Wednesday, August 06, 2008

BAFFLED

The Olympics start on Friday. Are you excited? There are usually only one or two sports I am interested in: ice skating for winter, swimming and gymnastics for the summer games. This year I will try to watch the runners, too.

But here is what I am most looking forward to about the 2008 Olympics: China had to create and approve an official Chinese "cheer" for the Olympics. As a whole, the Chinese aren't very boisterous people, right? So, to encourage their people to support the athletes, China has created this very modest and polite official "cheer" for their people to do:

"The authoritative, four-part Olympic 'cheer' involves clapping twice, giving the thumbs-up, clapping twice more and then punching the air with both arms. The 'cheer' is accompanied by chants of 'Olympics!', 'Let's go!' and 'China!'

The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee has hired 30 cheering squads who will show spectators how it is done. A committee official said the simple chants and gestures were designed to help spectators 'cheer' for their favorite athletes in a smooth, civilized manner. The Ministry of Education is also arranging special training sessions in schools for the 800,000 students who are expected to attend the Games.

The president of the Beijing Etiquette Institute told the Beijing News that the 'cheer' was in line with general international principles for cheering, while at the same time possessing characteristics of Chinese culture."

So let me get this straight, China. You are hiring 30 squads to teach your spectators and more than 800,000 students how to clap their hands? While saying the word Olympics? In a smooth and civilized manner?

Wow. They are going to HATE the Americans. Good thing Nascar isn't an Olympic sport. How long do you think it took them to come up with that? I would love to know how many hours and how much money the Chinese government spent creating that "cheer."

Olympics. Let's go. America!

6 comments:

  1. Probably one of my favorite posts! HILARIOUS. Very "journalistic", yet humorous!

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  2. oops... the last post was from me! Didn't mean to be so sketchy.

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  3. You better be careful posting stuff about China. I'm sure you're on a list now. Hope you don't ever plan on traveling there.

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  4. I don't get the Chinese.

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  5. that is HILARIOUS!

    but Eric is probably right ...

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  6. they should serve all 800,000 of them beer and tell them its a special cheer drink. that would get them going for sure.

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Oh goody!

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