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Thomas
@aviationdoctor.eth
Some people here and on X have expressed outrage at parts of the opening ceremony of the Olympics in France. As someone who is both natively French and a "global citizen" (lived on four continents, visited 50 countries, expat for nearly 20 years), I wanted to share my dual perspective. My goal is not to pass judgment on Friday's performance, but rather set the cultural context in which it was delivered. So, don't shoot the messenger. Also, references are annotated in brackets like this: [i] for further reading at the end. The TL;DR is that the French brand of secularism (laïcité) is unique, highly idiosyncratic, and part of the core identity of the French republic; it's understandable that it does not translate well to an international audience. Now, onto the 🧵: 1/9
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John Camkiran
@johncamkiran
Valuable perspective. To keep Farcaster interesting, I will attempt an objective defence of the outraged: 1. The use of the opening ceremony to express the French political principle of laïcité violates Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political expressions, except by participants under certain circumstances. 2. Burlesque is a category of entertainment that is broadly deemed unsuitable for children, who compose an important part of the Olympic audience.
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Thomas
@aviationdoctor.eth
I agree with point #2 — it was too risqué considering an audience with kids. For #1 someone else in the replies pointed out the double standard of the Olympic Committee banning a Brazilian surfboard with the image of Christ, yet allowing religious references in the opening ceremony. I have to wonder if the ceremony is considered “off limits” to the Committee (and at the discretion of the host) or not. Because if not, it’s clearly a double standard indeed
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