US-France Relations

🇺🇸🇫🇷 Paris has always been the place for pushing creative boundaries. The Rite of Spring, a classic of Western culture now, caused a riot in Paris the first time it was performed over 100 years ago. I thought Thomas Jolly, the Paris Olympics ceremony’s artistic director, created a brilliant ceremony. I was expecting something that might cause a riot. I loved Lady Gaga's performance, and I loved the heavy metal opera about the French revolution. I also cried when Juliett sang Imagine. I was thinking about Ukraine and Israel at that moment. Being bisexual, I also appreciated the director's inclusion of the LGBTQ community in the ceremony, which is reflective of modern French society. I never felt that the performance was meant to mock religion, and I am happy to know that that was not the director's intention. I am sorry that some conservative Americans felt that the Christian religion was being mocked. We're disappointed in American politicians that use cultural events to instigate culture wars and push extreme ideas. xo