Stephen Graham on Olympic London

Great piece in The Guardian.

As a metaphor for the London Olympics, it could hardly be more stark. The much-derided “Wenlock” Olympic mascot is now available in London Olympic stores dressed as a Metropolitan police officer. For £10.25 you, too, can own the ultimate symbol of the Games: a member of by far the biggest and most expensive security operation in recent British history packaged as tourist commodity. Eerily, his single panoptic-style eye, peering out from beneath the police helmet, is reminiscent of the all-seeing eye of God so commonly depicted at the top of Enlightenment paintings. In these, God’s eye maintained a custodial and omniscient surveillance on His unruly subjects far below on terra firma…


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1 Response to Stephen Graham on Olympic London

  1. eoinpomahony's avatar Eoin O'Mahony says:

    And it leaves open the possibility that many of these measures will stay in place post-games.

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