As the vast majority of you must already know, it's day 12 of the 29th Summer Olympic Games - purpose to bring the world together through good sportsmanship. This year, the ever-controversial China gets the prestigious honour of hosting the games in its capital, Beijing. Instead of receiving praise and respect for a job well done thus far, all that China's gotten is constant bashing in Western media. The news is constantly bombarding us with images of "fake fireworks," "underage gymnasts," and "lip-synching" among other things. Is this a sign of good sportsmanship? I don't think so.
Opening Ceremony - Fake Fireworks and Lip-Synching
First thing I'd like to say is, who the hell cares? Does any of this relate directly to the performance of Chinese athletes whatsoever? What do these trivial details have to do with anything other than the fact that Americans love bashing any living thing that may pose a threat to their "great economical power." The argument is that the Olympics is supposed to be "pure" and lying to the public is just tainting the Olympic image. As if Americans haven't tampered with the "pure" image of the Olympics - track star Marion Jones ring any bells? This "great" Olympic athlete was stripped of her five Olympic medals after having tested positive for steroid use. I don't know about you, but this steroid business is definitely worse than a cute, little, innocent girl lip-synching or some crowd-wooing footprint fireworks. Secondly, the International Olympic Committee is the one who approves everything that goes on during the opening ceremony, including the lip-synching. Funny how the same lip-synching act by Luciano Pavarotti in the Winter 2006 games in Torino didn't generate nearly a tenth of the current hype. So, they made a shallow decision, choosing a cuter girl to sing and entertain. The purpose of the opening ceremony is to entertain, not to showcase young talent. And you callous Americans - don't even act like you're not a shallow population. If it were that other girl singing, would you continue watching or would you the channel? My though exactly.
Free Tibet Issue
To set things clear, I know NOTHING about what I dub the "Free Tibet" issue going on in China right now. Nil, zippo, zilch. Nor do I claim to know anything about it. And I'm DEFINITELY not going to parade around wearing a "FREE TIBET" shirt to appear politically correct because you know what, you just look down-right stupid! You Tibet-supporting fools know nothing of the issue. Doing so would require extension knowledge of centuries of Chinese history, including China's culture and geography among other things. Have you even been to China? Why try to understand a complex issue that you will never comprehend? Constantly bombarding your people with images of how "cruel" the Chinese government is isn't aiding the situation despite what your ignorant self may want to believe.
I live in Canada, and I know most Americans don't give a damn about Canadian politics - funny how they know nothing of their neighbouring countries' politics yet they try to understand that of a country that's half-way across the world - but for decades Quebec (a French-speaking province of Canada) has been trying to separate from the rest of Canada (which mostly speaks English). I'm not going to dwell into the details, as that would require years of explanation, but simply put, Quebec does not get along with the rest of Canada. In November 2006, the kind but politically-naive Stepher Harper (who failed to attend the Opening Ceremony because he didn't support Tibet -- numbskull) decided to keep the Quebecois' mouths shut by recognizing Quebec as a nation within Canada. Well, I've definitely heard less about Quebec's separatist movements since that time but ultimately, that move made no difference within Canada. The anglophones still hate the francophones, and vice versa. Quebec is still very much isolated from the rest of Canada. So, will "freeing" Tibet really spark all that change that it's supposed to. I'm no economist, but something tells me that it's going to take a whole lot more than the forming of a new country to keep everyone happy.
Communist China and Human Rights
I wasn't alive during the whole Cold-War thing. Somehow, I missed out on the negative points of communism. What are they again? Someone, please refresh my memory. Sure, democracy works well for America, but this system does not work for everyone. With a population that is almost 10 times that of the US, how can you even compare the two countries and expect that the same political system would work in both? Heck, you guys don't look the same, don't speak the same language, don't eat the same food. After decades of Chinese residents living in poverty, communism was brought into China and actually lifted hundreds of thousands of families out of poverty. The last time I checked, democracy hasn't done that for anyone. There's still a large poverty line in America, is there not? Point here to the Americans: just because communism is helping China become one of the greatest economic powers of all time and you're scared of losing your place in the world economy does not give you the right to criticize another country's perfectly effective system of governance.
