Olympics: Vancouver '10 = Berlin '36? Really?!?

[Lori]

I may be tempting fate by starting this thread here instead of PPP, but here goes. Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton had an, ummm, interesting take on the sea of red and white on display at the recently-concluded Olympic Games:

In these Olympics, Canadians only paid attention to Canada

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- After a spirited torch relay ignited pride in every corner of the country, the Olympic Games began and quickly galvanized the nation.

 

Flags were everywhere. The country's national symbol hung from windows and was worn on nearly everyone's clothing.

 

Fervent crowds cheered every victory by the host nation.

 

But enough about the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

and:

Canada wanted to hold a party, and the Canadians did. The gold medals only seemed to fuel them.

 

Team Canada hockey jerseys became the uniform of the streets. Maple leafs were either hanging or on clothing everywhere.

 

One thing I never saw: a simple flag or shirt with the five Olympic rings. Not anywhere. After 15 Olympics, that was a first.

 

I didn't attend the '36 Olympics, but I've seen the pictures. Swastikas everywhere.

 

No political reference is meant, just an Olympic one. What on earth were the Canadians thinking?

 

An Olympic host is supposed to welcome the world. This one was too busy being (their word) "patriotic."

 

"Now you know us, eh?" chief organizer Furlong said.

 

We thought we did two weeks ago. Now, I'm wondering if Canadians can even recognize themselves.

 

Nice party. But so 1936.

 

Naturally, after the outraged e-mails and comments started pouring in, he apologized. Or tried to. Maybe:

Offending Canada wasn’t intentional

When the time comes at the end of each Games to sum up the 17 days, I don’t take that task lightly. I try to use that seasoned viewpoint and write it from the heart.

 

My intention in Monday morning’s wrap-up column wasn’t to offend Canada, the land of my ancestors, and my hosts of the past three weeks. On the contrary, I was trying to express my disappointment and surprise that, in my opinion, Canadians had failed to grasp the global mandate that being an Olympic host entails.

 

In doing so, I reached for a comparison — and picked one in the 1936 Olympics that unintentionally may have offended the very people whose company I have enjoyed for these past days.

 

I apologize for offending them.

 

As I said in the wrap-up, I certainly implied no political analogies. But some comparisons are sensitive enough to be offensive just by their very mention.

Gee, ya think?

 

Of course, Deadspin and The Sporting News have picked up on this, and LeBreton's Twitter feed disappeared less than half an hour after National Post columnist (and Vancouver native) Bruce Arthur retweeted his link to the original column.

 

My conclusions: Unless you're talking about a repressive regime trying to take over the world and kill millions of people along the way, Hitler/Nazi comparisons are usually a bad idea. And was there nobody on the copy-desk that night to ask LeBreton, "Are you really sure you want this in print?"

[DPR4444]

There is a reason Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton is working in the major media center of Fort Worth.

[DC Tom]

I may be tempting fate by starting this thread here instead of PPP, but here goes. Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton had an, ummm, interesting take on the sea of red and white on display at the recently-concluded Olympic Games:

In these Olympics, Canadians only paid attention to Canada

 

and:

 

 

Naturally, after the outraged e-mails and comments started pouring in, he apologized. Or tried to. Maybe:

Offending Canada wasn’t intentional

 

Gee, ya think?

 

Of course, Deadspin and The Sporting News have picked up on this, and LeBreton's Twitter feed disappeared less than half an hour after National Post columnist (and Vancouver native) Bruce Arthur retweeted his link to the original column.

 

My conclusions: Unless you're talking about a repressive regime trying to take over the world and kill millions of people along the way, Hitler/Nazi comparisons are usually a bad idea. And was there nobody on the copy-desk that night to ask LeBreton, "Are you really sure you want this in print?"

 

How utterly and completely retarded. Doubly so since the writer so bitterly complains about some presumed jingoistic Canadian nationalism as host of the games, then bemoans how the Canadians obscured American accomplishments in a fabulous display of jingoistic American (and Texan) nationalism on the very next page.

[Lori]

There is a reason Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton is working in the major media center of Fort Worth.

Actually, last I knew, the Startlegram had a larger circulation than The Buffalo News. This wasn't in some 20K fishwrap...

 

Add: ....although his next column may be.

[Delete This Account]

one point, i'd like to make.

though there were many -- very many -- people wearing canadian colors, there were also some (not as many) wearing the official vancouver olympics garb (no maple leaves, just olympic rings and the Vancouver Games rock-man logo) that was also on sale at local shops, including the bay.

it should also be noted that the thousands -- 10s of thousands? -- of olympic volunteers, wore light blue jackets that merely had the olympic rings on the back and the vancouver games printed on the front.

 

what comparisons some people make, i shall leave that open to others to discuss.

 

jw

[Jim in Anchorage]

No wonder Jesse Owens didn't show. To many bad memories. Wearing maple leafs, a invasion of Greenland is next.

[UConn James]

Here's their real plans. Had to go to web archive to find them. Sneaky Canucks!

 

Canadian World Domination

 

Here's a map of their planned conquests.

[Lori]

Here's their real plans. Had to go to web archive to find them. Sneaky Canucks!

 

Canadian World Domination

 

Here's a map of their planned conquests.

Hahaha. It's been years since I've seen that site ...

 

... but wait. Does that make JW a spy?

[Pete]

they are sharpening their ice skates

[Delete This Account]

Hahaha. It's been years since I've seen that site ...

 

... but wait. Does that make JW a spy?

 

jw

[PromoTheRobot]

How ironic that Americans are so proud of their patriotism but get offended when another country acts in the exact same way. Pot, meet kettle.

 

PTR

[UConn James]

How ironic that Americans are so proud of their patriotism but get offended when another country acts in the exact same way. Pot, meet kettle.

 

Don't paint all "Americans" with this same brush. It was one dude that wrote this.

 

You could probably count on one hand the number of people who were "offended" by a country actually liking itself.

[Lori]

Don't paint all "Americans" with this same brush. It was one dude that wrote this.

 

You could probably count on one hand the number of people who were "offended" by a country actually liking itself.

True dat. Whole bunch of Americans blasted the dude in question, too.

 

Add: and the S-T's publisher apologized yesterday. Works for me.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/05/20...apologizes.html

 

By Gary Wortel

Star-Telegram President and Publisher

 

As publisher of the Star-Telegram, I apologize to readers and all Canadians who were offended by sports columnist Gil LeBreton's insensitive comparison of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games to those that occurred in Berlin in 1936.

 

As with all columnists at the Star-Telegram, LeBreton is afforded great flexibility to write his opinion.

 

Unfortunately, on March 1, LeBreton wrote a column that included an analogy that never should have been made. While I believe it is an obligation and a responsibility for an industry whose very existence is protected by the First Amendment to defend the right of all people to express their opinions, there are consequences to exercising unrestrained free speech.

 

We reacted quickly to the column with an online apology from LeBreton late Monday and an in-paper version the next day.

 

Some have accepted the apology; others have not. I want to personally say that I'm sorry the column appeared in my newspaper, and I know LeBreton sincerely regrets his comments.

 

I, like many Americans, have strong ties to Canada.

 

I was born in Canada and my Dutch parents were liberated by Canadian soldiers after WWII. Canada should be very proud of what its athletes accomplished in Vancouver and for the gracious, enthusiastic way it hosted the 2010 Winter Games.