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Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The 2008 (Bittersweet) Beijing Olympic Games
3 comments From the mind of Last Of Our Kind at 3:23 PMWatching the opening ceremonies I couldn’t help but be awestruck at the beauty that China created. The event was breathtaking in every way. It made me realize why I love the Olympics, and then reminded me how this year, watching these games will be bittersweet.
The early symbolism of Buddhism instantly reminded me of China’s recent (and longtime) crackdown on Tibet. This was just one of the many reminders that China is not a country experiencing as much “harmony” as they would want the rest of the world to believe.
Another moment I found extremely telling was the little children carrying the flag and then handing it off to soldiers of the Chinese Army. NBC said something about how this represented the State protecting the children. To me, it represented not a protection of the people but an overbearing reach by a State with its massive army. I couldn’t help but think of the Army invading Tiananmen Square to stop people’s freedom of expression and I had to wonder if these children will actually learn in depth about it, or if China will simply continue to ban information on Tiananmen in the media and on search sites such as Google, etc.
Regarding the spreading of information in China during the games I was also reminded of Joey Cheek. He is the 2006 Olympic gold medalist speed skater who was actually banned from China because he supports taking action in Darfur (China’s official reason for revoking his Visa: they said they were “not required to give a reason.”). The lack of freedom of expression and human rights in this country is shameful, and the beauty of the ceremony and the meanings of the Olympic Games mean less because of it.
Seeing the Beijing skyline filled with Fireworks I was reminded that Beijing is actually one of the most polluted cities in the world. The city is so polluted in fact that some athletes will wear masks when outdoors, and the world record holder in the marathon is actually refusing to compete for fear of long term damage due to breathing in too much pollution. However, if you listen to the Chinese they claim to have controlled the weather, causing rain and a clearing of pollution for the games.
At the end, when the torch was being run through the stunning Bird’s Nest stadium I couldn’t help but remember the worldwide protests that China wants nothing to do with.
China hopes that this will be a turning point in their history. Their optimism is noble, but the Olympics only last 17 days, and then the world will look to China to see if any real change has happened. Will their motto of “One world, one dream” become a reality, or will it simply remain a dream?
The early symbolism of Buddhism instantly reminded me of China’s recent (and longtime) crackdown on Tibet. This was just one of the many reminders that China is not a country experiencing as much “harmony” as they would want the rest of the world to believe.
Another moment I found extremely telling was the little children carrying the flag and then handing it off to soldiers of the Chinese Army. NBC said something about how this represented the State protecting the children. To me, it represented not a protection of the people but an overbearing reach by a State with its massive army. I couldn’t help but think of the Army invading Tiananmen Square to stop people’s freedom of expression and I had to wonder if these children will actually learn in depth about it, or if China will simply continue to ban information on Tiananmen in the media and on search sites such as Google, etc.
Regarding the spreading of information in China during the games I was also reminded of Joey Cheek. He is the 2006 Olympic gold medalist speed skater who was actually banned from China because he supports taking action in Darfur (China’s official reason for revoking his Visa: they said they were “not required to give a reason.”). The lack of freedom of expression and human rights in this country is shameful, and the beauty of the ceremony and the meanings of the Olympic Games mean less because of it.
Seeing the Beijing skyline filled with Fireworks I was reminded that Beijing is actually one of the most polluted cities in the world. The city is so polluted in fact that some athletes will wear masks when outdoors, and the world record holder in the marathon is actually refusing to compete for fear of long term damage due to breathing in too much pollution. However, if you listen to the Chinese they claim to have controlled the weather, causing rain and a clearing of pollution for the games.
At the end, when the torch was being run through the stunning Bird’s Nest stadium I couldn’t help but remember the worldwide protests that China wants nothing to do with.
China hopes that this will be a turning point in their history. Their optimism is noble, but the Olympics only last 17 days, and then the world will look to China to see if any real change has happened. Will their motto of “One world, one dream” become a reality, or will it simply remain a dream?
Here’s to Olympic gold,
LoOK
Labels: Beijing, China, Human Rights, Olympics, Sadness
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