China did it

[Aram]

I managed to get through a whole Olympics without watching any of it. Best Olympics ever.

[Laozi]

Yeah, thank god for cable television or otherwise I might have fallen for all that nationalistic crap crammed between commercials for SUVs and how Exxon cares about kid with malaria

Edited August 25, 2008 by Laozi

[Guest The Architect]

Nationalistic crap? There is nothing wrong with patriotism. Every country's got some value and pride worth supporting. It's not like supporting your country means you love all the people that inhabit it and everything it stands for, so it's not crap.

[Leferd]

I like a little nationalism here and there.

 

Of course, it helps when my country is the greatest in the world.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Patriotism/nationalism is only bad when it overrules common sense and fair judgement.

[Gorth]

Thread pruned...

 

I think that is enough fighting outside the ring guys. Otherwise I have to become very Danish

 

(somehow that didn't sound very intimidating when saying it out loud)

[Kor Qel Droma]

I caught the womens gymnastics competition one day. That was about it. And some springboard diving.

 

After an insanely slow start, Team Canada managed to finish in 19th spot, just behind...oh jebus...Ethiopia.

Edited August 25, 2008 by Kor Qel Droma

[Killian Kalthorne]

Thread pruned...

 

I think that is enough fighting outside the ring guys. Otherwise I have to become very Danish

 

(somehow that didn't sound very intimidating when saying it out loud)

Hmmm... Danishes...

 

NOM! NOM! NOM!

[Gorgon]

I watched Beckham kick a ball and get cheered on like a superhero with some Pink Floyd has been. I think that was the wrap up party.

Edited August 25, 2008 by Gorgon

[Xard]

Man, I wish.

 

It wasn't Gilmour, it was Jimmy Page (who is awesome too)

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I watched Beckham kick a ball and get cheered on like a superhero with some Pink Floyd has been. I think that was the wrap up party.

 

Yeah, that was the London delegation - not as good as I was expecting, but still reasonably ok. However, did anyone else think that the pop-star, whatever her name was, who sang was lip-syncing?

[Tigranes]

The pop-star's voice was not communist enough, so the politburo replaced her vocal chords with a Russian's.

[Walsingham]

I didn't bother seeing the Uk ceremony. I have zero faith in the kind of ne'er do wells who wind up being PR people*. I only met one who was up to much, and she was in teh process of moving careers to investment banking!

 

EDIT: * PR people in the UK.

[Gorgon]

somehow that didn't sound very intimidating when saying it out loud

You're are off by a 1000 years. Edited August 26, 2008 by Gorgon

[Killian Kalthorne]

somehow that didn't sound very intimidating when saying it out loud

You're are off by a 1000 years.

http://users.wolfcrews.com/toys/vikings/

[SteveThaiBinh]

Chinese media mocks London 2012 Olympic handover performance

 

Mr Johnson was accused of being "rude, arrogant and disrespectful" for accepting the Olympic flag with one hand, putting his hands in his pockets and not buttoning up his jacket.

 

London's handover pageant meanwhile - which featured a red double decker bus, the guitarist Jimmy Page, reality television singer Leona Lewis and the footballer David Beckham - was ridiculed for being beyond comprehension.

 

The Titan Sports Daily newspaper dismissed Page and Lewis as "not famous enough" to be known by the audience in China. It also criticised Beckham for allegedly failing to hit the right spot when he kicked a football into the crowd at the Bird's Nest stadium.

 

The paper said: "Just like any of his penalties at a football match, he totally missed it."

 

Fair comment?

[Gorgon]

I dunno, I guess the Chinese media will jump at anything, other than the glaring problems at home. They don't need to get the nod from above to rag on other countries.

Edited August 26, 2008 by Gorgon

[Moatilliatta]

Are there any british people at all that are known in China? And who is also someone that you would put in front of them.

 

Seems like they're a bit sore from something, I wonder if it was the China criticism during their olympics or if they're just annoying super nationalists. Or both.

Edited August 27, 2008 by Moatilliatta

[samm]

I wonder if it was the China criticism during their olympics or if they're just annoying super nationalists. Or both.

There wasn't enough critisism to be read/heard during the olympics on china, the current sport-world etc., at least not here. Some TV newsmags before the games, some minor sideremarks in newspapers... Disappointing really. They probably just felt offended because it wasn't entirely positive. Edited August 27, 2008 by samm

[Zoma]

The Chinese are known for not forgetting old grudges easily, unfortunately.

 

If you look back at China's last 100 years of history, you might gain a little insight and maybe understanding why the Chinese are relatively arrogant now as well as taking their PR chance to put down the British. The Opium war, the sacking of the Chinese palace (Which the British still keeps the artifacts in their own museum. Ironically, they survive from the destruction of Maoist revolution later on.), the colonising of Hong Kong ect.

 

Not that I am happy with the way it goes being a Chinese myself. Fortunately, being an Indonesian Chinese who is raised in Singapore in my entire life helped me to look at things subjectively as a Chinese and hopefully, elude the trait of being racially 'arrogant'. Regardless, in this time and age, I am still proud as who I am, a Chinese.

