pretty mickey mouse production which is fitting I guess.

Neither movie si what I want to watch but, personally I thought it was a great way to expose a people to a part of culture and history they were not exposed to. With the media telling us stories of no water or toilettes and paining a third world picture and then jumping on the tiny glitch of an olympic ring not opening up then I can see why you thought it was “depressing” If you saw it as a celebration of a people who are different than us and still showing that they too have entered the modern era then I found it to be the opposite of “depressing” but rather enlightening and entertaining.
 
empther said:
The Sochi opening was high tech based. If that’s what you like then Sochi has been unmatched.

It’s a matter of taste.

Which movie would you prefer to watch this evening,
The Sound of Music, :extrahappy: :bounce: 🍿
or * The Matrix * ? :bigyikes: :banghead: :sleep:
Click to expand...
If the Matrix had songs in it then it would be more of a fairer competition.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by empther View Post
The Sochi opening was high tech based. If that’s what you like then Sochi has been unmatched.
Click to expand...
It’s a matter of taste.
Click to expand...
Which movie would you prefer to watch this evening,
The Sound of Music,
or The Matrix ?
Click to expand...
If the Matrix had songs in it then it would be more of a fairer competition.
Click to expand...

Interesting concept. The Matrix Musical ! 😃
Keano Reeves, or whatever the guy’s name was, goes into the mad scientist’s laboratory for a painful transformation to the matrix, and he sings

:harp:
What will this day be like? I wonder.
What will my future be? I wonder.
It could be so exciting to be out in the world, to be free
My heart should be wildly rejoicing
Oh, what’s the matter with me?

I’ve always longed for adventure
To do the things I’ve never dared
And here I’m facing adventure
Then why am I so scared

A captain with seven children
What’s so fearsome about that?

Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries
If I don’t I just know I’ll turn back
I must dream of the things I am seeking
I am seeking the courage I lack
:harp:
 
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