Since the opening ceremonies I have heard story after story about why it didn't open. The last ring of the Olympic symbol represents North America, so of course, some people took this as a blow against the USA. I have heard a range of answers: some say it was just a malfunction while others say it was Russia getting back at us for the Cold War. Personally, I think it was just a malfunction and don't think that a country would disrespect another country like that.
But some people do believe that Russia purposefully did this. While I don't believe it, I can understand why they think this. People assume the worst. That is part of human nature, but that characteristic to assume the worst can cause unnecessary divide and conflict. The US and Russia/the Soviet Union have had their past and while it isn't totally behind us, I believe mentalities like assuming the worst continues these divides between our countries.
Another interesting point about the opening ceremonies at the Olympics was that when Russia presented its history to the world, it seemed like they were very picky about what they presented. They showed only positive historical points. I understand that they didn't want to display all of the faults of their past but I believe this is similar to how history is taught in America.
Often, American History textbooks decide what information to put in and what information to avoid. They often glorify parts of history that make America look good, while skimming or not even touching on the demoralizing parts. Not to be cliché but America needs to learn from its mistakes and when the mistakes aren't taught to students, they aren't able to correct past mistakes.
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