After worldwide condemnation for the Dionysus-inspired revelry of the Opening Ceremony in July 2024 for the Paris Olympics, Anne Deschamps, a spokesperson for the Paris Olympics, gave an excuse for the Opening Ceremony. Although tendered as an apology, her statement has been called a non-apology. It wasn’t a non-apology, it was an excuse, an evasion — and a poor one at that.
Anne Deschamps said (translated from French) that there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group” and that their “intent [was] to celebrate community and tolerance”. Let me translate this so-called apology. “We didn’t mean to show any disrespect to any religious group. We meant to celebrate community and tolerance.”
Apologies are needed for behaviour that harms, whether that behaviour is speaking or doing. They aren’t about intentions. Intentions don’t harm; speech and actions do.
After this evasion, Anne Deschamps said, “If people have taken any offence, we are of course really sorry.” I noted that her tone of voice didn’t match the words. Her tone of voice didn’t reveal any sorrow or regret.
And the interesting point about this statement is that it is an indirect verbal attack. It’s almost an “Even …” type of verbal attack pattern, with the “If” functioning as an “Even”, carrying the presupposition that only people with low skills or knowledge (i.e., a stupid person) would take offence at the Opening Ceremony. That presupposition is the hidden attack: only stupid people were offended.
So in addition to Anne Deschamps evading responsibility for the harm done (the offence) and excusing the Opening Ceremony’s actions, her excuse of an apology (pardon the pun) was actually an attack on those who were offended by the Ceremony.
The Opening Ceremony was also supposed to be an interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus that “makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.” This shows an appalling ignorance of what Dionysus was all about and the violence of the frenzied Dionysian revels. Lots of wine was drunk and various methods used to induce trances in the revellers. The goal was to remove all inhibitions and restraints, freeing the revellers from all societal constraints. The female followers of Dionysus were called maenads, who were known to get so frenzied that they would rip apart any animal that crossed their path. They ripped living animals apart. That, by any definition, is violent.
The actuality of what the Dionysian revels were contradicts what the Opening Ceremony organizers said.
I can sum up Anne Deschamps and the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony organizers (“Organizers”) attitude: arrogant.
If you hear or read Anne Deschamps excuse and any of what the Organizers said, you now know why you are offended by their excuse and statements — let alone by the Opening Ceremony, itself.
