The Disaster that is Sochi
Sochi was a bad choice to hold the Winter Olympics, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
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Fourteen years ago, I visited Krasnodar, Russia. Krasnodar is the capitol of the Krasnodar Krai (think, state or province) which Sochi is located. What I find hilarious is all of the journalists surprised at the conditions of the area. Obviously, some people didn't do their research.
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People have asked me what surprised me the most here in Sochi. It’s this. Without question … it’s … THIS. pic.twitter.com/1jj05FNdCP -
Surprised? Pardon me while I go laugh for awhile. Been there, done that.
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Comparing Russia with English… It Makes Sense, I Swear
Russia is considered a "second world" country. Unlike third world countries, a second world country is industrialized and on its way to becoming first world, but is still very different. Think of it as a comparison between Middle English and Modern English.
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Changes in the English LanguageChanges in the English Language A Comparison of Old, Middle, and Modern English Luke 2:1-19 Key to Pronunciation þ – pronounced “th”ð – p…
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Great comparison of Old, Middle, and Modern English.
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The above is a sample of Middle English. Notice how it has a lot of familiarities to what we know, but still is completely foreign? Yeah. That's Russia. It's developed enough to seem familiar, but not so developed that anyone who hasn't done their research could ever imagine what to expect.
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Believe it or not, Shakespeare isn't "Old English." It's actually "Early Modern English."
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Next time you complain about Shakespeare, just imagine you could be reading Beowulf instead. In Old English. You're welcome.
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But, I digress. Second World countries are on their way to being modern, but many of the basic amenities, conveniences, conventions and safety standards are missing. They really want to be First, but they are stuck being Second.
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First, Second, and Third World – Nations Online Project
And why is our music called world music? I think people are being polite. What they want to say is that it’s third world music. Like they…
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If you're interested in what determines a nation's standing, I strongly urge you to read that page.
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Welcome to the Real Russia
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And this is a good neighborhood.
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I think the major issue here is that these journalists aren't use to experiencing a places as the denizens do. They are use to their expense account paid hotels in capitol cities, the plush offices of heads of states, and the immaculate embassies designed with the sole purpose of expressing the majesty of a country and people.
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: rising concerns over Games mar 100-days-to-go celebrations
Spinu claims that he has 100 colleagues who are still waiting to be paid a total of 15 million roubles (£300,000) – many of them, like hi…
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As you can see, before the $50 billion stimulus, Sochi wasn't what we'd think of as Olympic material. What we're seeing now is a hastily applied paint job trying to cover cracks and crevices that really weren't fixed, just hidden, or, in true Stalinist fashion, mowed over.
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Castles in the sand
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"The whole place resembles nothing so much as a Communist-era
construction project. Cost, efficiency, nature and human lives never
stood in the way of Soviet rulers who reversed Siberian rivers, built
cities in permafrost and planted corn in virgin land—often to ruinous
effect. In scale, Sochi 2014 is similar, yet the amount of public money
it will cost makes Soviet projects pale in comparison." – "Castles in the Sand", The Economist, July 13 2013 -
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Russia cracks down on green activism ahead of Sochi Olympics
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Some habits are hard to break… like throwing political opponents in jail.
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Nothing Against Russia
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Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Russia. Three of my siblings were adopted from there. I think the Russian people are amazing people who have endured more than many societies ever have. I think Russia is a great nation that's recovering from almost a century of oppression and failed sociopolitical and economic policies. The point is, they are trying. But trying isn't the same as being there. Sochi clearly didn't have the needed infrastructure to do this. They didn't have enough time, enough management, and enough development.
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My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, “do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous.” #Sochi2014
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Water restored, sorta. On the bright side, I now know what very dangerous face water looks like. #Sochi #unfiltered pic.twitter.com/sQWM0vYtyz
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This is the one hotel room @Sochi2014 have given us so far. Shambles. #cnnsochi pic.twitter.com/RTjEkmyan3
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You don't travel to a second world country with a struggling economy and political system and expect to find the Ritz Carlton. Then have the audacity to mock them for not pulling off something most developed countries struggle to pull off. Turning a town in the middle of nowhere into a premiere international sporting center without a
fewsomemanyOKAY lots of kinks. -
No Respect
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Ex-Soviet Union struggles with democracy
When the Cold War ended two decades ago, President George H.W. Bush and his counterparts across the Atlantic set out to build a Europe “w…
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When the majority of the former Soviet Union is struggling both economically and politically, we shouldn't forget where they came from, what they overcame, and where they are going. Even if they aren't there yet, even if they are struggling, they have come a long way from the mass murdering five year plans of Stalin.
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Russia is doing the best it can, and maybe Sochi will teach them, the Olympic Committee, and journalists a thing or two about planning, modernization, and research. Journalists, of course, should know better than to run into an area blind. It wouldn't have taken a whole lot of work to get an idea of what to expect.
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