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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think the Opening Ceremony was truely appalling and here's why

500 replies

kate2mum · 28/07/2012 09:49

Danny Boyle - a cool dad in jeans who thinks of the world through the prism of music of his youth. He sees everything through music.
Had Viv Westwood been in charge, for example, the history of the UK would have been seen through fashion.
But, no, a billion people have to listen to the personal playlist of a Nick Hornbyish (oh, they are friends!) music trainspotter.

Shame if you don't see the world through that sort of music - but I guess you had to be there, and DBoyle probably was.

Tribute to NHS!!! Sorry, but I didn't know everyone who works for the NHS were all angels and volunteered for free instead of working for one of the biggest employers in the country. And just remembered this event is about SPORT and the way it can transform, so why oh why demonstrate 100's of "sick" children - to demonstrate how "caring" the NHS is.

Then children's literature done by the man who bought us Trainspotting - initially I thought the scene was still about the NHS turning into a nightmare, but NO, the best way to illustrate childrens' literature is to show how truely scary it is! Yes, reading can be terrifying and books are a fearful place. Not a place of safety, or unlifting, not inspiring, not poetic, just a nightmare (where were all the positive characters???).

Only people Danny Boyle's age would thing Mary Poppins was appropriate..

My children fell asleep; they could have cut most of it, had David Beckham ride in on a motorbike, light the flame, and then have some fireworks.

Lighting designer was good though.

OP posts:
sugarice · 28/07/2012 11:39

I thought it was fantastic, summed up what's wonderful about UK; music, industry [in times gone by], nhs and literature amongst other stuff, the cauldron lighting ceremony brought a lump to my throat. Hated the Macca bit though.

Lovelynewboots · 28/07/2012 11:39

They should have got Macca to sing "who let the dogs out", nothing gets a party started like that song.

manicbmc · 28/07/2012 11:41

It was brilliant! I am the least patriotic person but that made me proud.

It was spectacular compared to other opening ceremonies (and I have watched many over the years).

And what Pigonthewall said, OP. You are a miserable bugger.

Growlithe · 28/07/2012 11:41

See here's the thing. I wanted to hate it. I heard what he was planning and thought it sounded awful. But I loved it. The music was absolutely inspired. Macca was rubbish but he's a Beatle so is a national treasure by default. And the NHS - universal healthcare for all - we've got it, we invented it, it's the greatest asset of Great Britain and he stuck it right in the face of the whole world. Good on yer Danny

Kellamity · 28/07/2012 11:41

It started at 9pm because it was designed to been done in the dark.

slartybartfast · 28/07/2012 11:42

it was fantastic. i want to see it again. hey, i want to buy it on DVD Grin Torch
and isnt the queen Allowed to look at her nails. it was the fault of the camera men surely, they should have put the camera on her when she was ready. i bet duke of edinburgh was sleeping. Grin Thanks
and macca, well - he is old and it had to end some way.

i did not like trevor nielson commentary, annoying.

Olympia2012 · 28/07/2012 11:43

Hmm.... Wonder what New Zesland would manage to cobble together for US to sit and criticise?

yellowraincoat · 28/07/2012 11:43

People are allowed differing viewpoints, but I wish people wouldn't go on about how shit something is when a lot of people like it. I just find it very rude.

c4rnsi1lk · 28/07/2012 11:43

It's on the I player at last!

manicbmc · 28/07/2012 11:44

And OP, no one forced you to watch it. You could have switched it off. Hmm

ThePigOnTheWall · 28/07/2012 11:45

Brian live with it Biscuit

OurPlanetNeptune · 28/07/2012 11:46

Well said BrianCox.

OP didn't like it she said why. Others posters liked it they said why.

yellowraincoat · 28/07/2012 11:46

But manicbmc, if the moaners turned it off, they wouldn't be able to sit there sneering at it. What good would that be? They'd have to find something else to sneer at.

How people can sit here, obviously on a computer, with an internet connection, presumably in a house and talk about a waste of money is beyond me. We ALL waste money. Go and sit in a mud hut that you built with your own hands, forsake all clothing and comforts, live off berries and THEN come back and tell me that other people waste money.

Bloody hypocrites.

TheBolter · 28/07/2012 11:46

I thought it was amazing. I'm usually a bit cynical about shows of pomp and wealth etc and have been up till now quite meh about the olympics. But I truly thought that was a magnificent nod to British history and culture. A true expression of an enlightened society; freedom, care, compassion, multiculturalism... and the ending nod to the 7/7 bombings, a tragic reation to our civilised society, was awesome. Respect.

carycach · 28/07/2012 11:48

For goodness sake this forum is about debate.It's fine for people to have and to voice different opinions to your own.
I thought it was very good .The only thing I hated was the use of tghe word 'Olympism'. WTF????

carycach · 28/07/2012 11:49

Oh and I gfelt so sorry for the Queen she looked so tired.She seemed to be praying for it to end so she could get off to bed!

LRDtheFeministDragon · 28/07/2012 11:49

Exactly, yellow. We'd have to go out and enjoy the sunshine. That would feel very un-British.

Btw, I don't recall ever having wasted, what was it, 27 billion, myself. So though we do all waste money, it is possible we don't all do it on quite that scale, no?

NotLikeThatYouWont · 28/07/2012 11:50

"He seems to see the world through music."
What, because he used music in an Olympic opening ceremony? I'm trying to imagine how the hell you would do an opening ceremony without music.

"the personal playlist of a Nick Hornbyish (oh, they are friends!) music trainspotter."
You mean four decades of internationally-recognisable music by British artists. If by "trainspotter" you mean someone who knows a lot about music over time then yeah, that sort of person is probably better choosing the music than me, for example.

But he's sooo oooold, isn't he? Hmm

BrianCoxhasSmellySox · 28/07/2012 11:50

yellow that makes no sense whatsoever.

I'd like to know how much of the tax payer's money (yes you, me etc) was wasted on it when it could have been put toward the multitude of service cuts the government is making at the moment.

I can still sit here on my laptop, with my internet connection which is all of great use to me and not considered a waste of money to me.

To the country/tax payer as a whole, the opening ceremony was a waste of money - it should have been payed for entirely by sponsorship, then I would have no problem.

Pig - oh, ok, I will Biscuit

careergirl · 28/07/2012 11:51

I was on here last night reading a thread about appalling treatment people have received c.o NHS
so to see it glorified at the opening ceremony last night was a bit sickening tbh.

FushiaFernica · 28/07/2012 11:53

Your points are quite valid OP. I don't think the background music worked particularly well but loved all the singing, dancing and amazing stage and effects. I thought the NHS bit was two fingers up to the Conservative government-so impressed with that.

slartybartfast · 28/07/2012 11:54

hmph, well again, no one forces you to use the nhs. if you prefer not to, go private, pay for it, take a loan and pay for your treatment/prescriptions

ken0eddie0kennedy · 28/07/2012 11:55

'Oh what an atmosphere'

Someone missed a trick there, didn't they?

BrianCoxhasSmellySox · 28/07/2012 11:55

I've had amazing treatment and care via the NHS, I've heard of others who haven't.

It is a great service, we should be proud of it. I reckon we could have shown how proud we were by giving even a tenth of the entire tax payer budget, given to the Olympics, to the NHS.

I am one of a few in my family who are not employed by the NHS. Some of my family loved it, others said it grated.

slartybartfast · 28/07/2012 11:55

not sure if it was two fingers up at conservative led government as it was first conceived under labour surely? the ceremony that is

the nhs was started in 1948. the same year as the last time the olympics were held in great britain.

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