For moral as well as economic reasons, the Olympics should be funded wholly privately. I also despise how this event is used to promote crazed nationalism by a state-worshipping media. Why must we root for an athlete just because he is ruled by the same political hacks as we? The emphasis should be on the talent of the athletes, not the glory of the nation-states they purportedly represent.
That being said, I do enjoy the games. It's an unparalled opportunity to admire the special talent of some very special athletes. This is a welcome break from the anti-human "we're-all-the-same" propaganda the establishment usually shoves in our face.
While I certainly agree with you that Olympic funding should be done privately I find myself in disagreement over the so-called cries for nationalism. I'm afraid you've mistaken the meanings of patriotism and nationalism. Patriotism is characterized as a love of one's countries values, traditions, etc., while nationalism is a love of and identification with the State. Given these two contrasting opinions I believe the media cries for patriotism, not nationalism.
In my eyes, patriotism is a perfectly legitimate claim. Despite the problems I have with the political decisions of this nation's leaders I do love what this nation represents, as detailed in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and thus I find myself patriotically supporting Team USA in all events. This is not to say that I do not marvel at the talent of the athletes from other nations, but I am most certainly not rooting for them to bring home gold.
I believe this is a common misconception amongst libertarians. You can, and perhaps should, be a patriot and a libertarian. Libertarianism is about freedom, the United States stands for freedom (even if it is not what our government has provided), therefore libertarianism should have a soft spot for patriotism. To reiterate, being a patriot doesn't involve loving one's government, it involves loving what one's nation represents.
Matt,
To sort of elaborate on what Phil already said: I think your assumption that we cheer on a particular American Olympian "just because he is ruled by the same political hack as we" is unfounded. Of course I cannot say unequivocally that nobody cheers on Americans becuase they are state-worshippers. But at least for me, and a great many other Americans, it is fun to root for our fellow countrymen because we come from the same society - a culture that has a set of certain values; namely, freedom, opportunity, individualism.
Not to mention, I think the Olympics are a great show of the power of individualism at work.
Re: Matt's Comment: "Of course I cannot say unequivocally that nobody cheers on Americans becuase they are state-worshippers."
That statement is fair enough, but what of all the American criticism of Sven Kramer? The first round of criticism was uncalled for, especially considering his turnabout on a dime, which means by the second question his response was completly gracious, and by the end of the interview I would suspect the reporter was very happy overall with the entire interview.
The mocking after his missing the correct side of the cone was both shamful and ridiculous, especially the part about karma (as though his karma began last week rather than the day he was born 23 years ago). I did not like the unbounded "delight" expressed by so many Americans at someone's misfortune; perhaps I was more sensitive to that having lived outside the US for over 15 years.
In sum, I think Phil's statement is accurate.
Sorry I got the names and posts mixed up.
My comment was directed to Equality's comment.
I largely agreed with Matt's comments.
I have to agree with Matt on this one.
Equality as for your quote above
"But at least for me, and a great many other Americans, it is fun to root for our fellow countrymen because we come from the same society - a culture that has a set of certain values; namely, freedom, opportunity, individualism."
You have to believe that we have actual freedom, opportunity, individualism and not some propagandized version. None of those three things are actual in our current society.
Patriotism from my view point is dedication to the Constitution.
Peace
Ryan
Post new comment