On Wednesday afternoon, we took a very strange trip to the Italian Olympic Committee.
I say “strange” because it was definitely unlike any other activity we had done this month so far. As we arrived, we noticed the pink military style building with the olympic rings on it. After “talking” with a man who worked for CONI, it was hard to ignore the massive paintings on the walls of the conference room we were sitting in. With some explanation from Joanne, Amy and Francesco, I quickly learned that these weren’t just any murals. These were murals created by the fascist dictator himself, Mussolini, back in the early to mid 20th century.
They represented hate and evil.
All political opinions aside, what did these paintings mean to the Italian nation and to CONI itself?
Well at the time it was used for propaganda and the Olympics were just another tool that a leader like Mussolini used in order to spread the message of Italian power.
When I reflect this message upon the United States, it’s hard to draw similarities. We have had our share of bad leaders. Some would argue that we are in the midst of one right now (he would say “you’re wroooooong”). But I do not believe that we’ve ever used the Olympics to spread some kind of excessive propaganda about our nation's democracy. The national anthem is all we really use to spread some sort of nationalistic idea around the world and throughout our country. But today you see people like Colin Kaepernick questioning that norm.
I definitely think it is possible to use the Olympics for a more political reason. Today you are on the world’s biggest stage. Every television in every country is watching at some point or another. It is the perfect platform to spread a message, even one as harmful and disgusting as Mussolini around the time of the first world war.
