The Olympic Ideal . . .

Count me among the many who don't think the Olympic Games are such a great idea. Let me count the ways:

1. They stimulate an orgy of consumption. You don't think they're sponsored by a bank out of idealism, do you?
2. They promote competition in an unhealthy way.
3. They usually stick taxpayers with a large bill and a lot of sports facilities that promote watching more than participation.
4. They encourage nationalism.
5. They give the athletically gifted a sense of entitlement out of proportion to their value to society.
6. They're run by a bunch of aristocratic snobs who also have a sense of entitlement out of proportion to their value to society.
7. They encourage Olympic sites to sweep the marginalized under the rug for the duration.
8. They encourage the belief that physical activity is something to watch, rather than to do.