If you watched, was it offensive to you or was it brilliant?
To many on X, it was clearly offensive. But if you were the first lady, there has never been a better Opening Ceremony. Ever.
It only happens every four years. Most of us, since childhood, have looked forward to the Olympics and specifically the opening ceremonies. But this year, we got more than we bargained for.
That is, unless you were hoping to have to explain to your kids what the term Ménage á trois means. Or why there was a wardrobe malfunction showing what should be the private parts of one of the male participants on the runway scene. Or why trans women, who cannot participate in the Olympics as athletes, were showcased in the opening so broadly with drag queens featured as entertainers and as a part of the much maligned tableau.
And why are the pesky 2.6 billion Christians around the world, convinced that the scene depicted on the bridge was the Last Supper and not some greek parody where Dionysius shows up looking like a blue Tele-tubby.
Was this about fostering inclusion and celebrating diversity or about sports?
Representatives of the Paris 2024 Olympics Committee have apologized in what can be characterized as a “soft apology”, to anyone offended by a drag parody of the Last Supper during the opening ceremony, insisting that their intention was to foster inclusion and celebrate diversity. They conveniently left out all of the other potentially offensive elements of the opening and they hope that the brilliance of the rest of the show overrides the offensiveness of the parody.
And the tone of the apology was that if you were offended, they were sorry. It is somehow your fault and you should take the blame for the offense taken (as none was intended).
Drag queen Piche prepares to perform at the Debilly Bridge in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
(Credit: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP.)
Was it offensive to more than just believers?
The Opening Ceremony was broadcast to over 3 billion viewers, including children. Certainly many found the program to be brilliant overall. Or at least enough of it to cause them to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the offensive parts.
There was an immediate enormous backlash from the Christian community, largely due to the perception that the scene on the bridge was a mockery of the Last Supper painting. Everyone from leadership of the Catholic Church (sans the Pope) and even my gay friends posted about the inappropriateness of the Opening. And there were even Muslims, who hold Jesus in high regard as a part of their faith, that were offended as well. So no, it was not just believers.
If you had children in the room (I had my 24 year old there and it was admittedly awkward at times), you were likely more aware than if you were just focusing on the overall impact of the event.
Yes, there were beautiful parts of it as well. I for one loved the boats used to transport the athletes. It gave the 600,000 people along the Seine the ability to participate, in a way that wouldn’t have been possible in a stadium. And I enjoyed Lady Gaga’s rendition of Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes” (“My Thing With Feathers”). And who could not be moved by Celine Dion’s performance, especially being aware of her recent debilitating illness.
Lady Gaga’s Olympics Opening Ceremony © Provided by Billboard and © Celine Dion Olympic Broadcasting Services / Associated Press
I will say from a personal perspective that in my own living room the backlash was as loud as it was swift. We did not watch the end. I do have to admit to going back and watching Celine’s amazing performance and searching for the lighting of the cauldron, which rightfully showcased so many of the acclaimed French athletes, including the oldest living French athlete (how cool was that….).
Was it offensive enough to warrant a boycott?
On X there were huge outcries to boycott the Olympics due to the offensive opening.
To me this seemed unfair to the athletes that had nothing to do with the artistic content of the opening, but I have to admit, I did immediately consider boycotting some of the advertisers.
But I had to ask myself, who does a boycott hurt the most? For a boycott of watching the Olympics, it hurts the athletes, who have worked their whole lives to get to Paris. But a boycott of advertisers, hits the Olympic Committee where it hurts.
Tech company, CSpire, was the first to pull out of their advertising commitment, with a unanimous, emergency vote of their board.
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