First, China Brings Bullshots to the Olympics exposes the “fireworks display” in which the footprints march from Tiananmen Square (after stomping dissidents flat, no doubt) to the stadium as computer-generated. (A “bullshot,” the article explains, usually refers to a screenshot from a game that's been Photoshopped to make it look more impressive. It works quite well for video, too.) If China makes anything better than the rest of the world, it's fireworks… so they must have (correctly) assumed they wouldn’t get Beijing’s
Now, we learn that the little girl who sang at the opening ceremonies was lip-syncing. The girl with the real golden voice was not considered pretty enough by the organizers… so they set up this sham.
Beijing hasn’t just lost face, they’ve lost their entire head and half their neck. This stuff is childish… it reminds me of a 12-year-old girl stuffing her shirt and telling older guys she’s 18. C’mon, China, if you think you’re all growed up at least act like it.
Yes, I seen this over the news tonight...What a shame! I suppose if this is what the world is coming to, glad I'm middle aged...
ReplyDeleteThanks, yooper
Hi Yooper.
ReplyDeleteI can see China wanting to impress the rest of the world… but I guess it goes to show that even cultural age & maturity are not synonymous. A mature nation would understand that mistakes are sometimes inevitable, and not terribly significant in the context of putting on a show (even for the rest of the world); and that understanding and working within their limitations is no shame.
I really feel bad for the little girl who had to sing "behind the curtain" as it were… the kid up front is getting all the accolades and all she did was not mess up lip-syncing (which means she has a great career waiting for her in American pop ;-).
Arising from the same sort of thinking that gave rise to doping by athletes. Perfection at any cost. God forbid that we should be human. But isn't this a celebration of humanity and competition? Hmm.
ReplyDeleteHey FAR and gang,
ReplyDeleteI try to stay as far away from such events as I can, but it's hard not to notice some things. I saw the story about the little singing girl in passing today, but then KO reported on it tonight on Countdown. Pretty pathetic, and I like your analogies about childish behaviour.
Even the Daily Show is not immune, as they have Rob Riggle "reporting" from Beijing all this week, so I can't escape this stuff!
Boran… very very good points.
ReplyDeleteIVG, I almost never watch TV at all. That seems to be the strategy that works for me.
Hiya FAR and everyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree it was pretty bad. I don't know if I heard right, but I think I heard they pulled her like 15 minutes before she was supposed to go on. Must be a hard blow for someone so young.
I'm still chugging along on my second oldest computer. My computer in for repair was supposed to be back by the 11th, but.....
Hope everyone is doing fine.
Hey FM, good to see you out & about. Hope you get your computer back soon; we miss you when you're gone.
ReplyDeleteI didn't hear that it was 15 minutes; that only makes it worse.
How sad it was to see the little girl come on an explain that she was content with the situation. That just being able to play her part (the singing) was good enough for her and was happy to contribute in any way she could.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to individualility? I suppose this is just too much to ask of communist China? That little girl was doing her duty as everyone's sole purpose in life is to promote the betterment of the State.
EVERYTIME, we buy a product coming from China, we are actually buying into this concept! It's a shame we have been reduced to this....really we're no better, as human beings, as not to know the difference or worse yet, just accept it.......
Thanks, yooper
Yooper, I think her attitude has been part of the Chinese culture for thousands of years, not unique to Communism. It's certainly the case in Japan, where they cram a lot of people into a little space.
ReplyDeleteStill, I think credit where credit is due. If she was the singer, she should have been the one up front doing the singing. Put a little girl in a frilly dress and poof up her hair, and everybody's going to think she's adorable anyway.
Hey FAR,
ReplyDeleteSome great ideas exchanged here, especially what you and Yooper said. I'm pretty neutral on this whole singer affair, but I do believe in credit due where it's earned, and cuteness shouldn't count.
I decided years ago that as a Westerner, I'd never fully understand Asian cultures without living in one for quite some time. That's not been a high priority in my life, to be honest. I have enough trouble trying to tease out meaning in the West!
Hello Farf-Dad! You bet, it's a cultural thing. Could it be so strong a suppression, the little girl does not have the feelings as other human beings? Perhaps after thousands of years of conditioning, these people are more "machine" than human?
ReplyDeleteIowa victory gardener,good point. Who are we to assume that our culture is the only one worth living, when so many are struggling to find meaning in it? One has to wonder, how do these Asian cultures view us Westerners? I'll just bet, they see us as a bunch of spoiled, self indulging playboys?...
As far as cultures are concerned, for one, I'm thankful to be in this one that values human life..
Thanks yooper.
IVG, yeah. Like the human brain, I don't think humans can truly understand human culture.
ReplyDeleteYooper, I think in some ways, Western culture has progressed a lot farther than some older cultures… because we're able to question its values and benefits from the inside. I don't know of too many cultures that have our level of self-introspection… or maybe they all do, and keep it quiet? ;-)