The Lies Behind Canada’s 2010 Olympic Symbol

Ironic that this article is from a site called “Fishing For Facts” considering it seemingly contains few…

“Did the Canadian government ask the Inuit if they could design an image symbolic of Inuit for commercial Olympic media blitz use? Or did they go ahead on their own and are now sucking up to them by pretending to care, just so they will not make a fuss about being used.”

Not exactly, but VANOC struck a deal with them. In fact the Inuit chief and the Premier of Nunavit were at the press conference.

I doubt you’ll make it to the end, but an interesting read.

The Lies Behind The New Canadian Olympic Symbol

By Arlene Longson

April 26/2005

The Canadian government’s sudden request that Inuit people stick to tradition is well-timed with the unveiling of Canada’s Olympic emblem, designed to show the world that Inuit tradition relies on white men killing millions of Seals. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the population of 27,000 Inuit people are chartering planes to fly in soft drinks and have been drinking 20,000 litres of the stuff, per day, for eons. Inuit houses continue to fall into the sea due to global warming, and nothing tangible has, nor will be done, to stop it. But the Canadian government doesn’t want you to know about that. However, there is one big line of bull that the Canada’s Prime Minister wants the world to swallow!

The 2010 Canadian Olympic symbol which was unveiled April 25th 2005 arrived interestingly on the same day that 1,700 infant Harp Seals washed up on the shores of Newfoundland (collateral damage) only days after the largest mass killing of marine mammals in the history of the world. The unveiling also arrived on the same day as the Canadian government formally asked Inuit people to give up on white mans’ food and treats — and asked them to regress back to a more traditional way of eating, effectively asking the Inuit to freeze-in-time while the rest of Canadian society steps up its modernization and technological advancement. Why?

This would be the first time the government has actually asked any group of people to “go-primitive” as part of a government strategy to elicit global endearment of the Inuit people. They want to feed an illusion of Inuit as the same old tribe they have always been. To show a falsehood, that Inuit need to hunt Seals, and that in some twisted way the murdering of a million – and counting – Harp Seals in Canada should be acceptable to the world..because Inuit “used to hunt Seals”

For the Canadian government to continue getting away with killing Seals it needs to convince the world that the Inuit way of life would be in danger if the Seal Hunt was halted, and that in order to preserve an important Inuit tradition — the world should accept this horrific barbarism.. for the Inuit’s sake!

Somehow we are supposed to connect the Inuit to the commercial seal slaughter. Yet the two have nothing to do with each other. The Inuit do not kill a million Seals over 3 years. No, they don’t! This is committed by the commercial-fishing white men and the government fat-cats. They are the ones who are killing seals, in numbers so obscene that it is difficult to comprehend.

Do the Inuit people really believe this comes out of concern for their welfare? This quiet reclusive population of people who has so little access to media and has very little idea what ‘media-spin’ is.. could they even have a clue as to how horribly they are being lied about to the world? And, do any of us believe that a government who has relied so heavily upon a massive lie about Inuit people and Harp Seals to the world, really cares about the effects of coca-cola on Inuit tooth decay? I wonder why the Canadian government doesn’t worry about the rest of the kids in the country who are drinking just as much pop as the Inuit? Why aren’t they conducting a broader campaign to end soft drink abuse? Howcome they’re only worried about the Inuit all of a sudden? Of course they should worry…..but…..why are they?

Do we really believe that suddenly the Canadian government would spend all that money launching a campaign to get Inuit people to stop chartering planes to bring in soda pop because they care about the preservation of Inuit teeth and (Eskimo) tradition? It is more likely that there is a more sinister reason behind the concern. The Canadian government wants to present a certain image to the boycotting world. They want to fabricate an illusion of the Inuit people in an effort to thwart the boycott…. to make people feel sorry for the Newfoundland Sealers by enlisting your fondness of the Inuit!

If the Canadian government feels that the Inuit are like children and need to be spoon-fed on how to take care of their teeth and directed not to drink soda pop, we have to wonder, what else are they spoon-feeding the Inuit? Clearly, the Canadian government views them as children!

