Let the Games Begin

I tried to get excited and watch the Olympics this morning. It was the end of the torch relay, which I was privileged to see (almost twice), and so it seemed fitting that I should watch the end as it wound its way around the city.

However, after about twenty minutes of listening to the most aggravating reporters on CTV, I started thinking that I couldn’t bear to hear the words “once in a lifetime opportunity” one more time. “Oh and look, they are passing it off again, and isn’t this just an amazing once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity for so-and-so? So-and-so is feeling just elated – look at the smile on So-and-so’s face,” blab blaw blaw. Then, one of the reporters made a mistake so ridiculous I laughed out loud – they made a reference to “Historic Yaletown.” Historic Yaletown? Do you mean the brand new eyelash salon (I kid you not) or the blow-dry hair boutique or the posh doggie spa where little Lassie can get a pedicure? Yaletown is a lovely (if yuppy) part of town, which is definitely worth visiting – but it is about as historic as Britney Spear’s latest haircut.

This evening, my partner and I went downtown to attend a gala event to watch the opening ceremonies in “Historic” Yaletown. The energy on the street was incredible – tons of people in costumes cheering and huddling around bar windows trying to get a view of the opening ceremonies.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t anticipated the whole of the downtown core feeling like a warzone. With all the helicopters flying overhead, I felt this strange sense of impending doom. Then, on our way to Yaletown, we stumbled upon the ongoing protest. There were signs, and a giant green dragon thing, and a giant torch, and literally thousands of people. It was overwhelming.

I stopped to ask what the protest was all about – even though I knew it was about the Olympics – just because I wanted to hear the protester’s side of the story. She was a petite girl, with a sweet face, and certainly didn’t look like a ravaging, balaclava-clad renegade. She carried a simple sign that said “Homes Not Games,” and explained the she opposed the Olympics because the Games were displacing people from their homes and increasing homeless, and were responsible for the creation of laws and security measure that were infringing our civil liberties. She told me that she thought it was a terrible waste of billions of dollars that could otherwise have been spent on social programs. And despite VANOC’s ongoing claim that these are the “greenest” games ever, she didn’t agree. She says that the Olympic Games 40 years ago when people skated on outdoor ice and didn’t cut down any trees or spend millions on new facilities – those games were greener than these games.

Then she told me that she thought she smelled tear gas, so my partner and I quickly made a B-Line for Yaletown, where the gala was in full swing, people sipping wine around candlelit tables. We came in just as Canada was coming out for the opening ceremonies and the whole place went crazy with cheering.

It’s strange being an Olympic fence sitter. It isn’t that I don’t care about the issues – I just see that both sides have valid points. I do think the Olympics has cost too much, and I do wish the government spent that money on social housing and sports programs for children, and other important services like, I don’t know, healthcare. On the other hand, the Olympics are kind of a big deal – everyone gets all excited. For the most part, it’s a huge boost for community morale (I mean, apart from the protesting). One look at the shining, medal-sized eyes of the children watching the torch relay, and my heart melts a little toward the Olympics.

And, those amazing killer whales at the opening ceremonies were pretty impressive too. How did they do that?