Steven P. BarrettBEIJING'S OLYMPIC BASH: Let's enjoy the party for now, sans politics -- if we can.
August 11th 2008 02:09
By Steven Barrett
What are we to make of a huge celebratory opening ceremony in Beijing's National Stadium, more commonly known as the "Birdcage" the other night?
To be honest, I sure offered up a few wisecracks about the goose-stepping honor guard and the way they ever so-precisely handled (cracked would also suffice) both Chinese and Olympic flags before they were hoisted. And I have to confess some parallels with the Berlin extravaganza came to mind.
But in fairness to China, she's not Nazi Germany, nor is she Leonid Breszhnev's Soviet Union in 1980.
They were far more odious; notwithstanding all the protests we've made concerning Tibet and the continued mistreatment of religious and ethnic minorities in both Hitlerite Germany and Communist Russia. Even Russia's recent invasion of Georgia doesn't come close to Germany's invasion of Poland three years after she hosted the Berlin Olympics or for that matter the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan the winter before it hosted the Moscow Olympics.
China's record in her dealings with the genocidal regime in Sudan have to be answered for. And she's yet to come fully clean on Tianamen Square 19 years ago. (Does it seem that far back?)
Her relative lack of business regulations and willingness to enforce even minimal health and safety standards came back to bite her in the fanny last year when the leaden toys scandal broke, not to mention the unconscionable overlooking of using polluted water in the mixing of cough syrup in one factory.
But we bitch but still go out and buy the cheap products that are made over there; which used to be made at one time not too long ago by American workers who demonstrated more pride in workmanship. But they were sold out by Wall Street, Wal-Mart, and an over willingness to accept lower prices without giving much consideration to the hidden costs that come with those lower costs. But before we crab for too long about China's relative lack of regulatory enforcement, let's not forget that it was less than fifty years ago that President Kennedy who was alarmed at Rachel Carson's findings In Silent Spring, started the environmental ball rolling. (I just wish it'd stop at ANWR!)
So, for the moment, let's see if we can stop the political bitchin,' crabbin,' and moanin' sessions on China for the next two weeks and enjoy the show. II'd rather vent my wrath on that great patriot Kobe Bryant's attempt to imitate Benedict Arnold in his attempts to Euro-mail the Lakers into giving him more dough. I actually found myself rooting for Yao Ming's guys this morning. He's much more of a real man on any court, and I'm not just speaking of size.
What are we to make of a huge celebratory opening ceremony in Beijing's National Stadium, more commonly known as the "Birdcage" the other night?
Beijing's "Birdcage
To be honest, I sure offered up a few wisecracks about the goose-stepping honor guard and the way they ever so-precisely handled (cracked would also suffice) both Chinese and Olympic flags before they were hoisted. And I have to confess some parallels with the Berlin extravaganza came to mind.
But in fairness to China, she's not Nazi Germany, nor is she Leonid Breszhnev's Soviet Union in 1980.
They were far more odious; notwithstanding all the protests we've made concerning Tibet and the continued mistreatment of religious and ethnic minorities in both Hitlerite Germany and Communist Russia. Even Russia's recent invasion of Georgia doesn't come close to Germany's invasion of Poland three years after she hosted the Berlin Olympics or for that matter the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan the winter before it hosted the Moscow Olympics.
China's record in her dealings with the genocidal regime in Sudan have to be answered for. And she's yet to come fully clean on Tianamen Square 19 years ago. (Does it seem that far back?)
Her relative lack of business regulations and willingness to enforce even minimal health and safety standards came back to bite her in the fanny last year when the leaden toys scandal broke, not to mention the unconscionable overlooking of using polluted water in the mixing of cough syrup in one factory.
But we bitch but still go out and buy the cheap products that are made over there; which used to be made at one time not too long ago by American workers who demonstrated more pride in workmanship. But they were sold out by Wall Street, Wal-Mart, and an over willingness to accept lower prices without giving much consideration to the hidden costs that come with those lower costs. But before we crab for too long about China's relative lack of regulatory enforcement, let's not forget that it was less than fifty years ago that President Kennedy who was alarmed at Rachel Carson's findings In Silent Spring, started the environmental ball rolling. (I just wish it'd stop at ANWR!)
So, for the moment, let's see if we can stop the political bitchin,' crabbin,' and moanin' sessions on China for the next two weeks and enjoy the show. II'd rather vent my wrath on that great patriot Kobe Bryant's attempt to imitate Benedict Arnold in his attempts to Euro-mail the Lakers into giving him more dough. I actually found myself rooting for Yao Ming's guys this morning. He's much more of a real man on any court, and I'm not just speaking of size.
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