The human right argument about how Chinese residents can't "do anything" and how the state controls everything that's allowed to happen within the country is completely bogus. I know plenty of Chinese people who actually live in China and are perfectly content with the laws. If the residents aren't complaining, why do you have to intrude and complain on their behalf? That's the problem with Americans - they are intrusive, don't mind their own business, and decide to bomb other countries that are suspected of "building nuclear weapons." Chinese people are more conservative than Americans. Thus, many of the luxuries that Americans are used to and are not permitted to do in China don't bug the Chinese. Is that so hard to believe?
Age of Chinese Gymnasts
Artistic gymnastics is my favourite Olympic event to watch and I hate to see its beauty ruined by the propaganda spread by American commentators. Okay, so a lot of evidence suggests that the girls on the Gold-medal winning Womens Gymnastics Team are underage. So what? That doesn't take away from their excellent performances. Ultimately, it's not really a disadvantage for opposing teams but rather an advantage, for these girls have less years of experience competing and will make errors that more experienced gymnasts know to watch out for. Moreover, do keep in mind that Chinese people are built smaller than Caucasians. Genetics come into play, but more so, lifestyle. Americans are notorious for their fight against obesity, with the rate of childhood obesity among the highest in all of the world. Just because Chinese people, in general, age beautifully with flawless skin, and do not pig out on tons of popcorn while sitting in front of their television sets, does not make these gymnasts kids just because they're about 1/4 of the average weight of an American with the skin as youthful as an American 2-year-old.
I was watching gymnastics on NBC for a few nights now and what the commentators say never ceases to amaze me. Here are a few rude remarks that really ticked me off:
In brief, China has put on a great 29th Olympiad thus far, bringing together over 204 countries from all over the world. The Chinese are good athletes who dominate in many events such as diving, gymnastics, and weight lifting, among other sports. They train hard and don't complain. China has one of the largest GDP in the world right now and their threat of becoming the next big power is immense. America - face it, your glory's long over. Your usual tactic of bashing your competitor is not going to work this time.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_str
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/olympic
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2008/0
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/2
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-0
Opening Ceremony - Fake Fireworks and Lip-Synching
First thing I'd like to say is, who the hell cares? Does any of this relate directly to the performance of Chinese athletes whatsoever? What do these trivial details have to do with anything other than the fact that Americans love bashing any living thing that may pose a threat to their "great economical power." The argument is that the Olympics is supposed to be "pure" and lying to the public is just tainting the Olympic image. As if Americans haven't tampered with the "pure" image of the Olympics - track star Marion Jones ring any bells? This "great" Olympic athlete was stripped of her five Olympic medals after having tested positive for steroid use. I don't know about you, but this steroid business is definitely worse than a cute, little, innocent girl lip-synching or some crowd-wooing footprint fireworks. Secondly, the International Olympic Committee is the one who approves everything that goes on during the opening ceremony, including the lip-synching. Funny how the same lip-synching act by Luciano Pavarotti in the Winter 2006 games in Torino didn't generate nearly a tenth of the current hype. So, they made a shallow decision, choosing a cuter girl to sing and entertain. The purpose of the opening ceremony is to entertain, not to showcase young talent. And you callous Americans - don't even act like you're not a shallow population. If it were that other girl singing, would you continue watching or would you the channel? My though exactly.
Free Tibet Issue
To set things clear, I know NOTHING about what I dub the "Free Tibet" issue going on in China right now. Nil, zippo, zilch. Nor do I claim to know anything about it. And I'm DEFINITELY not going to parade around wearing a "FREE TIBET" shirt to appear politically correct because you know what, you just look down-right stupid! You Tibet-supporting fools know nothing of the issue. Doing so would require extension knowledge of centuries of Chinese history, including China's culture and geography among other things. Have you even been to China? Why try to understand a complex issue that you will never comprehend? Constantly bombarding your people with images of how "cruel" the Chinese government is isn't aiding the situation despite what your ignorant self may want to believe.
I live in Canada, and I know most Americans don't give a damn about Canadian politics - funny how they know nothing of their neighbouring countries' politics yet they try to understand that of a country that's half-way across the world - but for decades Quebec (a French-speaking province of Canada) has been trying to separate from the rest of Canada (which mostly speaks English). I'm not going to dwell into the details, as that would require years of explanation, but simply put, Quebec does not get along with the rest of Canada. In November 2006, the kind but politically-naive Stepher Harper (who failed to attend the Opening Ceremony because he didn't support Tibet -- numbskull) decided to keep the Quebecois' mouths shut by recognizing Quebec as a nation within Canada. Well, I've definitely heard less about Quebec's separatist movements since that time but ultimately, that move made no difference within Canada. The anglophones still hate the francophones, and vice versa. Quebec is still very much isolated from the rest of Canada. So, will "freeing" Tibet really spark all that change that it's supposed to. I'm no economist, but something tells me that it's going to take a whole lot more than the forming of a new country to keep everyone happy.
