As 21st century global citizens, we live in a complex world replete with complic

As 21st century global citizens, we live in a complex world replete with complicated issues, challenges and problems. The Olympic opening ceremonies provide examples of state-sponsored cultural expressions, a major societal institution that is the product of a theatre-state in honor of international Olympic sport. The 2024 Paris Olympics displayed many examples of cultural expressions and there were several controversies surrounding the festivities and the Olympic events. For example, South Korea requested a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach after its 143 athletes were wrongly introduced as North Korean during the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics. An Olympics broadcaster dropped one of its commentators after a sexist remark made during commentary of the swimming competition in Paris. Your task is to identify a culturally significant problem or global issue from two of the 16 Olympic opening ceremonies on the modules (could be a different issue in each one), then write an essay that considers the issue as it was performed (or glossed over) and describes a solution revealed in the pageantry of the performance, including what the host country presents, the historical/cultural narrative, or what the networks choose to show in their commentary for the televised audience.
You might think about what is revealed and what is concealed in these biennial international spectacles (Winter and Summer Olympics). For instance, a country might promote its technological successes while ignoring human rights issues. In the Paris (2024) opening ceremony, a bacchanal scene was mistaken for the biblical scene depicted in DaVinci’s The Last Supper and headless images of the 18th century Queen Marie Antoinette appeared in the windows of the Conciergerie, where the queen was held captive during the French revolution, as Metal band Gojira and opera singer Marina Viotti performed. Please make sure to provide specific evidence from the ceremonies that you choose to view. Evidence from the videos might consist of an aspect of the production or scenes that are part of the spectacle. This is a state performance often staged with spectacular sets and costumes and large numbers of performers. You only need to identify one moment or scene from each of the ceremonies that reveals a culturally significant problem or global issue (could be a different issue in each one).
If the ceremonies conceal an issue (e.g., health care, inequality, ethnic bias, hunger, environmental sustainability, immigration, disenfranchised minorities or the GCP sustainability goals listed under Readings on Module #4), you should identify it and propose a solution for addressing the issue in the global spectacle organized around sporting nations. As for finding a solution, this is where your problem-solving and analytical skills come into play. You need to use your own judgement and imagination to suggest ways that the problem could be solved. One memorable problem that a student discovered by researching the Beijing Olympics is the lip-syncing child. Apparently, the actual singer was not deemed pretty enough to perform so they used her voice and another person lip-synched the words. Applying our analytical mind to this problem, we could say that this is about body-shaming or showing bias based on physical appearance (inequality). A solution would be for the real singer to perform despite the lack of perfection in her physical appearance.
Upload your essay to Canvas (500-600 words). This assignment will have peer review.
Format
Please submit your essay with the following format in the upper left-hand corner:
Name
Word count
URLs (This should include the URL of the videos you watched with the city labeled)
Any other web resources you used such as journal articles or news reports should go at the bottom. If you wish to create a formal “Works Cited” section, it should go at the bottom of your report so that the top is uncluttered.
Then give your essay a title and write in coherent paragraphs with reference to your sources.