Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Seeing Isn't Always Believing


Apparently, the Chinese government decided to go to any lengths to make their opening ceremony the best the world had ever seen!

Even if that meant faking what the public was seeing, in the stands and on TV.

Do you remember seeing the seven-year-old Chinese girl singing the song “Ode to the Motherland?” Well, seeing wasn’t believing. Apparently, the girl who was singing the song wasn’t good-looking enough for the Olympics opening ceremony, so another little girl with a pixie smile lip-synched the song!

In the latest example of the lengths Beijing took for a perfect start to the Summer Games, a member of China’s Politburo asked for the last-minute change to match one girl’s face with another’s voice, the ceremony's chief music director said in an interview with Beijing Radio.

“The audience will understand that it’s in the national interest,” Chen Qigang said in a video of the interview posted online Sunday night.

This news follows reports that some footage of the fireworks exploding across China’s capital during the ceremony was digitally inserted into television coverage, apparently over concerns that not all of the 29 blasts could be captured on camera.

I’m wondering now if the Chinese government wishes they had some way to digitally enhance their swimmers so that one of them could actually beat Michael Phelps!

To me, and this is me speaking, these flubs may just be the most exciting thing to come out of the Olympic Games to date! I can hardly wait to see what else was created for the audience that really didn’t happen…or that was good for their national interest!

8 comments:

  1. In the National best interest my foot! They did not have the national best interest at heart. They had their "reputation" at heart. I didn't want the opening ceremonies (and frankly don't care) but to hurt some little girl because she does not measure up to China's warped view or worth is beyond acceptability!

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  2. China doesn't care about its little girls. At all. One bit. Nada. Their gov't is completely warped. They are so harsh in their population control methods and their social security (which in rural China is a son to care for them in their old age) that they murder infant girls upon birth -- sometimes drowning them in a bucket of water as soon as they are pulled from their mother's womb. Abortions on fetuses that are found to be girls through ultrasound are high. Abandonment of infant girls is why there are so many available for adoption.

    This surprises me NOT. I think both girls are just darling and I pray that one day my husband's heart will change and we can adopt a little one of our own from China (or anywhere really).

    Heidi

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  3. China has always been known for their "cheating."

    Those gymnists are NOT 16 years old...12 maybe, but not 16.

    And yes, MICHAEL PHELPS is "da man!

    What an American!

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  4. Phil,

    You stole my comment!!!

    We couldn't believe that they were trying to pass 12-13 year old girls for 16!

    But then again, they've told their citizens "There is no God" for the past how many years?

    If they'd lie about that, I guarantee they'd lie about ANYTHING else.


    Michael is certainly all he is cracked up to be though.

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  5. I'm glad others see it this way! I kept looking at those girls and I kept saying, "They aren't 16!" My wife who teaches third graders said, "They look like they should be in my class!"

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  6. Like I said on Tony's blog, the "impression" China is trying to make reminds me of Hitler "cleaning up" for the '36 Berlin Olympics.

    And, I think they chose a little girl because they know how most people feel about their "population control."

    Unrelated -- the men to women ratio in China right now is completely out of whack which is leading to high-risk/destructive homosexual behaviors AND increased rates of depression and suicide of the young men.

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  7. Good analogy Karma...I think the similarities with WWII Germany is appropriate, and fitting.

    Has anyone but me noticed how the news media has fallen all over themselves to praise China? I guess I shouldn't be surprised!

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  8. This is nuts! But now I understand how we could get lead in paint that is suppose to be safe and non-toxic. Anything to look better in the eyes of the world. uh, I think they blew that one. selahV

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