By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY
Opinion Editor
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is a time of hope, grandiosity, and wonder (most often wonder at what the interpretive dancers were trying to convey). It’s easy to feel the patriotic spirit, and the U.S.’ history with miraculous victory in the Olympics has instilled a sense of rooting for underdogs, even if they come from a different nation (cheers to the Jamaican bobsled team!).
But despite the positive, upbeat atmosphere, it’s no shock when jingoism rears its ugly head during the games. One of the first, most visible examples came from Kevin Paul Dupont, a hockey writer for the Boston Globe.
“Remember,” writes Dupont, “this is the country that sent us the Tsarnaevs. Never forget. Never.”
In a way, I’m glad this guy tweeted his thoughts. Now, we won’t have to wait around for the dumbest tweet of these Olympic Games—it’s taken care of only hours into the event. But I’m also glad this tweet existed because it serves as an important learning lesson about xenophobia and hatred of other countries.
Dzokhar Tsarnaev was a naturalized U.S. citizen, and Tamerlan Tsarnaev had a pending application for citizenship. Both lived in the Boston area since the early 2000s. Painful as it may be for xenophobic people like Dupont, the Tsarnaev brothers were American, too. And to say that Russia “sent us” the brothers—as though it were a deliberate act!—is remarkably asinine.
What isn’t asinine, however, is what the U.S. “sent” Japan during World War II: Little Man and Fat Boy, the nuclear warheads that killed at least 150,000 in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Two cases that show what terror can be accomplished with two bombs. But only one case is rationalized in the annals of U.S. history.
And no doubt, events like that would be rationalized and glossed over were these Olympics held in the U.S. Commenting on the ceremonies for NBC, New Yorker editor David Remnick was quick to point out how idealized the ceremony was, comparing the story to what he saw during the four years he spent in the Soviet Union. Though his comments were entirely accurate, Remnick came off as surprisingly hollow. Authoritarian states like the USSR are notorious for rights violations—look at Russia today and their anti-LGBT laws. But people aren’t blind to those facts, and it’s hard to imagine that Americans would watch the ceremony coverage, with their bizarre, interpretive pageantry, and not understand that it is idealized.This isn’t to fault Remnick as though he is unaware of the injustices perpetrated by the U.S. throughout its brief history. Even Dupont recognized American injustices in follow-up tweets. But coming from a country that has struggled with its own legacy of injustice and intolerance, it’s senseless to point the finger at others without recognizing our own mistakes.
There’s plenty to cheer for in the Olympics. Athletes, both individual and team, only have opportunity for success every four years, and the Games can make or break their career. But while you’re wading in the hot waters of nationalism, remember that no country is beyond criticism, and that not admitting your own flaws is one of the worse examples of hypocrisy you can commit.
