That ceremony

I couldn't watch it. The chest-beaty-ness even done by someone including protest and left-leaning still grates. I don't like patriotism - even soft & cuddly sorts - and there was no way this would avoid being propaganda for the IOC and Britain. Glad to hear Jarrow, Suffragettes, lesbian kiss and NHS was in there...but I don't need to see a spectacle trying to pull my heartstrings as a Party Political For The Games. I overheard the singing children last night at the mostly empty restaurant with John, just after the jets went over. Kids singing God Save The Queen - even deaf ones? Do Not Need.

Police were out making sure the queers didn't have fun on the Heath. It's all a sideshow, and as soon as you look past the smoke and mirrors you start to see the nasties.

The bits I've seen - Abide with Me notwithstanding - in picture form didn't really make me want to see more. Bread and circuses. This is the start of the downward spiral. I can't see how the expense or the promotion are going to do anything but bankrupt the UK for many years.

But everyone loved it, making me feel very very alone.

I think they might regret it in the morning when the bill arrives, though. We'll spent 1-2 decades paying it off, but it seems everyone is in denial about that and in party mode. And also the nastiness of the police (Critical Mass for instance) or this ideal of a "Jerusalem" where we can all unite as a nation under the watchful gaze of 11 miles of 6 metre high of electrified fence, CCTV and the cuddly protection of surface to air missiles.

For the protection of sponsors who paid a tiny fraction of the 24 billion people are told what to wear, what to eat, what credit card to use and policed if they don't meet the guidelines to protect brands that have paid very little for the games (a few billion vs the whole cost). These freedoms like with the war on terror have been cheerfully given up - even the people with the missiles on their roof apparently 'feel safer' not realising any 'hijacked planes' have got to fall somewhere.

Doesn't really show any strength to my mind, or hope, more fear.

Months of craziness and now weeks of zil lanes and total transport chaos.

All of this forgotten and forgiven in an instant of spectacle, because it pandered to a certain political demographic. *sigh* Propaganda is propaganda wherever it comes from, whatever it's message it is evil, especially attached to nation states. The flag waving might be of a softer multicultural sort, push buttons over the NHS and industrial past and tick all those liberal/centrist boxes. But it's still manipulation and it's still ideological, even if just to convince the Brits 'the Games Are Good' which I suspect was the aim.

But enjoy the party, the ride is down from here. Decline and fall. Panem et Circenses.

That ceremony

I couldn't watch it. The chest-beaty-ness even done by someone including protest and left-leaning still grates. I don't like patriotism - even soft & cuddly sorts - and there was no way this would avoid being propaganda for the IOC and Britain. Glad to hear Jarrow, Suffragettes, lesbian kiss and NHS was in there...but I don't need to see a spectacle trying to pull my heartstrings as a Party Political For The Games. I overheard the singing children last night at the mostly empty restaurant with John, just after the jets went over. Kids singing God Save The Queen - even deaf ones? Do Not Need.

Police were out making sure the queers didn't have fun on the Heath. It's all a sideshow, and as soon as you look past the smoke and mirrors you start to see the nasties.

The bits I've seen - Abide with Me notwithstanding - in picture form didn't really make me want to see more. Bread and circuses. This is the start of the downward spiral. I can't see how the expense or the promotion are going to do anything but bankrupt the UK for many years.

But everyone loved it, making me feel very very alone.

I think they might regret it in the morning when the bill arrives, though. We'll spent 1-2 decades paying it off, but it seems everyone is in denial about that and in party mode. And also the nastiness of the police (Critical Mass for instance) or this ideal of a "Jerusalem" where we can all unite as a nation under the watchful gaze of 11 miles of 6 metre high of electrified fence, CCTV and the cuddly protection of surface to air missiles.

For the protection of sponsors who paid a tiny fraction of the 24 billion people are told what to wear, what to eat, what credit card to use and policed if they don't meet the guidelines to protect brands that have paid very little for the games (a few billion vs the whole cost). These freedoms like with the war on terror have been cheerfully given up - even the people with the missiles on their roof apparently 'feel safer' not realising any 'hijacked planes' have got to fall somewhere.

Doesn't really show any strength to my mind, or hope, more fear.

Months of craziness and now weeks of zil lanes and total transport chaos.

All of this forgotten and forgiven in an instant of spectacle, because it pandered to a certain political demographic. *sigh* Propaganda is propaganda wherever it comes from, whatever it's message it is evil, especially attached to nation states. The flag waving might be of a softer multicultural sort, push buttons over the NHS and industrial past and tick all those liberal/centrist boxes. But it's still manipulation and it's still ideological, even if just to convince the Brits 'the Games Are Good' which I suspect was the aim.

But enjoy the party, the ride is down from here. Decline and fall. Panem et Circenses.