08.12.08
Olympic Fallout … part Deux
I’ve found the news coverage of the Beijing Olympics provided thus far to be highly opinionated at best. Why should persons of Chinese descent living in America be concerned? Because in a group setting, you’re the defacto “China customer service rep” and will be expected to address these issues from a “Chinese person’s perspective”.
So as the press tears China a proverbial “new one”, let’s ask a few questions and make a few observations about the more noticeable recurring themes.
2008 OLYMPICS: USA VS CHINA
“China-USA rivalry shapes Olympics” (a USA Today front page headline)
(Comedic) Question: Since the press seems to have shaped into a battle between two nations to see who wins the most gold and most overall medals, why have all the other countries in the world even bothered to show up?
CHINA’S BRASS TACTICS OLYMPIC PROGRAM
“Chinese directing athletes into sports that award lots of medals” (title of a USA Today article)
Question: What are these sports and who is taking home the lions’ share of medals? The only ones I can think of off the top would might be swimming and track and field. Hmm.
“China’s communist government has plowed untold resources into developing athletes for Olympic events that award a lot of medals.” (USA Today)
Question: I’d be curious to see a listing of how much money, dollar for dollar, the highest spending countries are putting into their respective Olympic programs. If China is indeed the highest spender by far, OK, we’ll take the hit for that. So let’s see the numbers.
“Sports officials sweep the country measuring and testing young children for their potential in various Olympic sports, then enroll them in a network of sports schools.” (USA Today)
There are no questions here, this is simply an untruth. The phys. ed. coaches in the (let’s call them) “regular” schools may give the option based on the performance of the student. The operative word here is option. No one is forced to go to a school they don’t want to. USA Today simply did not do their research on this one.
“they want to win every time” (USA Today)
Question: Enlighten me because I can’t seem to think of too many athletes who enter a competition thinking: “Ehh, I’ve already won a few, I guess I don’t really have to win this time.”
… Forcing athletes (like Yao Ming) to compete at the expense of his body
Question: Without naming names, could steroid abuse also be classified as competing at the expense of one’s body?
“China has never won the most Olympic medals. But no host country has ever prepared its athletes as well.” (USA Today)
Question: I have to assume every country prepares its athletes as best it can. It’s simply a matter of spending resources and I’d like to know which countries have the most resources.
UNFAIR PLAYING FIELD
“home field advantage”
If I may make a humble observation: Competing at home can be either an advantage or disadvantage depending on the athlete. Some draw energy from the crowd and push themselves farther than they normally would. Others, however feel a considerable amount of additional pressure competing in front of a home crowd and either expend nervous energy, lose concentration, or both.
“Biased judging”
Question: Who are these judges, are they all from China favoring Chinese athletes over foreign athletes or are these judges from other countries?
SAVING FACE
“Saving face is paramount” (USA Today)
Observation: From a viewer’s perspective I prefer saving face to “in your face”. Take the US gymnastics team for example who, while other teams showed the class to remain humble in front of the camera, were clamoring “That’s how we do it!”, “Yeah USA Baby”, and other frat-like bravado into the cameras.
… Fake fireworks and lip sync’ing
Observation: OK I’m not going to disagree here. I hate lip syncing and think it should result in jail time 
But this isn’t just a Chinese thing (Ashlee Simpson, 50 Cent, and Whitney Houston come to mind along with the fallen-from-grace Milli Vanilla).
“national pride”
Observation: Given the the bombardment of American flags and slogans on bumper stickers, windows, flagpoles, etc. I think the USA is holding it’s own when it comes to Nationalism.
USA BEATS CHINA IN BASKETBALL
Question: The USA routinely points out and ridicules Asian males, Chinese in particular, for their lack of height, OK.So with basketball being a game in which height is of crucial importance, how is it that beating China in basketball is an accomplishment worthy of such extensive news coverage?
DARFUR
Observation: I find it curious how China is being thrown under the bus for a civil conflict in Darfur while the West is never asked to take responsibility for holding a monetary inventive resulting in gangs chopping off children’s limbs for wandering into diamond mines.
Contrary to what the jewelers advertise, the consumer has no way of knowing the source of a diamond and diamonds themselves are not as rare as they’d have you believe. They are only rare because they are controlled.
HUMAN RIGHTS
… Comparisons to Nazi Germany (the 1936 Olympics)
Question: Is there a group that I don’t know of that is being forced out of their homes into gas chambers based on their race or could this possibly be a case of sensationalism?
“Homes in path of construction for the Olympics were torn down” (USA Today)
Observation: It’s called “eminent domain”. In the US it’s just a couple of retirees sobbing on “60 Minutes” about the new shopping mall that was built on their plot. When it happens in China, it’s front page news.
“Some Chinese people feel they cannot win justice, because the judges in the People’s Court are appointed by the Communist Party.” (USA Today)
Observation: I guess I must have missed the deadline to enroll my name on the election ballot to win a spot as a judge in my local county.
“China executes more people each year that the rest of the world combined.” (USA Today)
Because as the West keeps reminding everybody, China has 1.3 billion people. Of course there are going to be more executions. Maybe if China wasn’t a third world country and had the money to house criminals for life, they would. Besides (most) Westerners hate Chinese people anyway (as evidenced by the frequent beatings of Chinese people and the daily verbal abuse) so shouldn’t they be glad there are less of us?
“Systematic oppression of 1.3 billion people” (USA Today)
Question: What about the systematic oppression of Asian males in America? Of course this isn’t written as law but try getting a decision-making position or even a date for that matter.
“Even so, a Pew poll shows that the Chinese overwhelmingly approve of the direction their country is headed.” (USA Today)
Question: Whoa, now I’m really confused. If 1.3 billion people hate their government and are clamoring for freedom (according to the West) why did they vote as such?
GOOD OLD FASHIONED MOCKERY
You thought the days of people making their eyes slanted, holding their fingers two inches apart, bowing, and speaking with an accent were over after you graduated but it looks like the games which are supposed to bring the world together is doing so, as usual, at our cost.
The brightest example is a team photo of Spain’s Olympic basketball team where all the members are shown using their fingers to make their eyes slanted.
People are inevitably going to defend this as playful humor. Don’t fall for this “can’t take a joke” bullspit. Mocking peoples’ genetics is unacceptable. Other races don’t stand for it and neither should we.
LESSON LEARNED
I for one, was never in favor of the Olympics because it wouldn’t take Nostradamus to predict this fussilade.
The 2008 Olympics were originally thought to be China’s “coming out party”, where a grandiose spectacle would be seen by all the world.
Somebody should have told the sponsors of this project that a homecoming (or “coming out party”) is like a plane crash. If you come out alive, you’re doing good.
