Olympic Spoilers?
So three times this morning I've come across LJ posts of jubilant Olympic fans who have been chastised in their comment section for posting "spoilers" of Olympic results in their journals.
Seriously? A big news story like the Olympics Games, with results posted instantly around the world on the Internet/Twitter/TV/radio and rabid fans around the globe dancin' or cryin' at the flick of a skate or ski and such results should be considered spoilers? Fans can't just be joyously happy if things go well for their team? Heck, I can barely turn on my computer without coming to a headline telling me how the Canadians and others are doing at the Games. It seems if you're really worried about Olympic spoilers you better stay away from all media for another six days.
It's like the folks who surfed the web before reading the seventh Harry Potter novel and then cried once they were spoiled of the ending. Really, stay off the web 'til you read the book or just come to terms with spoilers. Though with the Olympics I think it's even less reasonable to expect to surf the web and stay spoiler-free.
You Olympic fans out there in LJ land? I suggest you just keep having fun.
We're doing an Olympic unit here in Gr. 4 and with the Games here in our own country the kids have been having great fun with it. For most of them it's the first Olympics Games they've been old enough to follow. I've done a number of Olympic units through the years and they are always interesting studies in character, media, politics, values, as well as sport. And depending on what happens at the Games I never quite know where the unit will go, what we might be discussing on any given day- whether it be drugs, terrorism, tragedy on the luge track, judging bias, sportsmanship, medals vs. a personal best. For example, Canadian women's figure skater Joannie Rochette losing her mother in Vancouver on the eve of her competing in the Games tonight is especially poignant in a classroom where two of my students have suddenly lost their fathers during this school year.
I also had each student "adopt" a Canadian athlete, do some research on them and make a sports cards about them, and I've encouraged them to follow that athlete during the Games. Again, it's been an excellent exercise on the joys of a gold medal and also in empathizing with an athlete who may have worked hard for years and may lose a medal by hundredths of a second or may find themselves further down the score board. It causes a lot of discussions on perspective and compassion. Yes, the Canadian biathelete can come last and be giddily happy just because he competed in the Games. Yes, the Canadian and American ice dancing pairs can be best friends -and- best rivals and are treating each other much better than the Canadian and American men's hockey teams are right now. Yes, coming fourth can be the loneliest place in the Olympic Games (oddly enough, according to the media, so can getting silver). Every day sparks new stories and new topics for learning.
And I'm just glad they're young enough to enjoy the Olympics for sport and they haven't become worldly or cynical enough yet about the many things about the Olympics that are more than worthy of cynicism. That time will come soon enough, but I'm glad right now to just see them enjoying the competition, the drama and courage of the athletes, the importance of support and national/international fellowship in good times and bad. They'll have a lifetime for cynicism.
Seriously? A big news story like the Olympics Games, with results posted instantly around the world on the Internet/Twitter/TV/radio and rabid fans around the globe dancin' or cryin' at the flick of a skate or ski and such results should be considered spoilers? Fans can't just be joyously happy if things go well for their team? Heck, I can barely turn on my computer without coming to a headline telling me how the Canadians and others are doing at the Games. It seems if you're really worried about Olympic spoilers you better stay away from all media for another six days.
It's like the folks who surfed the web before reading the seventh Harry Potter novel and then cried once they were spoiled of the ending. Really, stay off the web 'til you read the book or just come to terms with spoilers. Though with the Olympics I think it's even less reasonable to expect to surf the web and stay spoiler-free.
You Olympic fans out there in LJ land? I suggest you just keep having fun.
We're doing an Olympic unit here in Gr. 4 and with the Games here in our own country the kids have been having great fun with it. For most of them it's the first Olympics Games they've been old enough to follow. I've done a number of Olympic units through the years and they are always interesting studies in character, media, politics, values, as well as sport. And depending on what happens at the Games I never quite know where the unit will go, what we might be discussing on any given day- whether it be drugs, terrorism, tragedy on the luge track, judging bias, sportsmanship, medals vs. a personal best. For example, Canadian women's figure skater Joannie Rochette losing her mother in Vancouver on the eve of her competing in the Games tonight is especially poignant in a classroom where two of my students have suddenly lost their fathers during this school year.
I also had each student "adopt" a Canadian athlete, do some research on them and make a sports cards about them, and I've encouraged them to follow that athlete during the Games. Again, it's been an excellent exercise on the joys of a gold medal and also in empathizing with an athlete who may have worked hard for years and may lose a medal by hundredths of a second or may find themselves further down the score board. It causes a lot of discussions on perspective and compassion. Yes, the Canadian biathelete can come last and be giddily happy just because he competed in the Games. Yes, the Canadian and American ice dancing pairs can be best friends -and- best rivals and are treating each other much better than the Canadian and American men's hockey teams are right now. Yes, coming fourth can be the loneliest place in the Olympic Games (oddly enough, according to the media, so can getting silver). Every day sparks new stories and new topics for learning.
And I'm just glad they're young enough to enjoy the Olympics for sport and they haven't become worldly or cynical enough yet about the many things about the Olympics that are more than worthy of cynicism. That time will come soon enough, but I'm glad right now to just see them enjoying the competition, the drama and courage of the athletes, the importance of support and national/international fellowship in good times and bad. They'll have a lifetime for cynicism.