Will the real China please stand up?

There is no denying that the 2008 Beijing Olympics have been an amazing production. China has done the Olympic games justice. The facilities are state of the art, the games have ran with out distraction, and Chinese history has definitely been on display. But as the world watches the greatest athletes in the world compete for their countries and compete for themselves, who is competing for the Chinese people?

In the United States of America we expect our government to fight for us. The characteristics that keep our country the greatest in the world are freedom, liberty, and the ability to choose, among many others. The American system encourages and rewards individuality, while not always promoting complete equality, we have come to embody it. It is tough to compare the greatest country in the world with any other, but as China has become a supposed global power it is legitimate. China is and has historically, since Mao Zedong's rise to power in 1947, been a Communist regime. The Communist system is one that represents the idea of the common good and does what it must to maintain the existence of the state. In China, the state trumps individuality and freedom is not essential. While Communism is built on the idea of equality it by no means embraces it.

Maybe the real China has stood up. As these Olympics approached the Chinese government continued to crack down on its people, tightening the grip of repression in the interest of the Communist state. Many Chinese were jailed in fear of their desires for individuality, many citizens homes were destroyed to build the giant athletic complexes and throughout the games the government continues to silence its critics through authoritarian control. By no means is the Chinese government fighting for its people. Its people are fighting for their government because they do not have the freedoms, the liberties, or the choice to fight for anything else. The real China is not standing because has it is not allowed.

My Country is better than your Country

There is something about the Olympic Games that brings out the American in me. It really doesn't matter what I'm watching, badminton, volleyball, swimming, and yes even gymnastics. It is about my country beating your country. Yes, I know Visa has come out with these wonderfully made commercials narrated by Morgan Freeman presenting a globally minded motto of "go world," but come on, does anyone really want to see there fellow countrymen lose. The answer is no. I appreciate the effort that all of these athletes put out, the grueling hours that they have spent training dedicating there lives to a dream, but once you dive in to that pool, once you step on to that court, once you grab on to those high bars, may the better man (or woman to be pc) win. Most likely that better man will be an American. USA! USA! USA!