Olympic last supper

[Gina P]

I'm sure we have all heard about the opening ceremonies at the Olympics in Paris, where a drag queen presumably did a depiction of the last supper. I watched the ceremonies and didn't even realize this is what was being depicted but nevertheless in this day and age of LGBTQ+ hatred perhaps they should have thought better than poking the bear with this. I think we need to be out and proud but not provoke anger needlessly. Just my opinion. What's yours?

[Lori Dee]

@Gina P

I have seen the photo in the news.

My thoughts were similar to yours... What were they thinking? I do not understand what the intent was.

What does the Last Supper have to do with the Olympics or athletics of any kind?
What does a Drag Performance have to do with the Olympics or athletics of any kind?

If they just wanted to show Pride support, they could fly a flag. It is when you get in someone's face with something controversial that you cause conflict. Why provoke? It doesn't make you look good.

My grandparents and my parents always taught us that sex, religion, and politics are never discussed in "polite society". That is because there will never be a consensus, and therefore always be conflict. Several someones made some very poor decisions.

[imallie]

It's so typical of the right to get mock outraged over something when they don't even have the facts right. And then then presented with the facts they ignore them (see "trans day of visibility replaced Easter!)

I'm no art snob, but even I knew this was based on the "feast of the gods" painting. For goodness sake, Dionysus showed up. Those people seemed way more like gods than disciples. 

It's been confirmed that it was indeed based off the famous, I think Dutch?, painting.  But that hasn't stopped the narrative. *sigh*

[Lori Dee]

even I knew this was based on the "feast of the gods" painting. For goodness sake, Dionysus showed up.

I saw one "news" article of someone claiming it was "satanic".  (facepalm)

[imallie]

I saw one "news" article of someone claiming it was "satanic".  (facepalm)

Sweet fancy Moses! 😂 (no religious pun intended)

[Nadine Spirit]

Sadly there is too much ignorance in this world, especially the USA. I'm a teacher, and have been for the past 28 years so I know what I'm talking about. US citizens are not the brightest and will allow themselves to become outraged over the slightest thing. And it is lame!

[Northern Star Girl]

@Nadine Spirit
Hold on there Kelly... please don't throw
out the baby with the bath water.

The Paris Olympic Committee received a lot of backlash
from all around the world, not just from the USA.

I am a US citizen and I consider myself to be
fairly "bright" and I have a lot of friends including
many members here on our Susan's Place Forum
that I consider to be "bright"

HUGS, Danielle

Sadly there is too much ignorance in this world, especially the USA. I'm a teacher, and have been for the past 28 years so I know what I'm talking about. US citizens are not the brightest and will allow themselves to become outraged over the slightest thing. And it is lame!

[Northern Star Girl]

I don't care about dissecting the opening ceremony of the Olympics but the
way it was done appeared to reflect very badly on the LGBTQ community at large.   

Not a good decision by the Paris Olympic Committee to put on that kind of ceremony. 
Some may call it artistic endeavor, but it was NOT....It drew lots of criticism
from a majority of world-wide viewers.

Definition of Artistic Endeavor: 
1. Characteristic of art or artists. 2 performed, made, or arranged decoratively and
tastefully; aesthetically pleasing. 3 appreciative of and sensitive to beauty in art.

Just my opinion, that is all....
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

[Nadine Spirit]

@Nadine Spirit
Hold on there Kelly... please don't throw
out the baby with the bath water.

The Paris Olympic Committee received a lot of backlash
from all around the world, not just from the USA.

I here ya, however, all of the backlash you spoke of that I can still find online has been from religious groups and conservative organizations. And all of them are comparing the opening ceremony to The Last Supper by DaVinci. However, none of them can really explain what that blue guy is doing there. Instead, they rage, and pump their fists, and say how dare they desecrate our beautiful religious history.  Sorry, but that's ignorance.

That blue guy, yeah he is Dionysus. Who happens to be an ancient Greek god of wine making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. I think that the important bits for certain religious groups is that according to some sources, Dionysus was born on December 25th, and was born to a virgin. So I suppose that I can understand how some people who are not aware of the origins of their religious myths can easily confuse a naked blue guy with their savior and then scream about their history being disrespected.

Some people are looking for things to be upset about in an attempt to prove that their rights and their beliefs are being trod upon.

[Sephirah]

I'm sure we have all heard about the opening ceremonies at the Olympics in Paris, where a drag queen presumably did a depiction of the last supper. I watched the ceremonies and didn't even realize this is what was being depicted but nevertheless in this day and age of LGBTQ+ hatred perhaps they should have thought better than poking the bear with this. I think we need to be out and proud but not provoke anger needlessly. Just my opinion. What's yours?

I literally have seen nothing of the Olympics. I have approximately zero interest in it. I've only seen the sensationalist headlines which have come out of the boxing. Other than that... nada.

Life these days is an actual minefield, though. It seems like to just live requires a degree in sociology. Which is both sad and awful.

Give me the Assassin's Creed: Odyssey version of the ancient Greek Olympics, where the only thing that mattered was oiling up some herculean dude than literally shoving him into the sea because he is a douche, lol. There is way too much going on with this to make it worth watching. It's one controversy after another. I can't be bothered with it.

[SoupSarah]

It is a shame that quarter of the way through the 21st century we are still having the same discussions.
Drag, a form of entertainment involving performers dressing in highly stylized ways, has its roots in 19th-century British theatre. The slang term initially referring the women's clothing worn by men.

Today, drag is most commonly associated with drag queens, often men, who adopt exaggeratedly feminine personas for their performances. While some live as men outside of their drag roles, anyone can be a drag queen regardless of gender. Similarly, drag kings, who perform stylized masculinity, are often women, but people of any gender can take on this role.

Drag artists typically create distinct personas, complete with different names and pronouns, which are used only during performances. This distinction is crucial: drag is a performance art, not a statement of the performer's gender identity. Conversely, when transgender individuals request new names and pronouns, it reflects their true gender identity, not a temporary role or an expression of art. Transgender people are trying to live a life.

It's important not to conflate drag with transgender identity. Most transgender people are not drag performers, and equating the two is nearly always hurtful and misleading.

Both drag performers and transgender people can face discrimination and harassment for their gender expression. The differences are like confusing an actor with their character on a film. I am quite sure Sylvester Stallone gets called 'Rambo' a lot - I am also sure he is not keen on it. Equating a drag performance at the olympics with the need to better the rights of transgender people around the world is promoting falsehoods and damaging the lives of real people trying to live honest and decent lives.