I thought the Olympic Opening was beautiful, too bad I had to hear it through NBC snarkiness

[annm4peace]

I'm embarassed by our country's NBC commentators making negative, snarky, arrogrant remarks through the whole Opening event.

they couldn't tell us who the music was by, what some of the scenes were depicting, what the islands were representing.

One snarky comment after another. Yes, Putin is a bad guy, Yes there are human right abuses. Yes, Russia has some horrible things in it's history. but so does the US.

Anyone else bothered by NBC coverage ?

[charlyvi]

1. You posted the very thoughts I was having!

They should be ashamed.

[DURHAM D]

2. I heard one snarky comment.

I think the opening is very interesting but one must admit that it is difficult to tell much of the history of Russia in a good light.

Oh... and fuck Putin.

[CherokeeDem]

3. Yes....

I was bothered as well. It goes without saying that the majority of people watching this are aware of Russia's past. In the spirit of the Olympics, the politics should be left out. That said, I always hate what Matt Lauer does.

As for the NBC coverage, the beginning with Bob Costas dragged on way, and the coverage has been horrid. The ceremony itself was impressive.

[FreeState]

5. What about Russia's current state of affairs? Is that off limits? n/t

[Scootaloo]

6. Must all participating nations share the blame and attitude?

[CherokeeDem]

11. None of this is off limits...

We were discussing the opening ceremony and the comments of the NBC crew. Within that confine, yes... political snark by television commentators was not necessary.

I deplore the human rights situation in Russia, and would have preferred Russia not be awarded the Olympics. But it was and at least, respect for the hard work put in by the people involved should be given.

[frazzled]

4. I thought David Remnick's commentary

Was quite interesting and useful. At least he is known as being very knowledgable about Russian history and geopolitics, having lived there for a number of years. He's the editor of the New Yorker. Not shabby.

And they did discuss some of the music and art ( e.g., Malevich).

[TheMathieu]

7. Watching Russia fail is the only entertaining part of the Olympics. nt

[ballabosh]

8. This happens at every olympics and it drives me crazy

But during the parade of nations, they always have to say something like, "This country has never won a medal and it doesn't look like it's going to change this year." They're basically saying, "Hey guys, you suck. Might as well go home now!" Just shut up and let the athletes enjoy the moment.

[LibDemAlways]

9. The only thing worse than the NBC coverage are

the God awful sweaters worn by the U.S. athletes. They look like bargain basement ugly Christmas sweaters on the 75% off pile. That's the best we can do? Horrible.

[adirondacker]

16. +! The sweaters look heinous. nt

[knitter4democracy]

18. Oh, but they're Ralph Lauren!

Yeah, the online knitting community was horrified when the pics were released. We could have done much, much better.

[Arugula Latte]

46. It is embarassing. Of course the Americans have to have garish, flag-laden,

over-the-top hyper "patriotic" ugly ass uniforms. And then there are always a bunch of yahoos in the athlete crowd who have to start the U-S-A! chant. That is so classless and rude and show-offy and sadly, so typical. My son was watching and he said: "I get why so many countries can't stand us." Contrast that with the countries who march in waving two little flags -- their own and the host country's. THAT is the true spirit of the Olympics. Of course the US delegation would probably never do that.

[LibDemAlways]

49. It's a good thing that the rest of the world

isn't forced to watch the games on NBC. The smug commentary about how other nations aren't there to win medals and the reminders that we'd be hearing some Russian (in Russia, gee, who would have suspected) plus the incessant jabbering over the music made me want to personally fly to Sochi and gag the idiot American commentators. Made us look like a bunch of uncultured rubes....oh, wait...And those sweaters are beyond ridiculous. You are right. The USA USA chanting at the camera made those participating look like the standard ugly American. All in all not our finest hour.

[Vinnie From Indy]

10. I thought the part where the Russian Olympic Committee head gave the opening speech was hysterically

funny. The guy is the first to speak after all the hoopla and display and when he starts talking in Russian, Matt Lauer informs the viewer that the guy is NOT speaking English and that the man is speaking Russian. He then offers that they (NBC) has a copy of the speech and an interpreter to read it, but apparently they decided not use the interpreter and instead they go with Lauer as inerpreter. He pretty much began saying, "...welcome to the games...yadda yadda yadda... glad you could make it....really proud....something else....solemn occasion....something else ....yadda yadda...hey look there's Putin lookng on."

It was off the hook funny.

[annm4peace]

12. you are right and again I was so embarassed by their comments

I was shocked.. their comments got worse and worse

[annm4peace]

13. I checked out NBC Olympic on Facebook

there were tons of comments upset of NBC remarks of politics and negativity. They said a lot of things I was thinking.
Hopefully NBC got it and will mellow out. It isn't like we don't know the negative history and current Oppression.

[sabrina 1]

22. I'm not surprised. The whole world is focused on the games and all we hear is

negative garbage from the MSM here. It is so unfair too to the athletes. I'm glad they are hearing from people about it, Matt Lauer must have gotten the message as he finally stated that they need to remember why they are there, to focus on the games. And stop cutting to ads until the completion of a program.

