- See the fireworks? They’re from the opening ceremony of the Olympics. They’re beautiful, aren’t they? Are you sure? It seems the Chinese inserted computer-generated animations, including a calculated “helicopter shake,” into the broadcast. Fifty-five seconds of the fireworks are fake.
- See the little girl? Did you hear her lovely voice at the opening ceremony? Are you sure? It seems the Chinese decided the actual singer wasn’t pretty enough, so they inserted this little girl into the broadcast to lip-synch. The little girl shown on TV “singing” is fake.
- See the Chinese people? See how happy and free they are? Are you sure? Their liberty is fake.
The ChiComs’ vaunted Games, at which I fully expect them to ultimately win a total of 537 medals (including 380 gold), can’t end soon enough.
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I’m boycotting these Olympics, so I haven’t seen ANY of it. My not watching these games won’t make a bit of difference, I know, but I just can’t bring myself to feel like I’m supporting the Chinese regime.
I haven’t seen them either; I just know about the fakeries from news stories. Well, I did see about 90 seconds of archery when I was paying my bill at the Vietnamese place on Monday.
Just remember, there are real American atheletes over there. Doing really great things…
There have always been political undercurrents to the Olympics. This isn’t new at all.
We’ve been watching some swimming. My Honey’s son was a real good swimmer, and attended college on a swimming scholarship. Her uncle (who is the coolest human I know personally) was a swimmer “back in the day” and has his name enshrined at the swimming Hall of Fame (don’t get me started on the whole “Hall of Fame” thing). Her cousing (second cousin?) is on the swimming team at Princeton. Her niece (who was here the other day) is a competitive high school swimmer. So, am I gonna say, “let’s dont’ watch it?” I don’t think so.
As I’ve said elsewhere, for me the Olympics is track and field, and they haven’t bothered with any of that yet, I don’t think.
As for the politics, what can I do about it?
Not to get all political or anything, but if you REALLY want to not support the Chinese regime, STOP buying made in China products. Watching or not watching the Olympics just hurts GE.
Mrs. Chili: I’ve never given a damn about them that I can recall. That they’re in Red China just pushes me from apathy toward outright antipathy.
Charles: Unfortunately, you’re right. It’s not new that a mercilessly tyrannical regime be rewarded with an Olympics (Berlin ’36, Moscow ’80). That it lacks novelty is insufficient reason to silence dissent on the topic. The American athletes–indeed, all of the world’s athletes–don’t, objectively, need the corruption-ridden, woefully inefficient, and morally bankrupt IOC to set the terms for competition. Alas, the momentum is formidable.
Gerry: I liked your comment on TwoBlueDay on the inequity of swimming vs. the other events in terms of available medals.
Lee: Absent the adoption of an unambiguously and fairly radically unorthodox lifestyle, I suspect that’s impossible. You’d have to tread awfully carefully even at the grocery store. Want a car? Forget it. Want just about anything with an IC in it? Forget it.
I understand what you’re saying Bo, and I agree to a point. The products I’m talking about are most of the things you can buy at Wal*Mart. I can go weeks without buying anything Made In China. I do that mainly by making do with what I already have and carefully shopping around for things I do need to purchase. It requires a little more effort and sometimes a bit more expense, but it is possible. On the flip side, as more and more of the Chinese population joins the 20th century (not a typo), their demands for personal freedom and government reform will likely increase.