On Nationalism and the Olympic Games.

I really dislike the Olympic Games.

Yesterday evening I was more or less forced to watch the highlights of the first day on BBC, which consisted almost exclusively of highlights of British athletes and British victories. The host of the show even worked herself up to proclaim that "Britain Rules the Waves," when referring to the yachting events!

Throughout the show I had to remind myself that the media of other countries, including the Danish media, is just as biased and ridiculus. While Article 6 of the Olympic Charter states that the games are "competitions between athletes in individual or team events and not between countries," the reality is that all nations are completely focused the achievements of their own athletes. The real interest in the Olympic Games the Medals Table and whether China or the USA is going to come out on top, whether Britain will win more medals than France and whether the Australians can continue their role as the new East Germans of overachievement.

The Olympic Games are therefore just an overhyped and expensive exercise in nationalism, which I consider a disease that has infested the world for nearly two hundred years. Nationalism causes division and ultimately wars, it makes rational individuals loose their minds and is a tool of manipulation for politicians and demagogues.

As for the Olympics, I will do my best not to be watching or reading newspapers for the next two weeks!