Submitted by Katherine Xu, Aug 25, 2008 21:04

Although I do agree that China has put in place some very extreme measures to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the Games, I think they have spent enough money and effort on making the 2008 Olympic Games something they can be proud of forever. China has many problems, and it understands that enough to realize that the Western world might criticize some aspects of their capital city. It is my opinion that this is why they are going to such lengths in hopes that the rest of the world will find their country acceptable. The Chinese are terrified of losing face, of failure, of being looked down upon. Now that they have finally pulled themselves up to a point where they can avoid that, I think it's understandable that they're doing everything in their power to do so. I do disagree with your statement that "China comes across as a gray, joyless society, notwithstanding occasional spurts of enthusiasm from fans." China is the same as any other country, it loves its athletes and cheers them on because it wants them to succeed. There have also been several occasions where the people have stood on their feet to cheer on not only Chinese athletes, but also opponents from other countries. To label an ENTIRE COUNTRY as gray and joyless is just insulting. Also, you have made a point of saying that the US Gymnastics team cheers on its team members, that the team is all-together more supportive than its Chinese counterpart. While that might be true, consider the fact that the Chinese are generally more reserved than the Americans. When greeting the leaders of the foreign nations, Mr. Hu Jintao seemed almost stone-faced and robotic in his handshakes and polite nods, but that doesn't mean that he isn't happy to be receiving these important people into his country. I think that the Chinese gymnastics team was just dealing with an overwhelming amount of pressure, pressure from all the people of its home country, pressure to win a gold medal on home court, pressure to win China's first gold medal in this event. How can you so confidently assert that the Chinese team feigned smiles, and imply that the Chinese team has less spirit and less unity than the American team? If the Chinese team won, it is because all the girls worked hard and deserved to win. If a team member made an error and the girls only "feigned" smiles to comfort her, it doesn't make the team any less of a team. If you've ever watched the competition and heard high-pitched voices saying, "Hao!" in the background, that's actually the Chinese team cheering on their girls. I can't see how anyone can say that the US team is more of a team than the Chinese team, even if on the big screen, they have more endearing moments together.

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