I'm lead to believe that the number eight is a very lucky number for the Chinese, so 080808 as it's known, must be the luckiest date of all and unsurprisingly a good day to host the “games designed to restore China's pride and showcase its achievements.”
While I'm utterly impressed by the opening ceremony, it was deliciously sensuous and extremely tasteful, I can't help but feel a little sorry for what the games will ultimately stand to represent and thus why comparisons to Berlin '36 were already being made before the event had even started.
It seems to me that the Chinese are so preoccupied with Western opinion that they can't help but reiterate the prejudices by over moderating and challenging any and all criticism, while they should just be enjoying themselves. While the Olympics are in a completely different league to the average gaming event, the way the Chinese approach both is very similar.
Anyone who has visited our Warcraft III forums will already know about the difficulties of dealing with Chinese users, the nauseating nationalistic pride and unyielding seriousness, not to mention how trigger happy they're with the thumb system!
The likes of Manuel 'Grubby' Schenkhuizen and Yoan 'ToD' Merlo are on the receiving end, almost daily in Grubby's case, of some of the most embarrassingly ironic criticism you can imagine. “We all know that grubby always show his bad manner and he always thinks him as the best player in the world, though he never reach the level.”
While the Chinese moan about being stereotyped or misunderstood they quickly tar Europeans with the same brush. Europeans, especially ToD, have the self confidence to openly criticise about conditions and put their own careers on the line to improve eSports. Anyone who watched Marcus 'Wind' Ho's video interview with Dennis 'HasuObs' Schneider and ToD two weeks ago can attest to that - "I think staff from your site should stop posting bullshit..."
The Chinese have to understand that if gaming events (especially those with international communities), like the Olympics, are to be held in China then they've to appreciate European honesty, cynicism and opportunism which comes hand in hand with European players and fans. What's bad mannered to you is everyday, run of the mill, cliché to us Europeans, and just because you spend a lot of effort and money hosting events doesn't make you immune to criticism.
While we may share one world we most certainly don't share the same standards, problems and dreams. Premier Wen once said “any small problem multiplied by 1.3 billion will end up being a very big problem”, if China can learn to yield even just a little, they will learn a lot.
:D
"I think staff from your site should stop posting bullshit..."
I loved this part in the video, unfortunately for him it happened. Maybe he didn't see it coming or heard about it after WC3L.
And other people in the world just enjoy this big sport event itself.
... i didn't like what they did with Tibet and pers freedom.
btw,when BBC was talking about iraq ,they just wanted to embarrassed Mr.bush.
They totallly forgot their army is killing in iraq right now at the moment.
Firstly, as I already mentioned personal attacks don't disqualify a source. You're essentially saying the British media can't criticise China because the British have troops in Iraq. There are a number of things wrong with this statement and not only on principle. The British media aren't in Iraq, they're not fighting and killing people and your statement is both racist and a generalisation.
It's the same when Westerners say the Chinese media is essentially a propaganda machine, the first thing the Chinese do is criticise Western media, it's just poor and completely flawed logic.
Secondly, your entire criticism of Iraq looks like you've absolutely no knowledge about the build up to the war what so ever. The UN passed a resolution in order to deal with Iraq democratically, but the British and Americans didn't wait for a mandate from the UN (to use force), they felt their national security was at threat and fast tracked the invasion. The British foreign secretary actually resigned because they didn't wait for the mandate.
You can only go with the evidence you've at the time and the likes of France and Germany decided to sit out while Poland and Australia joined the invasion force, why don't you mention those countries, huh? There was an immense amount of press negativity about the invasion before it even happened and there's still a huge uproar about it, even now. If there's one thing the British does well, it's scrutinizing itself.
I will admit the British press sometimes go for the easy story and sensationalise, however. Though, if you can read either the Guardian, Telegraph or Times websites you'll see the users lambasting the writers constantly, as well as the newspapers themselves auditing each other.
