Summer Olympics 2012. Calling London...

Had it been elegant, cultured, human, humane, techie, simple, it would have been British.
Had it been kitsch, it would have been memorable...

The opening ceremony of the 30th modern Olympic Games was none of the above. It was simply a mess.

One person kindly proposed that it was "chaotic". Ηardly.
There is charm iν Chaos. The opening of London's opening ceremony had none.

The ceremony was purportedly conceived by Director Danny Boyle, whose more memorable creations include "Slumdog Millionaire", a successful film. He should have remained in film rather than mess up London's Olympic show.


The mess was saved somewhat, at the end, by the boring, wooden voice of Dr Rogge, the Olympic boss, reading an unnecessarily long-winded platitudes, which put the preceding mess in better light after all. The camera showed people giving this speech its rightful attention: looking at and making faces to, said camera.

The arrival of the Olympic flame was beautiful, elegant, and, as one person observed, "this, indeed, is what I expect from Great Britain".

The show ended as a gig with Sir Paul (McCartney) in concert.We all enjoy a concert and the camera made a point of showing participants chanting and swaying to "Hey Jude" (a British song).

--------- ?????????????????????????

Purportedly, the show (for that's what it was) wished to show the world snippets of Britain's history and show the world the illustrious men & women who were or are, British. What Britain's all about, really. The result is lame.

According to this show, Britain is all about one or two successful TV shows & movies, and about football and about a couple of hit singers & composers.
Oh yes, so we all know the internet -- do we know who's behind it so to speak...? Sir Timothy (Tim Berners-Lee) who invented the internet. He's British too. Fortunately someone, bless him, remembered Tim Berners-Lee and he was there, at the show. Kudos!

In more detail, the history lesson went on to teach us that Mr Beckham, a football player, is British and so is James Bond (who does not actually exist).
And that rap is black and British and so is Mr Bean. And that a dark looking W. Churchill was also British (although you had to know it's he -- not obvious). Oh yes, Harry Potter is also a Brit -- at least his creator is. (The above are mostly English by the way, but that's neither here nor there.)


All of the above is good to know. Beckham, J Bond, etc, and people like them are illustrious Britons.


So what does that make Sir Isaac Newton? Where is he from? Or, Adam or Locke, or (what's his name?) William Shakespeare? Oscar Wilde? The Who, Pink Floyd, Sir John Barbirolli, Sir John Elgar, Agatha Christie, B Russell, Sir Alec Guinness, AC/DC, Clash, and what about "The Stones", and I can go on and on and on, and I am not even British!


Because that's what it looks like: someone has to remember an illustrious Briton or two -- as an afterthought perhaps? It is good to be "today" as long as you know how you got there: via yesterday.


I admit my weakness: I expected better. Frankly, I think Britain deserves better.