Although it is perceived by many people that Olympics should only include sports but nothing else, the Olympics held each every four years have always been utilized to serve different needs of people. Especially this year, when Beijing had successfully bid the right to hold the 2008 Olympics, people from different social status have tried to express their feelings and make them known to the meticulous scrutiny of the western world. But has this been a suitable time for them to do this kind of demonstrations to upset the host country China and its plan to showcase their development over the past decades?
The western countries have also tried to make good use of this opportunity to show their dissatisfaction with Chinese. CNN commentator Jack Cafferty has criticised Chinese government to be “the same bunch of goons and thugs they have been for the last 50 years” and this has aroused the sense of nationalism in Chinese living in foreign countries. This has then evolved into protests and remonstrations whenever the countries they live in welcome the Olympics torch. Well, this may induce some people to think that Jack Cafferty has made correct observation about Chinese people being ‘uncivilised’ afterall. As a Chinese myself, I strongly disagree with this sentiment, but that’s another story.
Before the comments had been made, Paris awarded a controversial honorary citizenship to Dalai Lama and culminated in the boycott of French products. Now, as it seems, western world is trying to deny Chinese of becoming the next world superpower after the USA, and is endeavouring to make their long-anticipated Olympics a failure; and cast a daunting shadow over the Chinese government to hinder their progress to succeed. Although Chinese may have been too cynical and over-reacted in their protests, it is absolutely understandable.
Imagine you were given the great honour of showcasing your most admirable and stunning, or almost ‘supernatural’ skill in front of the whole world; and you have spent thousands and millions of dollars in preparation for the performance, thus, a great deal lot of time to practise until perfection to make sure everyone will be overwhelmed by your success. Then all of a sudden, your family and friends started to deny your ability and dampened your aspiration of gaining fame, causing you to regret offering them that much benefit in the past but got nothing in return except criticisms. In the end, your performance is spoiled and every time and money you’ve spent on this becomes profligacy of some sort. How would you like it?
After all, Chinese has been under-attacked by many foreign countries and this has thrown cold water onto the spirit of many Chinese who had wished the Olympics to go on undisrupted. Politicians, or commentators from the western society, in which I have no specific indication of whom, should better learn about the complex history of Chinese and its culture before making some stereotypical comments in the future on things they are not familiar with.