On Friday, February 12, 2010, Canada started off the Winter Olympic Games with an astounding opening ceremony.
The three-hour program paid dedication to national history, athletic talent and Canadian pride. It is an understatement to say that the performance blew the roof off the place (especially since it was the floor that was shaking, changing and lighting up). So why is everyone so upset?
Yes, the performance did showcase a lot of what most Canadians would call "old history" with a huge tribute to our native heritage. Yes, some of the singers were lip-synching and yes, of course there was some sort of mechanical malfunction. But does Canada really deserve all the heat it is getting?
Does no one remember when China wanted to launch a weather-changing balloon into the sky to ensure the best-forecast possible when they were hosting the Olympics? Where was their heat? Their opening ceremony wasn't perfect at all.
As I have mentioned before, the floor would shake, change colors, change themes and light up. Each theme not only depicted a new mood but it also paid tribute to each of Canada's four seasons. We saw autumn colors and leaves for the fall, snow, ice and polar bears and whales for the winter, etc.
I think that to remain so caught up on a little mechanical malfunction is just absurd. It is embarrassing to our country to have fellow Canadians twittering about this mishap some five days later. Where is the Canadian pride?
In case you haven't noticed, our athletes have been making us pretty damn proud so far. And with a gold medal already in hand, don't you think we should move on?
Get past the somewhat overdone native tribute, the mechanical malfunction and look at the art and pride that went into this event.