* = also for evan. and damn this post must be 2 inches lower posted
The opening ceremony should have been a moment of awe, bedazzlement and pride, but the bbc presenters felt the need to mention stuff such as "this is the stage of the proceedings to represent nature and China's relationship with it", "which is interesting considering China has 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world".
Is it really necessary? Human rights, tibet, olympic torch scandal, the BBC mentioned it all and to be honest I just felt shame that the BBC sinks so low just to take cheap shots at China. China defensive? Obviously.
China was in uproar after the European press of events in Tibet, and I do think the BBC seems to think it can say anything about China whenever it feels like it. I have a rather interesting position to view events, my partner is Chinese and I've been brought up abroad so I do not have the typical British condascending attitude to other countries (despite perhaps American spelling).
The problem is the Western view of China is old, older generations just think of the student killings of Tinamen Square in '89, "Yep that is what China is, no human rights". China has developed immensely and the thing is people do not learn Chinese culture before saying bullshit, "China is this, China is that".
Sure they have to take criticism but when its perpetual and condascending, trying to seek out the scandal, its tiresome.
The olympics are a good chance for China, they are only so defensive because of the bad press and needless criticism levelled against them on a daily basis.
and lolz maly, human rights in china are just the same as they used to be in 89, maybe it's more hidden and covered now, but the outcome is absolutely the same. I've been to China and seen it myself.
I find the BBC and the British media pretty fair and balanced to be honest, I think you're being a bit shameless and selling out for the easy vote (thumbs).
The BBC is funded by British people and therefore accountable to them only, you're going to have a hard job convincing the BBC trust it's worthwhile to spend money covering foreign leagues. You're just being unrealistic to be honest.
Otherwise really Good read from both _evan and Maly, opening ceremony was really impressive !
besides, u spoke of the forum, yes, i admit that there're different personal qualities, but y u just exampled chinese only? only chineses are the bad guys? be objective ok? bad guys can be found anywhere on this planet not only china, if u don't believe, look at if ur contry's prisons are empty ^^.
really tired of replying this kind of articles. and i don't think it's proper to post such kind of articles in a esports site.
by3
which the very same conservative ppl doing some much with their big fat lie at the middle east atm.
China is triumphing and is holding up the Olympic Rings as if it would embody their taintless spirit.
Beijing is all excited and is enjoying the privilige to carry out the Olympic Games and is exploiting the opening ceremony so that the enchanting atmosphere is conveying the impression that the Chinese are stretching out their arms to the world. That is played very well! Everybody is smiling and is happy about the great fireworks and the magnificent games! And behind the posed smile of the Chinese government you can hear the boots of a totalitarian state clapping on the floor as it was 36'.
The IOC should be ashamed and so should be every upright Chinese man and woman.
The great Olympic idea will now be tainted again.
Close your eyes and enjoy the games everyone!
Oops sorry, Veno got it before me, at least in his last paragraph.
BWHAHAHAHAHHAhahahahahahha ahaha ahahahah hah... hah... :(
One dream is to be Tiger Woods in golf..
Only power and national strength talk; only the weak need to defend themselves with words. US never needs reasons to justify their intent behind the wars. Being strong means you can apply double standards and judge others with the one you made. "GUESS WHAT, WE DONT CARE IF YOUR ARE A DEVELOPING COUNTRY AND NECESSARILY HAVE LOTS OF PROBLEMS, WE DONT CARE IF OUR INVASION WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY YOU SANK TO THIS RAT HOLE TODAY, WE DONT BOTHER TO RESEARCH IF WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING REALLY SUITS THE BIGGEST POPULATION ON EARTH, YOUR COUNTRY SHOULD ONLY RUN AS WE SEE PROPERLY, AND THATS UNDER DEMOCRACY, STH YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF YOU FOOL."