Communist China and Human Rights
I wasn't alive during the whole Cold-War thing. Somehow, I missed out on the negative points of communism. What are they again? Someone, please refresh my memory. Sure, democracy works well for America, but this system does not work for everyone. With a population that is almost 10 times that of the US, how can you even compare the two countries and expect that the same political system would work in both? Heck, you guys don't look the same, don't speak the same language, don't eat the same food. After decades of Chinese residents living in poverty, communism was brought into China and actually lifted hundreds of thousands of families out of poverty. The last time I checked, democracy hasn't done that for anyone. There's still a large poverty line in America, is there not? Point here to the Americans: just because communism is helping China become one of the greatest economic powers of all time and you're scared of losing your place in the world economy does not give you the right to criticize another country's perfectly effective system of governance.
The human right argument about how Chinese residents can't "do anything" and how the state controls everything that's allowed to happen within the country is completely bogus. I know plenty of Chinese people who actually live in China and are perfectly content with the laws. If the residents aren't complaining, why do you have to intrude and complain on their behalf? That's the problem with Americans - they are intrusive, don't mind their own business, and decide to bomb other countries that are suspected of "building nuclear weapons." Chinese people are more conservative than Americans. Thus, many of the luxuries that Americans are used to and are not permitted to do in China don't bug the Chinese. Is that so hard to believe?
Age of Chinese Gymnasts
Artistic gymnastics is my favourite Olympic event to watch and I hate to see its beauty ruined by the propaganda spread by American commentators. Okay, so a lot of evidence suggests that the girls on the Gold-medal winning Womens Gymnastics Team are underage. So what? That doesn't take away from their excellent performances. Ultimately, it's not really a disadvantage for opposing teams but rather an advantage, for these girls have less years of experience competing and will make errors that more experienced gymnasts know to watch out for. Moreover, do keep in mind that Chinese people are built smaller than Caucasians. Genetics come into play, but more so, lifestyle. Americans are notorious for their fight against obesity, with the rate of childhood obesity among the highest in all of the world. Just because Chinese people, in general, age beautifully with flawless skin, and do not pig out on tons of popcorn while sitting in front of their television sets, does not make these gymnasts kids just because they're about 1/4 of the average weight of an American with the skin as youthful as an American 2-year-old.
I was watching gymnastics on NBC for a few nights now and what the commentators say never ceases to amaze me. Here are a few rude remarks that really ticked me off:
- During the Women's All Around competition, every time a Chinese gymnast received her score: "We are still trying to figure out how ____ got such a high score despite her (list of minuscule errors). She only received ___ short of Shawn Johnson/Nastia Liukin's stellar performance. That performance was no where near as perfect as Shawn Johnson/Nastia Liukin's."
I admit that the Chinese gymnasts did make a lot of errors in some of their events, but that doesn't mean that other aspects of their performance - including the difficulty of the routine - was bad. Chinese gymnasts are great at execution and every error in gymnastics is only a minor one-tenth deduction. One or two errors does not result in rock-bottom scores. Go learn how to count. - During the vault final, as Cheng Fei is about to do her final vault, commentator snaps this remark, "Winning this competition could mean a house for her family."
How outrageously demeaning is that? Even if Cheng Fei's family is indeed living below the poverty line, does that have anything to do with the Olympics? Learn to keep your mouth shut and seriously don't expect help from the Chinese the next time you offend a less well-tempered nation that bombs your sorry ass. - When Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson were in gold and silver medal position during finals, this comment was made: "Isn't it lovely how a Chinese gymnast goes to America, brings two American girls to Beijing, and takes the gold and silver from the Chinese?"
In brief, China has put on a great 29th Olympiad thus far, bringing together over 204 countries from all over the world. The Chinese are good athletes who dominate in many events such as diving, gymnastics, and weight lifting, among other sports. They train hard and don't complain. China has one of the largest GDP in the world right now and their threat of becoming the next big power is immense. America - face it, your glory's long over. Your usual tactic of bashing your competitor is not going to work this time.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_str
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/olympic
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2008/0
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/2
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-0
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