[KentuckyWoman]

14. I actually yelled at the TV

Beautiful show. The Russians gave us a real treat. Would have been so much better without NBC blabber and poorly placed commercials

[flamingdem]

15. Yes, a condescending tone

when we have an opportunity to be people-to-people and give props to all the artists, athletes and creators involved.

[Texasgal]

17. I did not catch the NBC coverage

but I must say that I thought the opening ceremonies were beautiful!

[Common Sense Party]

32. Me, too. I watched them earlier today on Argentine TV, and I thought they were great.

I think people see what they want to see.

Haters gotta hate.

[riderinthestorm]

19. I'm embarrassed at DUers xenophobic comments. Ick.

i don't have/watch tv so I'm not privy to the show but DUers xenophobia is pretty disgusting to watch.

[reddread]

24. +1

its so ridiculous. So completely lowbrow and gauche.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

25. +1

I'm not a fan of the Olympics in general, largely because of the ugly nationalism is brings out. I can't believe some of the comments I'm reading here lately.

[Common Sense Party]

31. +1000

We're 'Murica! We're #1! Russia SUCKS!!! USA! USA! USA!

[sabrina 1]

20. It was beautiful but the commentary from NBC is awful. I don't think I've ever seen

worse coverage of the Olympic Games. Maybe someone got the message to them because finally Matt Lauer announced that they need to remember what they are covering and stick to what is important, the GAMES! That's what people want to see.

They cut away to ads at some of the most beautiful moments, the ball scene eg which was beautiful. It would have been nice to see the whole thing, but I guess ads are more important to them.

Wish we could watch some other channel, like the BBC eg. I hope they get the message, there are 7 billion people on the planet and they want to watch the games without the negativity coming from the US Media.

[reddread]

21. who, me?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4463834

[sabrina 1]

23. Excellent comment. The head of the IOC has actually had to ask twice that people, who I'm

sure he was directing at the US, need to focus on the games and during this time at least, to not use the games for other purposes. It's a shame how low we have sunk that we cannot simply act like adults for two weeks.

[Bluenorthwest]

38. In 36 the IOC determined Germany had no discrimination against minorities and in fact claimed

that 'rumors' of mistreatment of Jews and others were manufactured to harm Hitler's reputation, they blamed the press and the Jews. Yes they did, Mr Brundange to be exact. Look it up. At the games, our team cut the only two Jewish athletes from competition on the day of their race. After 36 IOC and the US really can not sink lower. Think about it.

[efhmc]

26. Kind of off subject but this is why I like to watch speeches, events, etc on CSPAN.

One gets the material without editorials. It would be nice to see the Olympics that way.

[Hissyspit]

27. Don't you understand?

When the Russians do the "kitsch version of their history," it's propaganda and must be called out.

When we host the Olympics and do our jingoistic arrogant kitsch "We're No. 1!" spectacle, there is no reason to criticize it at all.

[pipi_k]

39. From another

thread, a comment was made about how they totally skipped over some darker moments in Russian history.

BAD!!! Bad, bad Russians!!!


BUT...nobody seems to remember the 2002 Winter Olympics, held in Salt Lake City, where the opening ceremonies were lame in the extreme in spots.

Not only that, but a whole lot of nasty US history got glossed over as well.

Like US government cruelty to the Native Americans. Cool that a few authentic Native Americans were trotted out to make it look like we've all lived in harmony since the beginning but it was absolute bullshit.

And when the games were held in Atlanta...no mention made of slavery or segregation. No guys running around in white sheets burning crosses, no symbolic lynchings.


So apparently it's OK for us not to be totally honest about our history, but Russia was supposed to exercise full disclosure about its own.

We, as a country, have a strange set of double standards with regards to the rest of the world...

[polly7]

41. Exactly. And like there's never been controversy or corruption in any other Olympics.

Lest the Russians be blamed for all sports corruption, most of our media does not remind us of the scandal that erupted under Mitt Romney’s watch when the US hosted the Winter Olympics. (Mitt was back to the scene of the crime at the Sundance Film Festival this year to watch a film at the Sundance Film Festival about his failed presidential campaign.)

An article on the International Olympic Committee that owns the games reminded us, “a scandal broke on 10 December 1998, when Swiss IOC member Marc Hodler, head of the coordination committee overseeing the organization of the 2002 games, announced that several members of the IOC had taken bribes. Soon four independent investigations were underway: by the IOC, the USOC, the SLOC, and the United States Department of Justice….

As a result of the investigation ten members of the IOC were expelled and another ten were sanctioned. This was the first expulsion or sanction for corruption in the more than a century the IOC had existed. Although nothing strictly illegal had been done, it was felt that the acceptance of the gifts was morally dubious.”

