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Of course I don't speak for all Chinese Americans, but just myself. I'm 23, male and very Americanized. I was born in the U.S. but my parents are ethnically Chinese from Taiwan. They came here LEGALLY.
I think it was cool to see my family's "old country" featured like this. Yes, I'm a loyal American and patriot but face it, all of us have some passing interest in where our ancestries are from whether its Great Britain, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, Mexico, Japan or China. The show itself was very impressive and futuristic. I can't compare it to others because I missed the opening ceremonies in Athens and Sydney (I'm usually one of those that just care for the games) and don't remember much from Atlanta. I liked it more than the one in Salt Lake City but then the Utah Games were the Winter Olympics which is always on a smaller scale so the comparison cannot be made fairly.
China's new technology was pretty impressive and the whole thing was like Las Vegas on steroids mixed with some Star Wars. Beijing looked like Coruscant from Star Wars and I know Shanghai and Hong Kong also look like futuristic sci-fi cities. I think China deserved to host the Games despite its flaws because again sports and politics should be separate. Hopefully now the Chinese people can be exposed to more of the outside world. It was also kind of awkward that the commentators knew more about traditional Chinese culture than I did and I actually learned a lot of cultural stuff from it.
How the Chinese want the world to view their nation is somewhat different than us Americans, at least myself (I know some ppl here like j33 view things differently). China likes to showcase itself as a modern country, stressing its modern skylines, its hip youth culture, etc....while we Americans dream of an innocent, rural, idllylic America of grain silos, front porches, lemonade stands, Little League baseball, county fairs and wide open spaces. I think we both want to be something we're not. The Chinese want to escape their impoverished, agricultural "past" that is still a reality for many in their country. For Americans, as we head into the future and our idyllic lifestyles gradually disappear as economic factors slowly force many of us to leave the tranquil small towns of middle America to pursue lives in the soulless, dog eat dog world of urban America.
- I was troubled by how it was the Chinese military that carried the Olympic flag. Havin the military carry the flag reeks of nationalism and militarism and the Games is not place for that. The camera shots of the Chinese soldiers was kind of intimidating and the same with their athletes, the kind of determination they have to be a world power. I do fear America losing our sole superpower status. The fact that the majority of China's people live in poverty doesn't really matter because the 25% of so of their population that is middle or upper class is as big as the entire U.S. population numbers wise. In terms of consumption and production that's a big deal. China is a more serious challenge to the U.S. than Russia because Russia's new wealth is all based on oil and like Saudi Arabia the oil will run out someday.
- While the show was amazing, that also says something of China's misplaced priorities. No, London will not make a better show nor will the U.S. in the future. That's because the British or American people will not allow the government to spend several hundred million just to put on a 4 hour exhibition. The money China spent on the Games is pretty reprehensible when they still have millions of peasants who plow the fields by hand and millions living in squalor in their cities without AC or running water. Saddam's Iraq and North Korea also put on very good spectacles, btw.
- I'll be seriously offended if anyone asks which team I'm cheering for. I was born here, I'm an American. Not only that, I'm a conservative Republican who flies the flag from my window, has a Support Our Troops bumper sticker, listens to country music and is voting for McCain in November.
- My favorite athletes are Misty May, Kristi Walsh, Michael Phelps, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. I actually really love beach volleyball and I followed Misty and Kristi all the way through Athens and they had very inspiring stories. I hate the basketball coach, Coach K from Duke because my school was a bitter rival of Duke. Of all the coaches in America I dont' know why that bastad got chosen. But for two weeks I can let patriotism come in first and cheer for him. Come September though, he can go to hell and f___ Duke!
Granted it WAS phenomenal especially with how the torch was lit, the fireworks, and everything. The choreagrapher deserves a lifetime deal in Las Vegas. And I used to think the Fremont Street Experience in Vegas or the displays in Times Square were amazing. Like any other country, China has many sides and images to it. I was really struck by that young boy who survived the earthquake and helped two of his friends out. He deserved every bit of attention he got with the media. This is the kind of story that could have taken place during Katrina or 9-11 b/c its such a human story. Despite the politics, the average person in China is not that much different than the average person in America.
I disagree with how China's government conducts itself but am glad nobody boycotted the Games. A boycott will not convince the Communist Party to change its policies in Tibet and allow the Tibetans to decide their own future without fear. We boycotted Moscow in 1980, and the USSR continued to fight in Afghanistan, support Cuba, Iran, the IRA and other hostile entities. What ended communism in the USSR was glanost and allowing the Russian people to see for themselves the freedom and prosperity we enjoy in the West.
I've noticed the difference in the Chinese athletes and our own. A lot of them were groomed from a young age to be Olympians and glorify their country. In America, with our guys we hear a lot of stories about ordinary people from ordinary towns and ordinary families who pursued a dream for Olympic gold and finally made it to Beijing.
Environmentally China is improving but it still has some ways to go. A lot of its progress is impressive. However things have been artificailly done to make the Olympics experience pleasant like banning traffic from the streets. This is all temporary, however. I've read that with China's new technology they are working hard to reduce pollution. If they are to be a developed country, they should be held to the same standards like the Kyoto Protocol. Same with India. Having said that, while China will surpass us in fossil fuels consumption, per capital wise America will probably always unfortuantely be #1.
My parents have traveled to China before and its becoming more and more like us with their lifestyles and mentality. There is an increased demand for single family homes in the suburbs and low density developments. Its human nature. There's an increased car culture and new concepts like road trips are taking root. There are Chinese people who drive cross country from their east coast to Tibet, for example.
Also really cool to see all the different costumes from the different teams. A lot of the colorful designs from around the world like the African, Latin American and East European nations were very beautiful and I have to give the New Zealand flag bearer a lot of credit for wearing some indigineous stuff from his country to represent their culture.
I'll be seriously offended if anyone asks which team I'm cheering for. I was born here, I'm an American. Not only that, I'm a conservative Republican who flies the flag from my window, has a Support Our Troops bumper sticker, listens to country music and is voting for McCain in November.
So, uh, what team are you cheering for? This paragraph reads like a disclaimer...
Mike I'm cheering for Team USA....its that sometimes I get asked that. As a minority I'm consciosu of my national loyalty being questioned, especially after all those illegal immigrants marched all over our country waving their old flags.
Mike I'm cheering for Team USA....its that sometimes I get asked that. As a minority I'm consciosu of my national loyalty being questioned, especially after all those illegal immigrants marched all over our country waving their old flags.
You can't even be for serious....illegal immigrants??? What the hell does that have to do w/your little dictorial about the olympics?
im cheering for mexico. im cheering for nadal. im cheering for the "redeem" team. im cheering for all the athletes really. i enjoy a good competition. thats what im hoping to see out of these games. i also root for any woman from a muslim or repressive country. thats what this is about to me.
but i think the best part of the opening ceremonies was...
mariachi music playing as the USA came out in procession!!! CLASSIC.
You can't even be for serious....illegal immigrants??? What the hell does that have to do w/your little dictorial about the olympics?
from what I understand there is an illegal immigrant team in this years olympics
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