The doublespeak coming out of the mouths of Japanese government officials, the International Olympic Committee and virtually everyone involved in pushing forward the Tokyo Olympics in the teeth of a coronavirus pandemic is surreal.
Based on the kind of daily messaging we get, it’s almost as if Japan’s government has thrown up its hands, surrendered, and is now collaborating as a puppet state of the IOC.
Bach: Japan embracing occupation
On Friday, when Tokyo reached a record high in coronavirus infections for the third straight day, IOC President Thomas Bach said Japan was “embracing” the Olympics, based on the fact that people are watching virtually the only thing on every terrestrial channel all day long.
Of course, most Japanese wish the Olympics would go away, but it is here, and there is a home team to root for, so it’s no surprise people are watching.
Despite polls showing 60-80 percent of the population didn’t want the Olympics, Bach did what Donald Trump did a year ago, ignore the polls and obsess on the people attending his rallies.
“Almost 90 percent of the Japanese population, in the meantime, has switched on the Olympic Games. These figures and these ratings, I think they speak for themselves on what the Japanese people are really feeling,” Bach said according to Kyodo News.
Muzzles better than masks for some
Proudly unvaccinated American swimmer Michael Andrew refused to wear a mask while speaking to reporters on Friday, according to NPR.
When asked why he didn’t wear a mask, Andrew said he felt secure since everyone else was taking precautions.
“For me it’s pretty hard to breathe in after kind of sacrificing my body in the water, so I feel like my health is a little more tied to being able to breathe than protecting what’s coming out of my mouth,.”
— U.S. swimmer Michael Andrews
In one sense he’s right since if that’s the stuff he’s spewing, no mask could prevent it.