I cant believe SK permits an article that intentionally sheds a bad light on China, especially the Chinese users on this forum, to be put here. _evan has unshakable prejudice on China and all the Chinese forum users, or I can even go further to say he is just another racist deep inside. There, I said it.
Ppl on a GAME forum frequently use POLITICAL issues as a weapon to flame our country and we are not even allowed to defend ourselves? Not to mention the fact that ordinary Chinese do not deserve your public stereotyping even if what you are bashing about China are all true. How many Chinese have you seen in your life _evan? Just because some Chinese forum users still need improvement in your mother language doesnt mean the things they said in English or their preference to thumb up a nicely written post really represent their argumentative ability. I'd welcome you to convince me in Chinese any day.
I know maly has a Chinese girl friend and thats proly why hes like the only person who can remain at least a less biased stand in this thread. I'm out and wont reply to any kind of this anti-chinese shit from now on, its pointless anyway.
You see, here lies the great misunderstanding - evan is presenting his point of view which is being debated of course and you generalize that the West is claiming to have the only truth. You do not understand that there is no truth, there are spheres of interest and those are colliding. But there is an exception to that - we believe that every human being must have fundamental rights. And human rights obviously suit every human being thus the only thing we absolutely want "REALLY SUITS THE BIGGEST POPULATION ON EARTH".
You go on saying that you have suffered and been fooled. This is typical Chinese, creating evil oppressors and creating an image in which you have always been violated. Let me tell you something. We have suffered as well! Just like your people suffered under European oppression so has every other country in the West. We practically did nothing else - wage war against one another- until we were so ruined that we could not fight anymore ( that goes especially for my ancestors). But the greatest oppression your people have suffered was by the hand of one of your own - Mao. Basically the same kind of asshole as Hitler. So don't always point the finger and say that you are bad and evil and we, the Chinese have always been peaceloving. You have been fooled, yes. So have we. Deal with it.
Power and national strength talks, yes. But in this moment only in China. Why? Because the West has implemented a system that allows us to rectify past mistakes in a way you cannot. Don't you find it interesting to see a man like Obama ready to go into the Oval Office who is nothing like Bush? ( You are only attacking the US, which is not your "historic enemy" - Japan and the Europeans).
Oh yes, the US does need reasons to go to war. If they do not as was the case in Iraq, their allies like France and Germany turn away and they are discredited throughout the world for their mistake. The greatest loss the US suffered in the war in Iraq is the loss of reputation which will scar future generations. And that is precisely why nobody is applying double-standards.
China on the other hand does and can, because you have no independent press. You get one view - the view of the Chinese government. We get many views - right-winged, liberal, green, socialist and communist. Your people once rose up against that injustice, and they were slain just as in Eastern Germany in 53'.
"WE DONT CARE IF YOUR ARE A DEVELOPING COUNTRY AND NECESSARILY HAVE LOTS OF PROBLEMS". You know, this is really the double-standard. This is disgusting. Germany is constantly spending Millions of Euros into your country to help the people in Sichuan and to improve the situation in western China. These Millions of Euros are coming from German taxpayers, they are coming from the EU. We are giving you Millions of dollars and you stand here saying that we don't care? This is double-standard. It is double-standard that you say we don't mean to suit the biggest population on earth. Do you? Does your government? Do you mean the transport-ship full of weapons that went to Darfur to help kill the non-arabic population so that you get oil? Don't play innocent, when it comes to killing people you're as guilty as the US, as Japan and as all of Europe.
"I cant believe SK permits an article that intentionally sheds a bad light on China."
This sentence shows how much you understand any of the liberal western ideas. The whole point of freedom of speech is to intentionally shed a bad light on someone, so that he or it has to react, think, develop and change. Only if you are flamed you will do something about it. If you're not flamed, you believe that everything is OK and should continue exactly the way it did before.
And what you say about Maly must be a joke. No, in fact what you say about all the others is a joke. Everybody is biased except the ones who are on my side.
ba da da da da
i'm loving it