I suppose it was too much to hope that I could enjoy the Olympics without having to talk about politics, but I was wrong.
I don’t even like sports, but last night during the opening ceremony, I kept getting teary. Why? Because the Olympics are one of the few moments that we share as human beings. Chances are, eyes from ever single country on this planet are watching (or watched) the same thing I was watching. Chances are good L’s family in China saw it too.
When ever Chinese person we knew was getting more and more excited about the olympics in Beijing, I poo-poo-ed it. I thought it was a big deal over nothing. But when I saw it? It was a big freaking deal. It was something Chinese people could be proud of.
It was a moment where the country of China was saying “We want to be a respected member of the international community. We want to play with the big boys. We want your respect and admiration and we are willing to bend over fucking backwards and pay through the nose to get it.”
That moment, where the admiring eyes of the world watched one of the most spectacular performances I have ever seen, was not about the Chinese government. It was about the Chinese *PEOPLE*. One-fifth of the world’s population that has been trying to claw its way back into respectability for the last 35 years. Can’t the Chinese people have a couple weeks where they can be proud of the massive accomplishments they have made in the last three decades?
Is the Chinese government fucked up? Heck yeah! They oppress their minorities, deny women and families their reproductive rights and force people to move for public work projects.
Is the Chinese government any more fucked up than the US government? It depends on who you ask. In case you are forgetting, the US government is responsible for this and this and this. Oh wait, there is this and this and this and this. Seriously, I could google US human rights abuses and misdeeds until my fingers bleed.
Do I wish the Chinese government would have saved the money they spent on the Olympics and spent it for their orphans or the poor or whatever? Sure. But I also wish the US government would save the $3 TRILLION dollars it is spending on the Iraq war to provide health care for poor people in America too. Besides, I would rather watch the fireworks in China than watch US bombs blow people up.
You don’t like the Chinese government? Fine. Protest all you want. Boycott Chinese-made goods. Ooooh, maybe you won’t even watch the Olympics. Is that going to do diddly-squat to change things in China? Heck no, it won’t.
The Chinese government isn’t going to straighten up its act if we isolate and shame them. What makes countries behave themselves is being a member of the larger community of developed nations.
When China grows up –and it WILL grow up eventually, because you can’t keep down a fifth of the world’s population if they have a lust for education and wealth like the Chinese — it will have to answer not only to the rest of the world. The Chinese government is going to have to answer to the Chinese PEOPLE. People who will eventually be relatively wealthy and educated and plugged in to the global community.
The Chinese people have tasted the Big Mac and they want more. They want more and they want to be better, just like most of the rest of the citizens of this planet.
Sure some wrinkly old guys are trying to cling desperately to their party’s place in the corrupt power structure, but then, we have that here too.
China is changing faster than pretty much anywhere else on the planet. It is impossible to predict what will happen there in 10 or 20 years, but I will go out on a limb and bet there is democracy in China in my lifetime. (Not that democracy prevents human rights violations, as the US is so eager to demonstrate time and again.) Things are changing there for the better and I expect the trend to continue, but it won’t happen over night.
It isn’t every day we get the honor of a truly global event. This week, our family is going to enjoy watching the Olympics with the rest of the world. You now, with all those people whose governments are imperfect but whose citizens hope for something better, just like us.
If you want to talk smack about Chinese politics, I am not going to provide the venue for it on my blog. Not this week.
Oh gawd, I’m so sorry, my comment wasn’t made to have this happen. I think the Olympics are amazing, and the opening ceremonies were amazing, and I’m so proud to be able to show Ryleigh her country in such spectacular brialliance. My comment was more of that althought I was amazed and awed and so proud of China for putting on such a spectacular event, it also, down in the pit of my stomach, made me think of money better spent….and of course, because of the connection of my daughter having lived in an orphanage, that’s my first thought of where money could go….
I’m sorry that I upset you…..
Stands up. Does the slow…clap…
Nicely done.
I apologize if my comment got things rolling. You’re right that the U.S. does not have the moral high ground any more, if it ever did.
My beef with the Olympics is the tape delay. I just wish we could watch live coverage.
I watched the opening ceremonies live and they rocked it! I felt so proud of the Chinese people too! It was just awesome.
