Open Mic: China's Quest for the Perfect Image

Come on, admit it. When you watched the womens gymnastics team finals last night, you grinned a little when Cheng Fei fell off the beam.

Sure their gymnasts look like they still need babysitters, and sure they still performed better than the American women, but yeah, it looks like a little magic was done on their athletes' passports' date of birth.

Does it matter? Yes. China is now our official Schadenfreude. When they lose, we win.

This is all about USA and China, and the rest of the countries are just there to add color to the whole "gathering of nations." Just ask any American or Chinese patriot.

Of course, seeing a country like Togo win a kayaking medal is truly awe-inspiring, but the big stuff, the big daddys of competition, is all about USA vs. China.

Almost everything we buy is either made in China, or Taiwan, R.O.C. While the communist country's paltry wages are low enough to offer cheaper goods than the U.S., while our economy is in a huge rut, China is getting bigger and bigger. And laughing at us.

Funny, no American wants to move there.

Let's face it, China may have some of the best cuisine in the world, but the food there is average at best; their best chefs fled here to make more money.

So why are the Olympics so important, and what is China trying to prove to the world?

China, for all of its one billion plus citizens, has always remained a little behind when it came to modern technology. Not any more. In fact, they are ahead. But it's their people that truly test the mark of how much progress they have made.

For sure, that scary "whipped into submission" look that shows on their athletes' faces makes you wonder just how brutal the government is when it comes to conveying the importance of world domination through sport. It's an inferiority complex rearing its ugly head.

Do their divers look like they are having fun? Most likely, no. Neither do the citizens of China. And despite the official classes taught to the Beijing medal hostesses on how to smile, the whole thing looks a little forced.

China, through its own doing, is trying to appear westernized, and it's just not working.

The beach volleyball games are the perfect example of how appearance is the only thing that matters. Hear the rock-n-roll and rap songs being played in between serves? It's almost all American music, yet the audience has no clue what is being played. They still clap to it, almost in perfect unison. Trained to perfection.

The high-fives are another clue as to how China has "adopted" some western culture. Luckily for them, they haven't caught on to our gang signals.

The singing of Hymn to the Motherland in the opening ceremonies was sung by a typical Chinese child, but was lip-synced by a picture-perfect, doll-like little girl. The actual singer wasn't deemed cute enough to sing at the ceremonies. Buck teeth can be a killer.

Image is everything. Despite the glossy, yet superficial cosmetic image changes China has made, nothing has really changed.

Despite the beautiful opening ceremonies, Americans played a huge part in the imagination part of the spectacle.

Despite the fact that the Chinese may win more medals than the U.S., the personal joy Americans feel from individual accomplishment and voluntary commitment to their sport- cannot be found in the Chinese athlete. Their joy is complex; they did it for the Motherland. It was their duty. They probably had no choice.

China is trying to prove that it is not the perceived country of peasants working in paddy fields, but rather, a country of modern technology and successful workers. And superior athletes.

While no one can argue that their athletes are excellent in many sports, if they do win more medals than the U.S., will their manifesto finally come into fruition?

Probably not. While American, European, and even Chinese athletes have been caught cheating through doping and EPO, the communist countries are the ones that have been questioned about the ages of their athletes.

Cuba has been under intense suspicion of altering the ages of their Little League baseball players. China has also been under the same scrutiny ever since one of their gymnasts flashed a smile and it looked like she was still losing her baby teeth.

While every country tries to get an advantage, sometimes through cheating, there is an unwritten rule among westernized countries that putting athletes through potential danger by being too young to compete is off-limits. It's morally wrong to put a child in a situation that may stunt her growth, maturity, and life-expectancy.

China, despite its massive PR attempt at trying to appear less rigid, has still failed.

Goose-step marching soldiers, robotic performers who are encouraged to smile and intimidating drums at the opening ceremonies, may have impressed the local masses, but it's a painful reminder of what still has not changed.

The proverbial cheetah cannot change its spots.

We Americans know that winning gold has far more importance in China than here in the United States of America. While our athletes may reap huge endorsements for success, in China, it's a chance to have a decent family life.

Do we pity them? Yes, and no.

It's part jealousy and part pity. We are jealous that they are closing in on our medal count, but at the same time, if we don't do as well in the Olympics as the Chinese, our lives remain unaffected while the medal-less athletes in China may face undue hardships.

This is a show, pure and simple. Propaganda is alive and well and aimed directly at the U.S.A.

The proof is right on your television screens. The Chinese fans rooting for China are chanting "China" in English, not Chinese.

The importance of this Olympiad is not lost—while China wants to be included in the in-crowd, the translation gets lost amidst the forced and unnatural reality of the current government's political actions.

Sports can, and usually do, reach out to nations and cause all to join hands together and forget political differences. The Olympics' goal is for that to happen, but unfortunately, you can't exclude politics from sports anymore.

China's goal was to try and erase all misconceptions about this formerly isolated country that has somewhat opened it's doors, albeit ajar, for visitors. Did they succeed?

For China, the only way to gauge success is by the medal count; it hasn't changed its image. If they top the charts, then it will put an exclamation point on their race to world dominance, and be a total success. If they lose to America, as the host country, it will be an utter failure.

America's goal? To be the one country that makes them work for those medals. And maybe, just maybe, show them that giving your best and still losing isn't a bad thing. That it's OK to cry because you failed, not failed your country. And to enjoy the wonder of global competition.

America, despite its sluggish economy, high foreclosure rates, and high crime in major cities, is still the one country that everyone wants to live in. America's image as the land of opportunity remains unchanged.

And yes, winning the most medals in the Beijing Olympics would be just killer.

Let freedom ring.