That’s a word we don’t hear much any more: “morality!”

http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-olympics-are-here-to-stay-and-to-pay/

The rest is history: the bid organizers, later the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee, lied about virtually everything that followed as they proceeded to trash the place with their preparations. Games costs that were to be completely accounted for never were; the "greenest Games ever" wound up destroying Eagleridge Bluffs; social inclusivity and homes for those in need in the Olympic Village never materialized; the stated $175 million in total security costs, obvious even then as a lowball estimate, mushroomed to almost $1 billion. Instead of kept promises, we got catastrophic impacts on the poor and homeless, egregious environmental destruction, outrageous and still largely unaccounted for costs, and a virtual assault on civil liberties. We haven't even seen the traffic nightmares that are just days from being imposed. Nor have we yet calculated the fiscal impacts on individuals and their businesses as they discover the realities of hosting a party for the rich in the midst of a security free-for-all. Add to the above the lost opportunity costs-that is, what $6-billion-plus could have bought instead-and a more cohesive picture of the full impacts emerges.

In spite of this, some people still love the Olympics and Vancouver's role and will continue to support the Games regardless. Nothing I write here is likely to change this.

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/chris-shaw/2010/01/why-resist-2010-winter-olympics-vancouver

[ReRe]

28. Where is the "steamed" emoticon?

... I almost smashed The TV. Unlike a basketball game, can't mute them and listen to the radio. You are right... you and I would have been better emcees for that opening celebration. Yes, we hate Putin, but give it a break for a minute, dammit! Those are mostly kids competing, from all over the world. Can't we bury the hatchet, "librul" NBC, for one night? ONE. NIGHT. I hope NBC is avalanched tonight with a ton of complaints about their despicable behavior and get the message to zip it!

[Jesus Malverde]

29. #NBCFail is trending on twitter...

Guess I didn't miss much.

[trocar]

30. From Israel

I am on assignment in Israel and watched the opening ceremonies with Hebrew commentary which I don't understand well. So, I was focused on the visuals and music, it was very nice, and I didn't have to listen to the sanctimonious commentary you mention.

[jimlup]

33. I'm lucky I live close enough that they pump CBC through our cable

Makes a world of difference when watching the Olympics.

[B2G]

34. I was yelling at my TV

for them to just STFU halfway through the ceremony. They talked over the entire thing.

NBC ruined the coverage of the summer games, and it looks like they're set to do the same with the winter ones.

[CFLDem]

35. I hated when they decided to take their commercial breaks.

but was elated when Russia finally broke out the hammer and sickle.

They were dancing around that the whole ceremony, glad they owned up to it.

[treestar]

36. all countries are not equal

the US is not perfect, but "so does the US" is insufficient to forget about another country's human rights abuses. The US is not nearly like Russia, and it takes some real US Derangement Syndrome to act like it is in any way equal.

[polly7]

40. Well ......... not the same amount of human rights abuse in the U.S. itself,

but no compunction about spreading it around the globe for others. Just because it's not occurring 'within one's own borders' does that make one immune from owning it?

It is what it is.

[malaise]

37. Thankfully we don't have NBC coverage

It was a lovely ceremony.
CNN's comments were just as snarky and bitchy - I swear these folks have been brain-washed cold war style

[kpete]

42. Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/buffalospringfield/forwhatitsworth.html


thanks annm4peace
and
peace, kpete

[OregonBlue]

43. It just went on and on. I kept tweeting that I wished they would shut up and let us watch the

ceremony. Isn't this supposed to be about athletes coming together. Shame on NBC.

[marlakay]

44. I missed a bunch of music because I had to mute them!

My husband was getting madder and madder every time they spoke yelling at them to shutup....so I had to mute whenever they started to speak.

Once it has started they need to shut up!! It's like needing cspan to watch a debate so you don't have to hear the crap but NBC is only way to have on tv, I hear you can stream stuff live online but....shouldn't have to!

We need a cspan version!!

[truth2power]

45. I'm glad you posted this. I noticed it, and not only during the opening ceremonies

but on Thurs. evening during the qualifications. Same story. It's disgraceful.

But this is what comes from US citizenry being told, all the time, how exceptional we are. It seems that anyone commenting on anything related to the Sochi Games, has to follow up any, even marginally positive, statement with an obligatory snark of some kind.

And what about Putin? Yes, he's wrong in his stance on gays. Hopefully, he'll evolve. IIRC, DUers were incredibly patient while Obama was busy "evolving" on the matter of gay marriage. I guess no one remembers that.

And human rights abuses? No one has clean hands in this matter. I think turning wedding parties into pink mist and vaporizing 17 year old boys are human rights abuses. Also, what about Libya which, before the US-NATO invasion, had the highest Human Development Index of any country on the African continent, and now, by all reports, doesn't even have a functioning government. Human rights abuses indeed!

And I detected just a breath of Schadenfreude when that snowflake failed to morph into an Olympic ring. So what? Glitches happen. Overall, the opening ceremonies were superb.

Many Americans seem to have a bad case of hubris. And anyone who has read Greek literature knows where that leads.

[polly7]

47. Exactly. And thank you for bringing up Libya and our part in turning back their rights. nt.

[ksoze]

48. Agree - noticed the same thing

This entire lets tear down this Olympics is a bit much.