This summer, China's hosting of the Beijing Olympics was undoubtedly a major success for a nation with over a fifth of the world's population. Billions tuned into the games to see China eagerly showcase its hospitality and modernity.
However, America's news depicting China during the games was filled with anti-China sentiment.
From human rights issues within China, to China's inactions in Sudan, to an imagined gymnastics scandal, the news media targeted China. It seems that in America's eye, China can do no right.
Many feel that China needs to become a mirror image of the West. But who says that the Western way is the progressive way?
When it comes to China's bad reputation concerning Sudan, I fail to see how anyone knowledgeable in today's modern politics can assume that China alone can end the genocide in the area. China's interests in Sudan relate back to its dependence on their oil reserves. How can Americans blame them for failing to incite trouble just so they can ensure oil supplies?
The U.S. is so strongly tied to its oil imports that we went to war with Iraq to keep our oil safe. Therefore, why should we expect China to end its relations with Sudan and cut off a significant supply of its future foreign oil?
China sees itself as the main force behind all third-world nations, and is using its growing world dominance to speak for these African nations, helping them in their struggles to be recognized. Compare that to the West's notorious history of abusing Africa. Whether through the slave trade, stripping the continent of resources or brutally forming colonies which Africans nations are still working to fix, the past actions and messes that the west created.
During the Olympics, many westerners argued that the Chinese glamorized the games by using fake fireworks and highlighting a little girl who sung the anthem who was more attractive than the actual singer. But we can only look to our own media to see parallels to China's so-called "forgery."
For instance, how many of us pick up a magazine with an overly airbrushed photo on the cover or attend a concert in which the singer, who makes a living through their vocals, lip-syncs all their songs? If you are one of those people that think that China should adopt more Western practices, than it seems they are moving in the right direction.
China's Olympic hosting can be related to a big coming out party for them to join the world stage. During this party, many westerners traveled to China with the sole mission to cause dissent. A majority are going there to argue for a "Free Tibet."
When Americans turn on the news and see that people in China are taken into custody for protesting, they act horrified that something so sinister could come from the communists. But you have to ask yourself, if America were hosting a major event, would we take foreign protesters so lightly and let them flounce on our laws to disrupt our national unity?
Let's look back at the Atlanta games. What if a group of Chinese citizens came to America to rally support for a free Hawaii or a free Texas? I don't see the US government just sitting back and allowing them to cause unrest.
It is said that about 80 percent of the Chinese people are content with being bullied by their government with the loss of American freedoms at the expense of increased wealth.
Where do these estimates come from? Having been to China this past year, all I saw were citizens who had more nationalism than we do in America. Let's take the Sichuan Earthquake, for example. Within mere hours, the Prime Minister was on the ground in the earthquake zone helping aid the relief efforts and to rescue children.
Let's compare that to Hurricane Katrina in which the Bush administration took over two weeks to end up on the scene. The disaster drew heavy criticism on how America takes care of its people and even to this day hinders evacuation efforts, as hurricanes in the south grow increasingly strong.
Americans love to blame China for all of our problems. We try to blame China because we have become so dependent on their exports. We blame China for not stopping genocide in Darfur when our government has made no real actions to stop it themselves.
We blame China because our economy is rubbish while theirs is growing at a rate that our economy has never even seen. But we have only ourselves and our leaders who play "pass the blame" when it comes to taking care of their own people to blame for these problems.
Vincent Capone is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at vcapone@student.umass.edu.
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