We don’t hear the Inuit people making PR statements. We don’t hear them countering claims, or arguing with what the government says! Why not? Is it because the Inuit agree with the government? The answer actually lies in the fact that they are a remote population of people who do not have the kind of access to the outside world as most of us do. They are not media mongers. They take most everything at face value. If you tell them something, they trust that you are telling the truth. It’s as simple as that. So, the lack of Inuit response to whatever Canada’s government says to them, is here nor there.

But, occasionally the government is lucky and sneaky enough to be able to con one, maybe even two Inuit people into speaking on behalf of the governement slaughter. But, just like in the case of the Burrard native band which was found to be ilegally killing Eagles in large numbers for the black market foot-and-feather trade, there is one or two black sheep in every family. While elders wept over the bodies of dozens of Bald Eagles, somewhere out there was a young native brave going against his own tribe, embarrassing the elders.

What we are seeing here is the careful government sculpting of a well choreographed lie. this is part and parcel of the lie that will soon be fed to the rest of the world…the world that is now boycotting Canadian seafood products, and yes, the 2010 Canadian Olympics.

When Canadians were asked if they saw any relevance between the newly unveiled Canadian Olympic Emblem and Canadian culture, most people scratched their heads and said they couldn’t see any connection, no relevance between the symbol and Canadian culture. Many were downright confused. “It looks like a highway bathroom rest-stop stick-man symbol..the kind you find on the door of the potty!”

“It’s a disgrace and has no meaning for Canada whatsoever. ..just like the Inuit have nothing to do with the seal massacre. This is yet one more embarrassment for Canada. One more bad decision, in a long stream of many!”

Did the Canadian government ask the Inuit if they could design an image symbolic of Inuit for commercial Olympic media blitz use? Or did they go ahead on their own and are now sucking up to them by pretending to care, just so they will not make a fuss about being used.

In any case this is a well orchestrated lie to show an alliance between the beloved Inuit people, the crooked government, and Seal killers… as if they want to be viewed as one and the same.. to promote an illusion to the world, that the Inuit people rely on the white-man’s slaughter of seals for their livelihoods. Yet, in 25 years not one single Inuit has ever been spotted on the ice killing a seal.

[Ilanaaq on BlogPulse]

Humorous Seattle Times coverage by Ron Judd of the controvery surrounding the 2010 Vancouver Olympics logo as well as any other controversy he can dig up including mascots, Ross’s and more. Here’s an exceprt…

The Best Defense

Members of the expert selection panel responded to criticism in the traditional Olympic way: trashing another Olympic city’s logo by comparison.

Wei Yew, an Edmonton graphic designer who served as a judge and has written a book on Olympic imagery, singled out the logo for the upcoming 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy — a wedge-shaped triangle of what appears to be blue mesh.

“Try and figure out what the hell that is,” Yew told the Canadian Press, whose reporter agreed that the logo appears to be a “slice of blue Swiss cheese.”

Actually, it’s a stylized representation of Turin’s signature landmark, the Mole Antonelliana, a 19th-century city tower that for a time was the world’s tallest structure.

Just Wait: It’ll Get Worse

Based on the Vancouver logo, we can hardly wait for the upcoming release of the official Games mascots.

Prediction: No matter how cheesy they prove to be, they’ll probably look good compared to Neve and Gliz, two animated ice creatures unveiled at a Turin media event featuring two people walking around in furry suits and what appeared to be giant urinal cakes on their heads.

The offspring of a snowball and an ice cube, Turin’s mutant, walking frost blocks are the latest in a long line of truly horrific Olympic mascots, peaking with Phevos and Athena, the unforgettable dancing condoms of Athens.

Second-Hand-Smoke Boy Rides Again

No one should be surprised that, with the 2010 Games looming, Canadian snowboarding/cannabis icon Ross Rebagliati is ready for the big comeback.

Rebagliati, a hero in Canada for his 1998 Nagano feat — becoming the first Olympian ever stripped of a gold medal for testing positive for a performance-impeding substance — told Canadian reporters last week he’s getting back on his board in a comeback bid he hopes will peak with the 2010 Games.

