All the downgloom I was feeling about the spreading influence of racism was nicely countered last night by watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. The Olympics have always been fiercely nationalistic, despite the ideal, but racism has no home there. (As far as the two can be separated, at least.)
And its hard to stay gloomy when you’re seeing athlete after athlete marching into the stadium and grinning like they were the luckiest people in the world. Which they were, I guess.
The roar of applause for the Palestinian team cheered me up too.
I only watched bits of it, managing to miss New Zealand among others, but it was a happy occasion nonetheless. I watched more than I did of the 2000 opening ceremony, at least. (Cough cough.)