London 2012: Hidden Humour in the Olympic Opening Ceremony

London 2012 kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony that continued the tradition of over-the-top celebrations of the host country's grandeur.

The event, designed to appease the perception of national stereotypes as well as embracing modern Britain, can be considered a success, as the different elements played out well in different international markets.

One area that appears to have been universally liked was the humour, especially Rowan Atkinson's performance in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. Slapstick appears to be appreciated across language barriers, making that type of humour very useful for big international events.

However, there was also hidden humour which permeated the event.

This appears to be lost on many viewers and might have been purely accidental on the organizer's part. Another possibility is that the humour was deliberately directed at the British audience, which had to endure many months of build up.

One example of this humour came in the skit involving fictional spy James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, collecting the queen. The soundtrack that accompanied their flight across the London skyline was "Dambusters March."

On face value this music appears to be a sterling anthem, but the connotations connected to the song are very different. This music invokes the perceived glory of World War II and the conquering of treacherous enemies and can be heard around most stadiums when one of the home nations are playing soccer or rugby.

This aggressive nationalism becomes rather inappropriate when contextualised against the Olympic spirit. It is that point that makes it amusing to many members of the British public, who will have seen it as comically boastful.

Another place where this unstated but immodest humour could be found was the performance set around the theme of the National Health Service (NHS).

Britain is very proud of this service and will openly defend it against anyone that questions its value. Both politicians within the U.K. and certain inappropriate quotes from other nations have been undermining the NHS's worth, so such a big display of support becomes a collective stand.   

The humour, though, comes from the absurd way that the support was presented.

The display appeared to be celebrating the good work of nurses, yet this was pitched against the tyranny of storybook villains.

This piece must have been utterly incomprehensible without the understanding that many British people have that their NHS is under attack.

Moments of laughter even appeared in the parade of athletes, for example when Fiji came out to the Bee Gees for a little rhyming humour.

Whether this humour, if intended at all, would make sense anywhere else in the world is another question entirely. British humour may have travelled to some extent, but the value of self-depreciation is often lost on more overtly confident nations.  

The opening ceremony represented everything that Great Britain has to offer, but some of it may have been for British hearts and minds only.