He’s 33 and hasn’t competed since 2000. He would be 37 when the Games come to his hometown of Whistler. But at least he’s up front about his reasons for taking what clearly is a long shot.

“There’s no pension for athletes,” Rebagliati told the Vancouver Sun. “Once we were awarded the Olympics I knew I had to make a comeback. … It’s too perfect. I have to cash in.”

More news from the local newspapers about Ilanaaq’s chilly reception since her unveiling. The squamish nation is using powerful words like “agression” and “attack on our soveriegnty”. Wow. Is this thing going to die down soon? Has there been any official response from VANCOC to all the reaction and negative press?

Squamish chief calls Ilanaaq ‘aggression’

Gerald Johnston says it’s the symbol of a ‘foreign aboriginal nation’

“A Squamish hereditary chief is lashing out at Vancouver’s new Olympic logo as “an intentional act of aggression against our sovereignty.”

But band officials say Gerald Johnston is voicing a personal opinion that doesn’t reflect the views of band elders.

Johnston wrote a letter to B.C. band councils calling on Olympic organizers to “cease and desist” using the Inuit-style logo, which he slammed as a symbol of a “foreign aboriginal nation.”

“It is akin to Russians planting their flag on the Parliament Buildings or the White House without permission,” he said.

He said the choice of logo shows bad faith on behalf of the B.C. government and “constitutes an ongoing assault on aboriginal title.”

Johnston called on 2010 organizers to “remove all vestiges” of the logo from Squamish land, which includes Olympic venues in North Vancouver and Whistler.

Squamish Nation Chief Gibby Jacob, a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), said Johnston’s opinions don’t reflect those of other Squamish hereditary chiefs.

“Like everybody else here, I’d have loved to see something with a West Coast First Nations design flavour to it,” said Jacob yesterday. “But if it had been, I’m quite sure there’d have been someone else complaining.”

He said there will be other opportunities for First Nations to “put our mark on,” including Olympic medals and cultural events.

VANOC spokeswomen Renee Smith-Valade said 2010 organizers have a close relationship with the Squamish band.

“The fundamental premise of the design competition was to choose a design that reflects all Canada and has a story that is meaningful to all Canadians and not just one aboriginal group or region of the country,” she said.

Grand Chief Edward John of the First Nations Summit said he’s taken native concerns about the logo to B.C. federal ministers Stephen Owen and David Emerson. “It’s really ticked a lot of people off,” he said. “There are other options, whether it’s a secondary trademark or whatever.”

He said he’s written to VANOC but hasn’t received an answer.”

Native leaders object to logo for 2010 Olympics – Some Native leaders in Canada are objecting to the use of a traditional Inuit symbol for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Native leaders in British Columbia say they feel slighted by the choice of a symbol that doesn’t represent the culture of their region. ["2010 Olympics" News on RocketInfo]

Weblog: North Western Winds

Source: Olympic symbols

Ilaanaq: Inukshuk or Inunnguaq?

The selection of the logo for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics provides me with an opportunity to try and show some of the ideas I’ve been writing about this week in action.

Officially, the logo is said to be an inukshuk who’s name is Ilaanaq. The winning artist says she was inspired by a well known piece of artwork in Vancouver, left behind after Expo ’86.

Generally speaking, I like it. It’s warm, simple and clear. It is likely to grab the interest of people around the world. One of the most common criticisms of the icon since it’s unveiling a few days ago has been that it has little or nothing to do with Vancouver itself. The kind of rock sculpture it represents originates in native cultures much father north.

I even read about some native elders voting on a council of some kind (annoyingly, I can’t find the source) that they felt the icon misrepresented their culture and as a result, they felt insulted. The notch on the head for that cuddly smile probably didn’t help.
I would urge the elders and others taking this line of criticism to reconsider. The inukshuk is a sign intended to act as a friendly marker or reminder in a largely barren and desolate space – in this case, Canada’s far north. It’s true that the temporate rainforests of Vancouver are nothing like that. The logo is not an inukshuk, however. It is a symbol of one.

