Absolutely.
I thought about writing this blog and not writing this blog and decided I would openly criticize digitally altering part of the opening ceremony fireworks and lip-syncing one of the performances with a different singer.
If you haven't heard, The Beijing Times broke news several days ago that the giant footsteps that opened the broadcast on 8.8.08 were digital. Why? Because the "haze" would have prevented viewers from seeing the fireworks on that night. Apparently the fireworks were actually launched but what billions of people across the world saw were fireworks
created on a computer. In today's world, everything is about perception. So, if you are going to replace actual fireworks with digital fireworks without telling anyone, it will create doubt for many, many other aspects of life. I feel dumb because I thought the giant footsteps were one of the most special parts of the opening ceremony. I know why it was so impressive now. Apparently, NBC broadcasters referred to the a
lteration but I am not sure if their mention of it made it clear to viewers. I know the English-speaking broadcast I watched did not say anything about the footsteps being altered.
Secondly, to have a different little girl lip-sync a song during the ceremony is absurd. I can understand having a little girl lip-sync during the actual performance because she could get scared or something but have it be the same girl. Again, if you give people reasons to doubt things you are doing then it can lead to more doubts in undeserved areas.
I hope these were the only aspects that weren't "real" and I wish it wasn't that way. The opening ceremony was amazing and would have been with "hazed" out fireworks and the other little girl.
1 comment:
There is something special about the genuine article. I can get a Monet print from a decorating store that looks exactly like the original, but the value is nowhere near the original. I can take what appears to be a sparkling diamond and mount it on a ring, but a jeweler won't place a high value on the ring unles the gemstone is the real deal. I could photocopy a Micheal Jordan rookie basketball card and the data on the copy would have the same information as the original card, but the photocopy is worthless. Even in the Olympic games, we want the athletes to be real. We want to see records broken and medals won....only if the performance was legitimate; a spectacular swim, jump, throw, or run is spectacular not because the numbers tell us so, but because the performance was un-enhanced by pharmacologic substitutes.
The dismay seen in the media about certain elements of the opening ceremonies is, in my opinion, illustrative of our desire for the genuine article. Through nearly any experience in life (relationships, sports, leisure, spirituality, etc..) we crave the 'real thing.' Anything less just isn't the same.
Post a Comment