General Gao\'s Summer Olympics Thread

[Wolfman]

A "grueling competition"[/URL] had been waged to choose the girl who sang, but at the last minute the "swap" was made because the seven year old girl simply did not portray the image that the Chinese wanted to convey to the world, she had buck teeth according to the story.

Smart move by the producers.  You’re trying to put on the best face for your country (literally) in front of a worldwide audience.  If it were here and you saw an ugly kid up there singing God Bless America in front of the largest live television audience in world history, you would wonder "how did they pick this kid?".  It’s one thing if it’s a school play and you’re trying to give all the kids a chance to participate.  This is anything but that.  This is a one-shot deal that is mega-business both financially and politically.  You don’t blow $200 million dollars on a politically-charged ceremony and invite the whole world to watch, then feature mediocre looking people in key roles.  You have to cast your show properly at this level.  Will Ferrel doesn’t play Anakin Skywalker.  Skinny guys don’t play on the offensive line in the NFL.  A kid who doesn’t look good doesn’t sing patriotic songs in front of the rest of the world unless he/she is a hero or victim of tragedy.  That’s just how it goes.  Like it or not it’s proper politics.  The kid who walked out with Yao Ming when the Chinese team came into the stadium was quite ugly and bruised, but he was a survivor of the recent earthquake so that’s OK.

Are you serious?  Not sure what your definition of an ugly kid is, but the original girl is not ugly, she may need some work done on her teeth, but that\'s really vain.  If they switch the girl at the last minute for asthetic reasons, I understand, but then have the new girl sing rather than have her pull a milli vanilli to the a recorded version of the first girl.

While we\'re at it, do you think that it\'s ethical for China to spend over $200 million and ship out Beijing residents when millions on millions of it\'s people are poor to begin with?

I just find it weird that you\'re trying to substantiate China\'s poor decisions.

What you constitute as a "poor" decision is based on your values as an American and your prejudices against the Chinese government that you most likely developed by consuming mainstream media.  All of these decisions may very well be in the best interests of the people of China.  Nobody cares if people lip-sync at huge shows, everyone does it.  The $200 million wouldn\'t make a dent in helping the poverty of millions of people (what are you going to do, give each of them a dollar?) but if it increases national pride, helps people get along and changes the world\'s view of their culture and all the good things that come with that, then it could very well be the best buy they ever made.  I\'m not saying if it is or not, I don\'t know, I\'m not there.  Yours is an archetypical American attitude of "My values are superior and more righteous than the values of this inferior nation."  What girl a country chooses to put into an opening ceremony is NOT some humanitarian injustice, so get over it.  

If you\'re sitting there finding things wrong with the opening ceremony then you obviously haven\'t watched it or just have no appreciation for it. Furthermore, your quest to find things wrong with it is fueled by your prejudiced belief that the Chinese government is corrupt or malicious and you are only out to further that belief.  Why else would you be so eager to find these things?  Like I said, you might as well walk out of the greatest Breakfast show ever and talk about how Greg missed a cue on lights in the first set.

I\'m talking about sports now.

[Yoda]

You got me all wrong.  I thought the opening ceremony was great, but I also think that it was dick what they did to that girl at the last minute.  I\'m not saying the $200 million would have made a dent in the issues that they have, but it sure didn\'t help those people, just the dictatorship that runs the country.  And you got the wrong guy if you think I\'m a right-wing neo-conservative that thinks USA is better than everyone.  All you have to do is look at the current administration to know that\'s not the case.  If you think what they did was justified, good, I have the right to disagree, that\'s the beauty of it.

[skalnbyc]

And you got the wrong guy if you think I\'m a right-wing neo-conservative that thinks USA is better than everyone.

I, for one, think the USA is better than everyone else (and hope it stays that way)!

[Wolfman]

I apologize for the way this thread has gone.  Certainly not what I intended.  I think it\'s time for a .info break.

[Yoda]

I apologize for the way this thread has gone.  Certainly not what I intended.  I think it\'s time for a .info break.

The thread has taken the natural course it would have.  If there\'s one thing that\'s a constant, it\'s that we will all always disagree on something.  Whether it be the opening ceremony lip syncing, the Ahoy/May Fly thing, or the fact that I think Max Creek sucks ass.  I know when I type these things that there are people that disagree with me and will respond.  Maybe I\'m wrong for doing it, but you may not have seen me in 6+ years, but you knew that was the way I always was.  Maybe it\'s me that needs a .info break, because it\'s seems that my views are far different from most online.  I\'ll keep my posts to a minimum of rebel rousing (that should make freddie happy).

[Mamalakabubadaya]

wow..thought this thread was going to be more about the games and reading seth\'s intense and somewhat scary sports opinions/analogies (which i enjoy). really glad that it has gone the way that so many other threads on .info seem to go these days! way to go yoda!

all i gotta say is micheal phelps is a fucking fish

he\'s UNBELIEVABLE! and i would totally hit that if i had the chance! :hump:

And you got the wrong guy if you think I\'m a right-wing neo-conservative that thinks USA is better than everyone.

I, for one, think the USA is better than everyone else (and hope it stays that way)!

:thumbsup:


:backs out of thread before getting called a righty neo-conservative for being patriotic who also really has no great insight to offer on the olympics other than how i want to do michael phelps and wonder who does the bikini waxing for all of the ladies in gymnastics:

[tyzack]

I was watching the sports center coverage of phelps swimming...look at the positioning of his hands and wrists in the butterfly.

Wow. Precise, exact, human fins.

[tyzack]

Does anyone else find the thread title to be perhaps maybe not the most PC way of saying "Bejin 2008 Summer Olympics?"

[ds673488]

i dont know much about chinese politics, but i have no idea what the title is supposed to mean

[Yoda]

General Gao\'s is a mispronounciation of the chinese food dish General Tao\'s Chicken.

[tyzack]

i dont know much about chinese politics, but i have no idea what the title is supposed to mean

General Gao\'s is a mispronounciation of the chinese food dish General Tao\'s Chicken.

Which would be rouhgly equivolent to calling a thread about the olympics in turino:

Linquini Ravoli Marinia\'s Winter Olympic Thread

Except, I think, a little more demening.

[Yoda]

Except that I\'m sure that there are chinese restaurants in the greater boston area that have general gao\'s chicken on the menu.

[booztravlr]

General Gao\'s is a mispronounciation of the chinese food dish General Tao\'s Chicken.

Except that I\'m sure that there are chinese restaurants in the greater boston area that have general gao\'s chicken on the menu.

I thought the first one was a typo since the A is next to the S. I\'m pretty sure it\'s General Tso\'s Chicken.

[Yoda]

See, I goofed too.  Props to booz!

[tyzack]

Except that I\'m sure that there are chinese restaurants in the greater boston area that have general gao\'s chicken on the menu.

My comment was that the reference to general tso\'s chicken was not a specific refrence to anything related to the summer games but, instead, was a reference to a generic chinese dish which people assosiate with, well, China. This reference is obivously moking of the country and has a hidden disrespectful connotation.

Therefore calling the turino games ravoli marina follows the same logic. It doesn\'t matter that ravoli sphagethi has no real relationship with Italy, as Booz has pointed out, the spicy-chicken dish has no real relationship with China.

Okay, so maybe calling them the marina anti-pasta games doesn\'t really work, what about the world proudly going to the Mafia Winter Games?