# Olympic Ceremony - Impressions Outside UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613 "2012-07-27T22:11:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/101 "2012-07-28T19:38:16Z")
I caught a little bit of, watching in a bar with the sound off. Since i had no idea what the hell was going on, it reminded me a lot of playing Settlers, with a bunch of dirty surfs running around running around doing indeterminate industrious things in an artificial looking world. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/102 "2012-07-28T19:51:12Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Speaking of film - that house with the snippets of film chosen by Danny Boyle? Really? Those were the best snippets of film he could find for a world-wide audience? Well, the films were all iconic British ones, but I did think a lot of them are probably not all that well known outside the country, and even more so for the television programmes. Perhaps he could have made it more about British actors? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/103 "2012-07-28T20:19:14Z")
> [@Confused dart cum](#): > > To be fair the NHS is sort of a myth as before it came into being almost everyone could get free healthcare anyway. Sort of, but hospitals required payment up front, and then if the patient was poor enough, it was reimbursed later. That must have put plenty people in the dilemma: get treatment or feed the kids this week. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/104 "2012-07-28T20:32:34Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > As an American, this is my takeaway: > > “Britain! We scare the shit out your children, our Queen is a paratrooper, we invented music and sex and the internet and bicycles (_China_) and oh yeah - the Olympics, which, let’s be honest, are really kind of silly. And we did it as amateurs, because the unfettered drive of love is the greatest force on Earth, and we did it all while wearing funny hats.” > > As an American, I’m impressed! I like this interpretation. I only watched a little of it, but reading the thread– Why wouldn’t they laud the NHS? It’s a national treasure, and it’s _awesome._ Many other countries have a health care market, or health insurance. Britain has a health _service,_ and it treats everyone, no matter how much money or how many hearts they have. Put that front and center and let the foreign politicians (not to mention the pro-austerity wing of the coalition government ;)) cringe. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/105 "2012-07-28T20:33:07Z")
To be honest I don’t think there is anything automatically praiseworthy about “amateurishness”; it often implies a lack of effort and an acceptance of mediocrity. And frankly a lot of the ceremony illustrated exactly that. The parts that worked that most people liked weren’t amateurish: the forging of the rings, the cauldron, the James Bond jump. Most of the rest of the ceremony unfortunately was indeed amateurish and pedestrian. The truly dire Frankie and June segment was a like a bad high school production on a larger scale. On a smaller note I wish they had worked in Alan Turing somehow given that it was his centenary. I liked the \*\*idea \*\*of celebrating Tim Berners Lee even though they botched the execution and Turing would have been a natural complement to that. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/106 "2012-07-28T20:44:10Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > . . . our Queen is a paratrooper . . . When 16, the Queen registered for service, and when 18 she enlisted as a[2nd Subaltern (#23087)](http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/36973/supplements/1315) in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she worked [regular duty as a military truck driver](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XwRCoG9Isd8/S1TA3IeswWI/AAAAAAAAKMg/VgvaU2tx7kY/s1600-h/princess_elizabeth.jpg). By the end of WWII, she had worked up to Jr. Commander. These days she’s Commander-in-Chief of quite a few countries’ militaries. Her sweetheart Philip finished top of his class from RNC Dartmouth and served in active duty throughout WWII. Their eldest son Charles (first in line of succession) qualified as a jet pilot in the RAF, and qualified as a helicopter pilot in the RN. Their second eldest son Andrew (fourth in line of sucession) was a career naval officer who flew Lynx helicopters in the Falkland’s War. Their eldest grandchild William (second in line of succession) graduated from Sandhurst, earned commissions in the Army, the RN and the RAF, and is a career helicopter pilot who flew on an RN drug raid in the Caribbean before transferring to the RAF to fly Sea King SAR helicopters back home. Their second eldest grandchild Harry (third in line of succession) graduated from Sandhurst and was commissioned in the Army, trained as a tanker, and served on active duty in the Afghan War as a Forward Air Controller. These days he flies Apache helicopters in the Army Air Corps. This family is the real deal. My guess is that somewhere in the back of the Queen’s mind is a little disappointment that she could not make the jump with her sons or grandsons piloting the helicopter. ---
**Author:** ![oxpictus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b19c9b/32.png) [@oxpictus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oxpictus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/107 "2012-07-28T21:02:52Z")
Sorry, all you folks across the pond, the opening ceremony had to be the most dreadful hodge-podge I have ever seen. And what was with the Queen and her scowling face when all those sweet-faced children were singing to her? She’s scary! Kids on hospital beds, huge monsters and that enormous, bizarre baby with the churning innards, well- that’s what nightmares are made of! And all the while, the announcer telling us several times that those were REAL doctors pushing the hospital beds!! Even more horrifying! Hang your heads in embarrassment. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/108 "2012-07-28T21:07:42Z")
I’m amazed by the level of love/hate people had for this event. I didn’t particularly care for much of it, but it wasn’t anywhere close to the worst thing I’ve ever seen. It was just a little odd, and that’s something I’d expect and hope for from the British. I’d lost interest by the time the parade of nations began, so unfortunately I didn’t get to see the lighting of the cauldron (and fortunately I didn’t have to see Paul McCartney’s performance). I think the pacing of the ceremony was off; we had that unspeakably beautiful percussion sequence and the forging of the rings and then the whole thing became rather disjointed. I think it would have worked much better if the timeline idea had carried all the way through. Completely agree about the annoying continuous inane commentary. We couldn’t watch it without sound because we wanted to hear the music. Did any other US viewers get “treated” to a random snippet of Ryan Seacrest interviewing Michael Phelps after one of the commercial breaks? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/109 "2012-07-28T21:17:33Z")