Fareed Zakaria has a couple of good essays in Newsweek about how we approach China – the one in the most recent issue (“China Shouldn’t be Inscruitable”) is particularly good and pretty much where I send people who want to get on their high horse about Teh Evol Dictatorship of China. I can’t think of any country in the world that would take kindly to being shamed and humiliated into better behavior, ourselves included.
Good post.
Rachel, around 9 or so at night the olympics goes live. I watched Michael Phelps bring home the gold last night live. As far as China goes, my beef is with their government, not their people, and the Olympics is about people. They put on a hell of a opening ceremony, could the money have been better spent…I guess…but opening ceremonies are a big deal, the one time your country has the world stage. Whatever.
Excellent post.
I’m conflicted about the people vs. government delineation. I sure am not proud of many of the things that my U.S. government does. Then again, the people *are* the government here. We chose them. If they fuck up as bad as I happen to think they have, we have the chance to choose someone else. (Go Obama!)
But can we really say the same thing about China? The People have The Government forced upon them, and it certainly is The Government that lobbied for, planned, paid for, organized and carried off these Olympics. It’s not The People who are bugging hotel rooms and taxicabs and blocking journalists’ Internet access.
The People are victims in this scenario, and I feel sorry for them, but my concerns are not going to be glossed over by a slick, hyper-commercialized, multi-jillion-dollar mega-party sponsored by Coca-Cola.
I would love to jump into this topic but I don’t want to add to the fray. Suffice it to say that I don’t see the Chinese gov’t as different from any other gov’t I know, including how they spend money. I admire the changes they have made in such a short time and am very grateful for my granddaughter. MSNBC and CNBC both carry some of the events live for those who can’t access CBC (Canada) – less jingoistic commentary on CBC which is why I prefer it and I live close enough to the border to get it. Sure wish Russia would get out of Georgia, especailly during the Olympics. How’s that for a change of political conversation?
I really enjoyed the opening ceremony too!!! : )
They really did an amazing job! Like I mentioned on my own blog, but I won’t mind saying it here. : ) It was the best opening ceremony I’ve seen in probably the last 8-10 years! They really showed the world who they are as a country, all the beauties and such. I bet so many watched and felt proud. I got goosebumps a few times during the opening ceremony. From the beginning with the drums, to that scroll, all the way down to the smiley face firworks that lit up, all over the city! It was amazing! Beijing really did do a spectacular job! : )
Exactly. I was talking to Mr. Milkweed about this, and the whole point of the Olympics is to rise above the political shit and be a world family, for however brief a time.
Eva is asleep, Mr. Milkweed is at the Dollar Theatre watching Ironman, and I’m sitting here with a glass of wine and the Women’s Gymnastics Qualifying Event. Life is gooood!
Thank you for this post!
I inevitably get all teary watching opening ceremonies. I can’t help it. So much hope and preparation on the part of both host country and athletes. Maybe it’s the trying to transcend the ordinary and to strive for the peak of excellence. There’s always the dirty side of politics and and commercialism and sports itself, but I gotta love the Olympics.
My credentials in Chinese politics all come from having made out once with one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square uprising. All I can say, given knowing him, is, word.
Thank you for this. If there aren’t places that people of every stripe can come together for a common purpose (in this case, to compete in something they love), then there can be no foundation for peace. The Olympics is about reminding us of our common humanity — reminding us that there’s a reason to work towards some degree of harmony, no matter how flawed it may be.
Caring about that insight that the Olympics can bring us all doesn’t mean one doesn’t care about the political situation in China. And caring about the political situation in China doesn’t mean one doesn’t care about the Olympics. We are all complex people and are capable of doing both at once.
I watched it – with awe of course. It was perfect. Just as they intended.
Now you got me all nostalgic, so I googled him. Based on this interview, I bet he’d totally agree with your take on the Olympics:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/webdev/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197000853
VERY well said. Brilliant.
Holy crap they faked the little singing girl!!
[...] blogs, political blogs, parenting blogs. (To wit: see Danielle on Project Runway; see Amber on the Olympics and China, which I have been wanting to write about but haven’t had the energy.) I haven’t posted [...]
“Holy crap they faked the little singing girl!!”
Who are they? Who “faked” the little singing girl?
The singing girl was chosen to sing and I don’t see anything wrong with that- it is a performance, pure and simple.
Also, Pavarotti lip-synced final Torino Olympics gig too.