It’s presence will only be active in Vancouver proper for a short time as 2010 approaches. It’s real activity – it’s real environment- is in the mediascape. One does not need to be a cynical media junkie like me to see that is, in its own way, as a barren and desolate space as the Yukon Territory. I think the symbol can act as a friendly reminder in disparate locates around the world and will work in different sorts of media due to it’s simplicity.

Mr. Hallendy (quoted in the dead tree edition of the National Post, April 25th) of the Royal Canadian Geography Society has some interesting things to say about the logo, the most interesting of which is that Ilaanaq is not an inukshuk, he’s an inunnguaq. Got that? Hallendy says that properly speaking, an inukshuk is a simple stand in for a person, like a traffic light is a stand in for a traffic policeman. It is blatantly a symbol and in the north it can be as simple as one large, upright stone. Ilaanaq is more complicated than that, which is why Hallendy says that he is an inunnguaq.

The origins of the inunnguaq may be much more recent than that of the inukshuk and its meaning deeper. Hallendy notes it’s resemblance to a cross and that a famous site of inunnguaq is Pelly Bay, where they may have been built under the direction of a local missionary priest. The inunnguaq, unlike the inukshuk, does not represent a generic human; it represents real people. It can act as a marker for a village or as a tombstone.
All of this is interesting and the native elders would do well to use curiosity about the symbol as the starting point for teaching the world about the people and the culture from which Ilaanaq draws inspiration. Assuming Hallendy is correct in the distinction he makes between the two types of sculpture, the only mistake here is calling Ilaanaq an inukshuk. If he is in fact a inunnguaq, he functions in the mediasphere just as well. He represents real people hosting a real event, after all.

The last question is if the inunnguaq should be considered a religious symbol. If it is, then of course it’s use in advertising the Olympics would be very improper. Imagine using a Star of David or a Crucifix for such a purpose! Nothing I have read about this symbol suggests to me that the inunnguaq is a sign with a transcendent meaning. The other ‘errors’ – the mouth and the creative geography involved – can be overcome without much trouble if that last question has been answered correctly. The mouth is simply a playful appeal, especially to kids. The geography is even easier to deal with, as the Olympics will be shared with all Canadians (not to mention Federal tax money). The sign, in short, can survive this evolution without becoming incoherent. Religious symbols would not be as resistant and the fuss over them is proper.

["Winter Olympics" on PubSub]

Weblog: The Inner-workings of the Merc Mind
Source: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Emblem a disappointment

Near the end of last year a sort of contest was held where people were encouraged to design an emblem for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The winner would win $25,000, 2 tickets to the opening ceremonies and a bunch of other stuff.

Well, everyone at the company where I work tried their hands at designing the logo and we submitted a handful of promising designs.

For the past few months, we’ve all been waiting patiently, secretly spending the $25,000 and choosing who we would take to the ceremonies. We were just getting our hopes up. I can’t speak for the rest of the crew, but I knew I wouldn’t win.

As the announcement date drew near, one of my co-workers said that basically the reaction to the chosen design would fall into one of two categories: “Wow!
That’s clever. Well done.” or “Geez, what were they thinking?”

To that I added one more category: “Woah! That’s just like one of the designs we decided not to submit!”

Well, next time they won’t be so quit to shoot down my ideas. I like my logo. And it has the added bonus of already having toys, posters, games and even costumes made in its likeness.

Oh well….

["Winter Olympics" on PubSub]

Tonight, Roland and I went to GM Place to catch Imagine 2010 and the unveiling of the new Vancouver 2010 Olympics logo. Here’s some photos from the live televised event and from the press conference afterwards. The whole set (60 photos) can be found here and is available under a Creative Commons licence.

The crowd streams into GM place for Imagine 2010.

The place was packed and the crowd was loud and energetic. Free tickets rock!

There was a strong focus on Canada’s First Nations and aboriginal cultures.

I wish my family could have come with me. There was a lot of kids in the crowd and everyone was having a great time. This photo symbolizes the Olympic spirit for me.

With hot people in tights being a close second for ‘symbolizes the Olympic spirit’.

Ilanaaq’s parents, the design team from Rivera Design Group.

One of the judges who picked the emblem for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

This post is from EventBlogging.com