Duck and Cover



According to John Carlson's column in today's Register, American atheletes planning to attend the Athens Olympics are being asked to refrain from waving the flag, and might not even carry one. The column quotes Bill Martin, acting president of the Olympic Committee, in discussing the idea that



"the 600 American athletes carry small Greek flags in honor of the host country and possibly the flag of their country of origin during opening ceremonies.



"We may end up doing something like that," Martin told USA Today. 'This is an opportunity for our country to make a statement and soften our image. It is so important that we give the right impression.'"



I checked around the web. The Washington Times has this story:



"American athletes have been warned not to wave the U.S. flag during their medal celebrations at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, for fear of provoking crowd hostility and harming the country's already-battered public image. The spectacle of victorious athletes grabbing a national flag and parading it around the stadium is a familiar part of international sporting competition, but U.S. Olympic officials have ordered their 550-strong team to exercise restraint and avoid any jingoistic behavior."



Am I to understand that our Olympic Committee's official position is that the type of "celebration lap" that's traditional in the olympics, and that other country's atheletes will presumably continue to engage in, will be perceived as hostile and discriminatory if a US athelete does it? I visited Cambridge Dictionaries Online to refresh my understanding of the adjective "jingoistic" just to see if I'm missing some nuance here. It says: "the extreme belief that your own country is always best, which is often shown in enthusiastic support for a war against another country" So by implication, Mr. Martin says that if the atheletes wave our flag they are supporting the war?



These sentiments were echoed in the same article by Mike Moran, a consultant hired to coach the atheletes on how to behave:



"Regardless of whether there is anti-American sentiment in Athens or not, the world watches Americans a lot now in terms of how they behave and our culture. What I am trying to do with the athletes and coaches is to suggest to them that they consider how the normal things they do at an event, including the Olympics, might be viewed as confrontational or insulting or cause embarrassment."



I have to reiterate that: no matter whether there is anti-American sentiment or not, waving the flag might be viewed as confrontational or cause embarrassment so we shouldn't do it.



In my not-so-humble opinion, this policy should tick everybody off. Traditional conservatives should be livid at the suggestion that pure patriotism is somehow offensive and should be squelched. Liberals and Libertarians should be shocked at the blatant attempt to censor the atheletes' speech and behavior and encroach on their civil liberties in such a manner. The Committee argues that atheletes should be cautious, as they will be perceived as representatives of the American people. I agree, but point out that in being our representatives, they are there to represent our democracy and freedom as much as our athletic capability.



Agree or disagree, Here's the contact page for the USOC if you'd like to make your feelings known on the subject.