Rio, full circle?
Aug 20
Rio seems to be becoming something of a touchstone for the human condition.
In 1992 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was tabled at the Rio earth summit.
In 2016 the Rio olympics appears to be diorama of the world in miniature: we look through our glass-screened peepholes at our attempt to maintain business as usual, and a celebration of human endeavour and culture, despite the undermining power of the social and environmental fissures that, despite best efforts, can’t be neatly concreted over. Situated in the midst of enormous social inequality, decay, and floating faecal matter as a result of fouling our own nest, the world cheers for those most human of social artifacts – sport and nationalism – while the occasional piece of poorly-installed human-made equipment falls on humans.
I expect I’ll find the “closing ceremony” a devastatingly poignant parallel for our current chronological position on the planet.