If you're as old as me you'll have no trouble recognizing the image on the left. I remember watching the 1968 Olympics with my mother (my father was in Cyprus with UN peacekeeping forces that year). Being only 10 at the time I couldn't really understand the significance of those gloved, raised fists. That would come later. And I certainly never, not then or later, gave a thought to the white guy standing on the podium with the two black Americans, Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Until now.Brendan has an excellent post up about Australian Peter Norman. Check it out. You might learn something. Something important. I did.
An iconic image. I'm boycotting watching the Beijing Olympics - it's possibly a meaningless gesture, but one I feel I have to make.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, that 08-08 post just got longer and a whole lot more complicated...
:-)
I don't get worked up too much about the Olympics these days (well, not the summer ones--no hockey!).
ReplyDeleteExcellent link to 'The Third Man'.
ReplyDeleteThanx.
Merkin,
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting story that I can't understand why it isn't more widely known.