[Walsingham]

I don't think you have to get geopolitical to unfavourably compare the Chinese effort with the British one. It sounds as if the British one was knackers.

[Azarkon]

Different sensibilities. The British of today are known for their quirky humor, liberal beliefs, and punk culture. The grandiose of Pax Britannica, which might have produced spectacles similar to that of China's, is long forgotten and would likely even be resented by many elements of British society if it were to return. So, while some Brits (obviously not all Brits agree ) might have appreciated the more relaxed, informal, and quirky display, the Chinese saw it differently - as something not befitting the gravity of this international ritual. Certainly, they treated it a lot more seriously in their own Olympics event.

 

That said, bashing the performance of the next Olympics host right after the handover is pretty rude. I guess it could be retaliation for all the bad press from Western media, but I suspect it's not government directed. The CCP went as far as to rename dishes in order to put forward a civilized image for China. I doubt they'd squander it by encouraging UK-bashing.

[Zoma]

Different sensibilities. The British of today are known for their quirky humor, liberal beliefs, and punk culture. The grandiose of Pax Britannica, which might have produced spectacles similar to that of China's, is long forgotten and would likely even be resented by many elements of British society if it were to return. So, while some Brits (obviously not all Brits agree ) might have appreciated the more relaxed, informal, and quirky display, the Chinese saw it differently - as something not befitting the gravity of this international ritual. Certainly, they treated it a lot more seriously in their own Olympics event.

 

That said, bashing the performance of the next Olympics host right after the handover is pretty rude. I guess it could be retaliation for all the bad press from Western media, but I suspect it's not government directed. The CCP went as far as to rename dishes in order to put forward a civilized image for China. I doubt they'd squander it by encouraging UK-bashing.

 

As China for the past few years up to the present had been promoting Confuciacism in its society, you may had hit the nail regarding of that the Chinese respects the procedure of rituals in formalities. Afterall, the teaching of Confucian empasises on ritual practice in expressing both words and gestures to their guests and as a receiver of gifts.

 

So in a way, it could had been a cultural misunderstanding between the East and the West in this case.

[Azarkon]

Since we're on the topic of China and the UK, here's a piece by Tony Blair...

 

We Can Help China Embrace the Future

By TONY BLAIR

August 26, 2008; Page A21

 

The Beijing Olympic Games were a powerful spectacle, stunning in sight and sound. But the moment that made the biggest impression on me came during an informal visit just before the Games to one of the new Chinese Internet companies, and in conversation with some of the younger Chinese entrepreneurs.

 

These people, men and women, were smart, sharp, forthright, unafraid to express their views about China and its future. Above all, there was a confidence, an optimism, a lack of the cynical, and a presence of the spirit of get up and go, that reminded me greatly of the U.S. at its best and any country on its way forward.

 

These people weren't living in fear, but looking forward in hope. And for all the millions still in poverty in China, for all the sweep of issues -- political, social and economic -- still to be addressed, that was the spirit of China during this festival of sport, and that is the spirit that will define its future.

 

During my 10 years as British leader, I could see the accelerating pace of China's continued emergence as a major power. I gave speeches about China, I understood it analytically. But I did not feel it emotionally and therefore did not fully understand it politically.

 

Since leaving office I have visited four times and will shortly return again. People ask what is the legacy of these Olympics for China? It is that they mark a new epoch -- an opening up of China that can never be reversed. It also means that ignorance and fear of China will steadily decline as the reality of modern China becomes more apparent.

 

Power and influence is shifting to the East. In time will come India, too. Some see all this as a threat. I see it as an enormous opportunity. But we have to exercise a lot of imagination and eliminate any vestiges of historic arrogance.

 

The volunteer force that staged the Games was interested, friendly and helpful. The whole feel of the city was a world away from the China I remember on my first visit 20 years ago. And the people are proud, really and honestly proud, of their country and its progress.

 

No sensible Chinese person -- including the country's leadership -- doubts there remain issues of human rights and political and religious freedom to be resolved. But neither do the sensible people -- including the most Western-orientated Chinese -- doubt the huge change, for the better, there has been. China is on a journey. It is moving forward quickly. But it knows perfectly well the journey is not complete. Observers should illuminate the distance to go, by all means, but recognize the distance traveled.

 

The Chinese leadership is understandably preoccupied with internal development. Beijing and Shanghai no more paint for you the complete picture of China than New York and Washington do of the U.S. Understanding the internal challenge is fundamental to understanding China, its politics and its psyche. We in Europe have roughly 5% of our population employed in agriculture. China has almost 60%. Over the coming years it will seek to move hundreds of millions of its people from a rural to an urban economy. Of course India will seek to do the same, and the scale of this transformation will create huge challenges and opportunities in the economy, the environment and politically.

 

For China, this economic and social transformation has to come with political stability. It is in all our interests that it does. The policy of One China is not a piece of indulgent nationalism. It is an existential issue if China is to hold together in a peaceful and stable manner as it modernizes. This is why t