On behalf of the people of the United States, I would like to say thank you, South Korea!
Now I really do not have any formal capacity to say thank you on behalf of my country, but it needs to be said. Your hosting of the Winter Olympics, and the hospitality you showed the country and the world, was perfect timing. Especially for a United States that needed a collective pause, if not another Miracle on Ice.
For those of you who do not know, the late 1970s until the beginning of 1980 were not easy for the United States. We were only a few years removed from the flawed military action associated with our war in Vietnam. Inflation was rampant, and an OPEC-driven oil shortage led to frustrating lines at the gas pump. Confidence in ourselves was at an all-time low.
Then came the 1980 Winter Olympics, in Lake Placid, New York. In men’s hockey, a motley group of young college kids came into the games thinking they had an outside shot of the bronze medal. But by then the team chemistry and conditioning instilled in them by coach Herb Brooks created a team that pounced on the competition. Suddenly the boys found themselves in the semifinal match against the Soviet Union, who had won the prior four Olympic Games. The US gutted out a 4-3 victory and eventually won gold. It was considered such an upset that many call it the greatest upset in sports history. We Americans call it the Miracle on Ice.
But the impact went further. Many Americans felt that it was the injection of confidence needed to begin the return of our optimistic values. In the case of PyeongChang, there wasn’t another “miracle,” but there was time to distract ourselves in a positive way.
These Winter Olympics took place during a time when the US is going through a whole host of awakenings. During the games, another senseless shooting occurred at a high school where 17 students were killed. But for the first time, the end result hasn’t been resignation that the political climate will mean nothing gets done.
A band of scrappy young kids from that school are rising from the ashes of despair and are taking on a juggernaut that has more resources, training, and experience at crushing their competition, the National Rifle Association. Maybe the February 1980 miracle is repeating itself?
A group of Russians were caught cheating the system again. But I’m not talking about the man caught doping in pairs curling -- who needs to dope in curling? I’m talking about 13 people indicted for inciting further divisiveness in the US with fictitious news maliciously implanted on social media during the 2016 US presidential election.
Maybe a few of us in this country are waking up to the reality that too many are trying to influence and not educate us.
Last week, I re-watched a great story on “PBS NewsHour” about how the small town of Chillicothe Ohio is starting to win the war over the opioid epidemic. You know how? It took teamwork between the compassionate police there and social workers, meeting with overdose victims to simply tell them there are people who care and there are resources at their disposal.
My favorite example of teamwork was South Korea’s darling Garlic Girls at the Winter Games. The Olympic curling team showed the power of sticking together through adversity can yield tremendous results greater than individual effort. We need to see such examples.
The Olympic opening and closing ceremonies showed how strong South Korea is in technological development.
My wife Jakyung and I saw it again last month when we visited her native Seoul. Modern airports, roads, electric vehicle development and high tech manufacturing are everywhere. But little by little the US as a country is fighting back for the ground we lost.
Innovation is being seen in small victories. When Israeli and Slovak universities and companies start partnering in what was the stereotypical Rust Belt town (my hometown of Youngstown Ohio), rust is replaced by the bronze, silver and gold, forged by sweat.
Former President Obama placed an emphasis on public-private technology incubators, and President Trump is raising legitimate questions about modifying free trade agreements. They shouldn’t be abolished -- particularly the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement -- but certainly shortfalls need to be addressed. We still have a foundation for incredible innovation in the US. Just remember, last month Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched a Tesla Roadster to Mars, and the boosters landed on a pad to be reused. That is impressive.
And speaking of rockets, the Olympic opening ceremony started with unified hope. Time will tell us if North Korea’s overtures to the South were a publicity-stunt by a dictator, or actual willingness to talk. But regardless, Korean citizens displayed their passion and optimism for brighter days.
We needed to see that. If they can show such spirit living 48 kilometers from an militarized state, we can learn from that.
Maybe it’s the high of the Olympics, but for the first time since the trash TV of the 2016 US presidential election cycle started, I have optimism about the future of my country. But optimism alone does nothing if not converted to energy. We saw that for two weeks on display in PyeongChang.
Congratulations to the South Korean people for helping an old friend catch its breath!
Eric Planey
Eric Planey is a director at a global financial institution in New York City. The views expressed here are solely his and not of his current or past employers. -- Ed.
