Amazing how I can get started typing a short reply to something on Chizumatic, and end up with an article. Sigh. SDB wrote, about the decision to secretly re-route the Olympic Torch in order to derail the protests:

The point is that their decision, in the microscopic, defeats the entire purpose of the exercise in the macroscopic.

Well, yes, but the problem is that the macroscopic view is based on an idea that’s out of touch with the reality of the world — or, if you must be ungenerous, a lie. If you get right down to it, the whole thing is a facade. The Olympics are purportedly about the “ideal” of peace, friendship, and competition, and the torch is the symbol of the Games. (If anyone gets pedantic about the 5 circles logo, they will beaten to death with an Olympic flag)–ubu. But the Olympics aren’t about that at all; they’re really about national pride. The foundation and concept of the Olympics is that the national teams of various nation states compete. Sure, the events are scored individually, but overall, we look at a team’s success in terms of the total medals it brings home. More importantly, the teams were organized from the outset along national lines, and it was conceived as a way to bring nations together – in peace and friendship. (Though in the West we do tend to make it a matter of individuals; that’s our hero-worship and capitalistic ethics kicking in.)

There is a long history of nations using the Olympics as a showcase. *cough*1936,1980,1984*cough* (All of them, really.) In fact, thats why nations vie to host Olympic contests.

But now there’s a cost to national prestige to go with the benefits — if your nation is seen as a pariah for whatever reason (human rights, nuclear power, whaling, etc.), you risk embarrassment from protesters who no longer honor the pretty words about peace and friendship. These bold individuals bravely declare that the emperor has no clothes — as long as they can safely do so in countries that tolerate such practices, that is. I certainly see no surplus of individuals volunteering to serve as human shields in front of Tibetan monks. (Saddam must have had a better agent booking vacations for lefties on the Tiber.)

Still, it’s a black eye for Red China. What I predict will happen in a few years at most is that the whole “torch run” will be dropped in favor of “torch tours” where it will be brought to a location and shown off under tight security. The theory will be that they can control a fixed location better than a moving one. It won’t work of course, so the whole thing will be quietly dropped, and there will be no more run or tour. The USOC won’t get in the way of this, nor will most other western countries, simply because they’re as susceptible to it as anyone else; even more so where they are hosting and the torch is touring a country that can ensure large turnouts.

Imagine the shoe being on the other foot, and China actively seeking to embarrass a US-hosted Olympics with large demonstrations over Iraq. I’m sure a spontaneous incident could be arranged….

The real shame is that I don’t know whether to cheer or jeer this development. Should I cheer the failure of hypocrisy, or bemoan the failure of the ideal?