Yeah, I don’t get the vitriol about the show. I thought it was adventurous, whimsical, and very British. Isn’t that what the ceremony is supposed to be? Sheesh. I mean, what were people expecting? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/110 "2012-07-28T21:22:23Z")
> [@oxpictus](#): > > And all the while, the announcer telling us several times that those were REAL doctors pushing the hospital beds!! Even more horrifying! The nurses were real nurses too. Why on earth is this horrifying? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![oxpictus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b19c9b/32.png) [@oxpictus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oxpictus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/111 "2012-07-28T21:26:56Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Yeah, I don’t get the vitriol about the show. I thought it was adventurous, whimsical, and very British. Isn’t that what the ceremony is supposed to be? > > Sheesh. I mean, what were people expecting? I was expecting something classy and regal, with a lot of pomp and ceremony. Maybe a tribute to the progress of athletic achievement. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/112 "2012-07-28T21:29:37Z")
> [@oxpictus](#): > > Hang your heads in embarrassment. LOL. Having spoken to the world and his wife today at the 250k cycle race, I think you’ll find the words most applied are ‘pride’ and ‘heartfelt’. Well, ‘bonkers’ also. It’s ok if people don’t really get some or all of what Boyle portrayed, and you expect most foreigners to not understand the subtleties of Boyle’s intentions or modern Britain, but if the majority enjoyed it - and it took those staid, by-the-numbers, God awful cock waving ceremonies in another direction - then that’s cool by me. Believe me, the maj of locals are more than content. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/113 "2012-07-28T21:30:58Z")
> [@oxpictus](#): > > I was expecting something classy and regal, with a lot of pomp and ceremony. Maybe a tribute to the progress of athletic achievement. You fucking clown! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/114 "2012-07-28T21:34:01Z")
I thought it was a load of multicultural crap.\* \*Channeling Aidan Burley, an arsehole Tory MP on twitter last night. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/115 "2012-07-28T21:35:57Z")
> [@oxpictus](#): > > I was expecting something classy and regal, with a lot of pomp and ceremony. Britain’s world-class at that sort of stuff, but that’s better suited to Royal Weddings and the like. There’s more than one aspect to our national psyche, you know. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/116 "2012-07-28T21:39:31Z")
Fwiw, there’s already been a Royal Wedding and a Golden Jubilee this year. It’s enough already. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/117 "2012-07-28T21:47:18Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > To be honest I don’t think there is anything automatically praiseworthy about “amateurishness”; it often implies a lack of effort and an acceptance of mediocrity. Not with people who wish the Olympics was still an all-amateur event. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/118 "2012-07-28T21:51:53Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > When 16, the Queen registered for service, and when 18 she enlisted as a[2nd Subaltern (#23087)](http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/36973/supplements/1315) in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she worked [regular duty as a military truck driver](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XwRCoG9Isd8/S1TA3IeswWI/AAAAAAAAKMg/VgvaU2tx7kY/s1600-h/princess_elizabeth.jpg). By the end of WWII, she had worked up to Jr. Commander. These days she’s Commander-in-Chief of quite a few countries’ militaries. > > Her sweetheart Philip finished top of his class from RNC Dartmouth and served in active duty throughout WWII. Their eldest son Charles (first in line of succession) qualified as a jet pilot in the RAF, and qualified as a helicopter pilot in the RN. Their second eldest son Andrew (fourth in line of sucession) was a career naval officer who flew Lynx helicopters in the Falkland’s War. Their eldest grandchild William (second in line of succession) graduated from Sandhurst, earned commissions in the Army, the RN and the RAF, and is a career helicopter pilot who flew on an RN drug raid in the Caribbean before transferring to the RAF to fly Sea King SAR helicopters back home. Their second eldest grandchild Harry (third in line of succession) graduated from Sandhurst and was commissioned in the Army, trained as a tanker, and served on active duty in the Afghan War as a Forward Air Controller. These days he flies Apache helicopters in the Army Air Corps. > > This family is the real deal. My guess is that somewhere in the back of the Queen’s mind is a little disappointment that she could not make the jump with her sons or grandsons piloting the helicopter. Prince Charles also served in the Royal Navy as commander of the minehunter HMS Bronington after several other appointments at sea. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/119 "2012-07-28T22:41:14Z")
I thought that bringing humor to the ceremonies was a welcome addition, considering how bloviated recent ceremonies have become. That said, it was a bit too navel-gazing for me. Two hours of it was about 1 1/2 too much. And I hate to say it, but it’s time for Paul McCartney to begin a graceful move into retirement. That said, the ceremonies were long forgotten once the Canadian team marched in to the arena. They had some sweet khakis that they got from a clearance sale at TJ Maxx, along with a track jacket. Someone had the great idea to rip the decals off their travel bags (read: CANADA) and had the athletes pin them to their chest with safety pins. Canada was nearly beat out for shittiest uniforms by the African nation that had their athletes wearing electric blue galoshes, but they were off the screen so quickly that there wasn’t enough time to fully comprehend what we were seeing. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/120 "2012-07-28T22:42:21Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > they botched the execution and Turing would have been a natural complement to that. I see what you did there. But I do agree that Turing would have been a more well-reknowned Brit that they could have incorporated into the show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613.md?page=7)