According to the Vancouver Sun, "The skies may be clearing up over Beijing, but the face China tried to paint on the 2008 Olympic Games is breaking out in blemishes."
So far, we've learned that the Chinese faked some of the spectacular fireworks seen by television viewers during the opening ceremonies, faked breezes to make flags flap dramatically in a stadium where observers felt no breeze and faked a little girl singing "Ode to the Motherland" because the girl who was really singing didn't pass muster on the cuteness scale.
Here's what the New York Times had to say about the dubbed singing:
"Pigtailed and smiling, Lin Miaoke, age 9, stood in a red dress and white shoes during last Friday's Olympic opening ceremonies and performed 'Ode to the Motherland' in what would become one of the evening's most indelible images: a lone child, fireworks blazing overhead, singing a patriotic ballad before an estimated one billion viewers.Except that she was not really singing."
I heard about the faked fireworks this morning during a segment on NPR. But it was the news of the little girls that really got me going.
What kind of message does it send to little Chinese girls when in a country that large, the organizers claim not to have been able to find one girl who had both the looks and the pipes to represent their nation?
It reminded me of the movie "Wag the Dog," in which a Washington spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal.
Conrad 'Connie' Brean: "We're not gonna have a war, we're gonna have the appearance of a war."
We're not going to have an Olympics, we're gonna have the appearance of an Olympics.
But what an appearance it will be.
(Associated Press photo: Chinese Olympic organizers decided that Lin Miaoke should lip-synch "Ode to the Motherland" during the opening ceremonies.)
I am sure if they had tried they could have found a little girl with looks and a singing voice. It kills me that they would do something like that to a child to say you can sing but can't be seen is horrible for the little girl. It just confurms that they think wpomen are worthless in China and that baby girls are not wanted which is sad and the reason so many Chinese girl babies are up for adoption.
The thing you have to keep in mind, is that both young girls are happy to do it.
That's the rub.
I'm really curious to see the girl who actually sang.
The girl who sang was not as cute as the one they showed but she wasn't ugly either. She still hasd two eyes, nose, mouth looked perfectly normal to me.
Hey it was a TEAM effort.
I bet the one who wrote the song was an old fart. Does the media want to put his/her mug on TV for some sort of satisfaction?
A while back Mr. MOI posted that we should boycott the Olympic summer games in China.
Shame! He exclaimed.
Indeed the Olympic games should be suspended until such time that it can
represent the Olympian ideal once again. Restore the requirement that all
competing athletes are amateurs. Don’t allow them to advertise products
and remove the pressure that is being put on the athletes by their nations to bring home many gold medals. Much of the pressure is leading to drug use. Space age technology and performance
enhancing chemicals which are provided by the rich nations give an unfair advantage over the poor
nations' athletes. And the commercial mega profits to be realized from the games is totally corrupting. The victims are the young athletes who go into it starry eyed and with magnificent dreams, and the youngsters who dream of becoming an Olympian
some day.
Having familiarized myself with this BLOG's message, I also say: SHAME!
P.S. The child that really sang in all probability was a boy. Girls at age nine seldon have a good singing voice, but 9 year
often do. Some of those
quires are world famous; e.g. The Vienna Boys Choir.
Does anyone outhere in Blog land remeber when they performed here in Fresno? They sang like angels. Trivia over and out.
Be careful, the comments have a hint of the same mentality that made for the lip-syncing switcheroo. It is horrible that one little girl was dubbed not cute enough and horrible for the "cute" girl who has basically been shamed in front of the whole world for an idea that I'm sure wasn't hers. But the comment "they could have found a girl with looks and a voice"...Hhmmm... Seems to me it's a song so a singing voice alone should be sufficient. Then the comment "both girls were happy to do it..that's the rub". Of course they were happy to do it. They are LITTLE GIRLS! If you told a little kid their job was polishing flag poles and their shiny flag poles would be seen around the world at the Olympics, they'd be happy to do it and proud as hell. They are both little girls, there's no rub! The girl who actually sang? I saw a picture of her. Cute little thing with pudgy checks and a few crocked front teeth that are just growing in; replacing some baby teeth. Is our country any different? Look at the movies and TV shows. The chubby kid is always the dumb buffoon and there are children's beauty pageants where children are made to wear false teeth of a-never seen-in-nature shade of white. They look identical... like little "Stepford Children". So are we much better? Besides this happened in China...I'm sure the guy that ordered the lip syncing switcheroo has been executed by now...eeek... too true to be funny.
Let me see: The Red Chinese indulge in a propaganda display (much in the same way Hitler did in the ‘36 Olympics) and the GOP and Dems (basically) do the same every day as they present their various and sundry characters in the best possible light!
Say, didn’t I read about this "stuff" in Orwell’s "1984"?
the most embarrasing thing so far has been Bob Costas, who obviously has routine cosmetic surgery, talking about "fakery" and then behaving as though the Olympics was all about HIM...sorry, but it irks me that ageism has become so prevalent....TC, Orwell's book captures the essence of the last eight years, re-read it.
Swift:
Where have you been? It's been happening since about 1972!
Isabell, I think you're right on some of those issues, such as putting too much pressure on our athletes. But I think they've earned the product endorsements. They work extremely hard from young ages to become an Olympic champion and if Wheaties wants to put them on a box it's an honor they've earned. Even pay from endorsements is money they've earned. That's my view. Corruption and steriods are individual choices.
Touche' TC.
I missed my steroids link in the previous post and it's just too funny to pass up. So here it is again.
Re: "Scot"
I do not agree with your view, but to paraphrase Voltair...with my life shall I defend your right to have it [view]
My view is that commerce should be kept out of it;
as it used to be. And professional athletes have
other events for competition. I did some research, and I found out that it was the US who
introduced profis into the Olympic games.
What was the Coolidge tenet? The business of America is business, her only business.
I, and my cohorts of purists are brought to extinction, as was the carrier pigeon. But there will be a new generation of them, because the pendulum will swing back as it always does.
For all of those people who feel like they are sick of hearing about Obama, I apologize. I didn't understand the big deal before, but now I think I get it. I'm sick of hearing about Michael Phelps. Don't get me wrong...I have tremendous respect and admiration for his accomplishments and I hope he gets all 8. That really would be amazing. But are there any other stories? Are there any other athletes who aren't "the greatest athlete of all recorded history?"
I was floored when a reporter asked one of Michael's team mates after a gold medal relay win, "How do you feel helping Michael win another gold medal?" Are you kidding me?! I'm surprised she didn't ask him half way through what his name was again. I don't even remember which swimmer it was. How bad is that?
And by prevailing ethic (or the lack thereof) Micael Phelps shall be laughing all the way to the bank, while the non-winners shall sink into oblivion, come September.
If I had my way, all the Olympians could be immortalized via products, but no money to them. The money should go to a fund that would give financial aid to the athletes who are striving to participate in the games, but can't afford it.
And since being in good taste is no longer expected, I shudder thinking which products Phelps shall be indorsing.
The Olympians are the best professional athletes in the world, how did it get to this?