I am unable to watch the Olympics due to the blustering jingoism

The words of Morrissey—“I am unable to watch the Olympics due to the blustering jingoism that drenches the event. Has England ever been quite so foul with patriotism? The 'dazzling royals' have, quite naturally, hijacked the Olympics for their own empirical needs, and no oppositional voice is allowed in the free press.”—are not merely a complaint about sport, but a lament against the corruption of meaning. The Olympics, born of noble ideals—of fair competition, of unity among nations, of the celebration of human strength and spirit—becomes, in his words, a theatre for vanity and propaganda. What should be the gathering of peoples in harmony is transformed into a stage for jingoism, for the intoxication of shallow patriotism, for the exaltation of power rather than the dignity of athletes.

The ancients knew well the dual nature of festivals. The original Olympics of Greece were born to honor the gods, to unite the city-states in truce, and to exalt human excellence. Yet even then, pride and rivalry crept in, and victory was often less about virtue than about dominance. Morrissey, in his sharp cry, reminds us that what should be pure and sacred can easily be tarnished when rulers and elites seize it for their empirical ends. The royals, he charges, have turned the Games into a spectacle of their own glory, drowning out dissent, silencing opposing voices, and drenching the event in false radiance.

Consider the lesson of ancient Rome. Bread and circuses were offered to the masses not to nourish their spirit, but to distract them from the decay of the republic. Gladiatorial games were praised as patriotism, yet in truth they were instruments of control, spectacles that glorified blood and power while citizens were lulled into silence. In Morrissey’s lament we hear the echo of this history: the Olympics, once meant to unite, now risk becoming another circus, where the cries of jingoism are louder than the call to unity, and where the people are fed spectacle in place of truth.

And yet, the danger lies not only with rulers but with the people themselves. For jingoism thrives when citizens mistake it for true patriotism. To love one’s country is noble; to exalt it blindly, to mock others, to surrender reason for chants of glory, is corruption. Morrissey’s words sting because they reveal how easily a people can be swayed, their pride twisted into arrogance, their festivals hijacked into theaters of manipulation. True patriotism should inspire humility, service, and solidarity, not the intoxication of superiority.

History gives us examples of voices silenced when they dared to question spectacle. During the rise of fascism in Europe, sport was often seized as a tool of propaganda. The 1936 Olympics in Berlin were draped in swastikas, their glory bent to serve the image of the regime. And yet, in that very arena, Jesse Owens, a Black American athlete, shattered the myth of Aryan supremacy with his victories. Here was the triumph of truth over spectacle: an individual breaking through the fog of propaganda with sheer excellence and dignity.

The meaning of Morrissey’s words, then, is a call to vigilance. Do not be lulled by glittering shows of patriotism that mask the hunger for power. Question what you see. Look beyond the parades, the banners, the speeches of the mighty. Ask whether the event honors the people, or whether it serves the ambitions of the few. A free people must keep their minds free, even when the press is bound, even when spectacle tries to blind the eye.

The lesson is clear: true greatness does not need the bluster of jingoism. True patriotism is quiet, rooted in service, in justice, in dignity. Festivals and games can indeed unite and inspire—but only when they are not seized by those who hunger for empire. As citizens, our duty is to discern, to refuse falsehood disguised as glory, and to give our loyalty not to spectacle, but to truth.

Practical action lies in our daily choices. Celebrate the athlete, not the politician who steals the stage. Applaud excellence, but do not be intoxicated by empty chants of superiority. Defend the freedom of opposing voices, for without dissent, patriotism rots into pride. Teach your children that to love one’s country is not to despise others, but to walk with integrity, humility, and respect among nations. For in this lies the true spirit of the Olympics, and the true strength of a people.