Hindsight

        This week, we read two pieces based on a Dad's relationship with their children. "Shooting Dad" by Sarah Vowell describes the father-daughter relationship while "Arm-Wrestling with My Father" by Brad Manning describes the father-son relationship. Both Vowell and Manning weren't able to really understand why their Dads treated them in a specific ways until much later. It is often said that "Hindsight is 20-20"(Even for Carol, who didn't wear her safety goggles and now doesn't need them) and both these stories Vowell and her Dad have butted heads over guns for the longest time. Vowell thinks that she and her dad don't have much in common and attempts to reconnect by accompanying her dad in testing a cannon. Being a journalist, Vowell decides to bring her complex recording equipment. Only when an unsuspecting hiker comments on their experiment does Vowell realize how much she and her dad have in common. Vowell exclaims "Oh. My. God. My dad and I are the same person." Manning undergoes a other type of revelation after many years. When Manning finally beats his Dad in arm wrestling, he rethinks his entire relationship with his father. He realizes that his father is growing old and that he will now have to take care of his father. He is finally able to see how much his dad has done for him. Only recently, I have been able to see Dad has done for me. My Dad, like Manning's father, is getting old. A few years ago, he had to undergo back surgery and it was a big change. Things that my Dad used to do were now arduous tasks for my sister and I. I finally appreciated what my Dad has done for years without demanding anything.  In hindsight, I bet Carol regrets not wearing safety goggles.

Et tu, Brute?

Caesar is lying on the floor, surrounded by bloodthirsty senators

He is stunned. He has an incredulous look on his face as he is stabbed to death by those that had claimed to be his “friends.”

 He is Caesar! He is the Leader of Rome and Conqueror of the Gauls. They have the gall (or Gaul) to challenge him?

The Senators are merciless. They stab, pull their blades out and repeat. Caesar’s blood splatters everywhere, coating his robes and the conspirator’s blades. Caesar’s eyes plead for mercy, for pause. The Conspirators stab, pull and repeat.

 An idea strikes Caesar. He looks for his best friend, Brutus. Surely, Brutus will help him. Alas, he could not have been more wrong. Caesar meets Brutus’s gaze just as Brutus is poised to stab Caesar yet again. Caesar’s face falls. His gaze is full of anguish and heart break.
Brutus, His compadre, His amigo, His frater, is literally stabbing him in the back. Caesar is puzzled. Why would his friend do this? He had only wielded the power for a few weeks and had done nothing with it. Brutus was not one to be moved by power. Or was he?  Caesar can not comprehend that his best friend could betray him like this and with his dying breath, Caesar utters “Et tu, Brute?”

What?

    This week, we talked quite a bit about Marginalization and how racial and ethnic groups were marginalized in the U.S. Now, the Olympics are designed to promote Unity, bring the world together, and fight against discrimination but how do they hold up to that standard when they ban the 2nd most populated country from competing? 

On Friday, my family and I are watching the Olympic opening ceremony and wait for India to march in the parade of nations. But India didn't. At first, I thought that someone skipped them and obnoxiously commented "Well, Somebody's getting fired." I soon forgot about it, but then the "Independent Olympic Participants" began to march and I came to the realization that they were Team India. So I grabbed the computer and Binged it. It turns out India was banned because they had kept corrupt officials in their ranks. Now corruption in India is not surprising; in fact, it is kind of expected. It really happens all the time and it is pretty embarrassing.  For example, take the Commonwealth Games. In 2010, India hosted the Commonwealth Games. They were a failure. My family and I went to Delhi two weeks before the games started and on the road where the bicycle race was supposed to take place, there were pot holes everywhere and bricks out of place. This was due to the corruption in the organizing committee. Instead of spending money to make sure that events could take place, the committee in charge spent 9 lakhs per treadmill and 4 lakhs per AC Unit. 9 lakhs equals 900,000 rupees which equals 14450.4 US dollars. 14450.4 dollars for One treadmill. When asked to justify these purchases, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee said that the treadmills were from Germany and came with a German technician and acted like that justified everything.       However, I still don't think that it is fair to ban a country for corruption as nearly all bans are reserved for human rights violations like South Africa 40+ years ago. It doesn't really punish the corrupt officials as much as it punishes the athletes that have worked tirelessly and the people of India that haven't really done anything wrong. I feel that it is wrong to ban India when other countries have only been banned after committing heinous crimes that make corruption look benign. There is talk that the ban may be lifted before the games are over and hopefully the Indian athletes will be able to compete for their country. 

 

Our Champions

       When our favorite team and athlete win the national championship, they don't just become the champion; they become our champions. We take pride in our athletes as their successes become our successes and their failures become our failures.

Maya Angelou and her family rooted for Joe Louis as if they were his brother because he was black. Because he represented them. When Joe Louis was on the ropes, Angelou compares it to every time that white people have hurt them. From a black man being lynched or a white woman slapping her black maid. It becomes more than about a fight between two men; it becomes a fight between two races.

That's what makes Sports exciting. When we take a side and take pride in our players and our team. Games are boring when there is nothing at stake. We want bragging rights and want our city to be declared the best. If our team wasn't the Detroit Lions, I wouldn't have watched them go 0-16 and become the laughing stock of the NFL. If our team wasn't the Detroit Pistons, I wouldn't have watched them become worse and worse going from National Champions in 2004 to not being able to even win 30 games in 2012-2013. I hate all teams from Ohio and love my Michigan teams. I don't think I would watch football or basketball or any sport if I was just curious about which team would win. No, I want to root for my team or root for the team that I dislike the least.