The past, present, and future Olympic games: The Rings of Hitler to the radiation of Tokyo

POOTIE POOT THE FLAMER

Rachel Maddow used her bully pulpit on MSNBC to discuss the upcoming winter Olympics in Russia.. She is making a stand (and diametrically opposed to NBC in a marketing sense since that is the network that has the Olympic coverage)..  The stand is based on Russia's treatment of gay people within the country--and the government's plan to take children from gay parents.. Maddow asks--perhaps morally acceptable--the question: What are we saying by NOT boycotting the Sochi Olympics..

The history of the Olympics has been fraught with failure, catastrophe.. controversy.. violence.. bombings.. hatred.. victory.. loss... statements on war, race, and most recently, lots and lots of sex in the Olympic village.. In China, we wondered if the air pollution was going to be so bad that our athletes would just die. Then China decided to control the weather.

In early years, some nations were not invited.
The Munich massacre took place at the 1972 summer Olympics..
Jimmy Carter issued a boycott order in 1980 because the summer games were held in the USSR.
In 1984, the Soviets, in turn, boycotted the Los Angeles games..
North Korea boycotted in 1988..
The Atlanta games were bombed in 1996.
And of course, 1994 featured the strange ice skating affair with then skater now boxer Tonya Harding and then star now fallen star Nancy Kerrigan ..
A strange set of games, these games were..

2014 will be no different. As Rachel Maddow pointed out last night, the Olympic flame actually went out on the run in Russia.

How big of a controversy this will be is yet to be determined.. However, any observer who doesn't know a thing about global affairs can realize that, with Snowden and other issues this year, the Russian/American 'restart' button has yet to be pushed. While no one is seriously talking about boycotting the Putin games over gay issues, perhaps it's an idea that will catch on with time?

THE FIRST FLAME

But what we know is this..The Olympic rings were designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin ...but they have very strong ties to Adolf Hitler's Nazi propaganda machine in the pre-World War II world.. In 2004, the AP reported something many already knew and have known since .. Those famed Coubertin rings were popularized them.. Also a Hitler initiative: That now famed Olympic torch, the one that was went out recently in Russia...

We forget easily with time.. Hindsight sometimes isn't 20/20, but instead a big foggy haze of forgetfulness.

And while past sins certainly should not condemn future generations, nor should bad leaders and occult ideas stop future Olympic games, it's my long-thought opinion that there is some kind of curse, or some kind of dark shroud, that persists over all the Olympics.. Maybe it's the constant war on earth, or the convergence of so many diverse people that have governments that distrust each other..  Maybe it's the large security apparatus that stymies the freedom of expression in the city where the games are held.
There is pageantry.
There is prestige..
And there is a highly competitive nature to the games.
But with all the games, each time another nation dares to host them, something else occurs with them.. something else filled with controversy..

And by 2020, the Tokyo games may be glowing in anticipation......