本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛写美国酸葡萄的，不能不看的好文章 Post By：2008-8-22 15:13:00
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http://www.sltrib.com/olympics/ci_10273430
Monson: Whining at Olympics about facades misses the point
Americans are sore losers.
And don't take that as a compliment.
As the Olympics churn on, and the Chinese continue to pile up gold medals in the only count that counts, Pierre de Coubertin be damned, running up the score on the Americans, what are we doing over there and back here?
Checking that medal count every day, that's what.
And crying.
Yeah, we are.
We're blubbering away, finding every little thing about which to complain. We're getting our tails handed to us, unable to change the mounting competitive disparity in the gyms, the diving pools, the fields, and on the podiums.
The Chinese anthem has been played 17 more times thus far than the Star-Spangled Banner.
We hate that.
And we're ticked, awkwardly trying to see our way clear, since the United States still holds a slight edge in the overall medal count, to the fact that golds don't really matter, that silvers and bronzes are of equal value. That's the way we always look at sports here: third and second place is just as good as first.
But we're doing more than rationalizing, we're making a lot of noise, calling the Chinese cheaters, making fun of their attempts to put on a good face for the world, ridiculing their walling off and dressing up of blighted areas in Beijing, accusing them of packing venues with volunteer fans, meant to create greater ambiance by way of filled seats, being appalled by a lip-syncing 9-year-old and enhanced fireworks at the Opening Ceremonies.
Such lies. Such crimes.
Salt Lake City would never have tried to cover up its warts while hosting the world . . . uh, right?
Oops.
I get the cheating thing - to a point. Nobody wants to accept institutionalized prevarication, especially when it leads to victory. Nobody wants to watch a bunch of ferocious 13-year-olds masquerading as sweet 16s, kicking the more mature Americans' butts in the team gymnastics competition, as though the USA has a stable of under-aged ringers back home who could have put up a stiffer effort.
Who gives a flying rip who's in the stands at the venues, how many in the crowd badly wanted to be there, how many were asked to step in for the common good?
And fake fireworks? Lip-syncing?
Horrors!
China has some serious problems, within its borders and without. Spending $44 billion on the Games, four times more than any previous Olympics, while poverty exists in too many regions of that expansive country is a shame. There's no defending the lack of freedoms, the government's paranoia, and some of the nation's foreign policies.
But not everything about the Chinese is dirty and rotten.
They can compete in a wide range of athletics, with the discipline, skill, speed and strength that such prowess requires. They're doing better in that regard than Team USA, at least when it comes to finishing first.
And that is a big, big problem.
Nobody does that to the United States. Nobody punks America. And if they do, then we moan and groan, we hurl accusations, some warranted, others inconsequential. We suddenly want full disclosure and complete honesty in all matters, ignoring our own periodic propensity for convenient enhancement.
If the gold medal count were the other way around, the noise likely would be more subdued.
It appears as though China, though far from ideal in many ways, is a sports power that is rising and that will not fade away anytime soon.
That's significant. That's real. And, before London rolls around, we as Americans had best get used to it, face up to it, do something about it, other than whine and cry and act like we've been unjustly played and competitively wronged.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
请看完去留言对作者表示支持。
http://www.sltrib.com/olympics/ci_10273430
Monson: Whining at Olympics about facades misses the point
Americans are sore losers.
And don't take that as a compliment.
As the Olympics churn on, and the Chinese continue to pile up gold medals in the only count that counts, Pierre de Coubertin be damned, running up the score on the Americans, what are we doing over there and back here?
Checking that medal count every day, that's what.
And crying.
Yeah, we are.
We're blubbering away, finding every little thing about which to complain. We're getting our tails handed to us, unable to change the mounting competitive disparity in the gyms, the diving pools, the fields, and on the podiums.
The Chinese anthem has been played 17 more times thus far than the Star-Spangled Banner.
We hate that.
And we're ticked, awkwardly trying to see our way clear, since the United States still holds a slight edge in the overall medal count, to the fact that golds don't really matter, that silvers and bronzes are of equal value. That's the way we always look at sports here: third and second place is just as good as first.
But we're doing more than rationalizing, we're making a lot of noise, calling the Chinese cheaters, making fun of their attempts to put on a good face for the world, ridiculing their walling off and dressing up of blighted areas in Beijing, accusing them of packing venues with volunteer fans, meant to create greater ambiance by way of filled seats, being appalled by a lip-syncing 9-year-old and enhanced fireworks at the Opening Ceremonies.
Such lies. Such crimes.
Salt Lake City would never have tried to cover up its warts while hosting the world . . . uh, right?
Oops.
I get the cheating thing - to a point. Nobody wants to accept institutionalized prevarication, especially when it leads to victory. Nobody wants to watch a bunch of ferocious 13-year-olds masquerading as sweet 16s, kicking the more mature Americans' butts in the team gymnastics competition, as though the USA has a stable of under-aged ringers back home who could have put up a stiffer effort.
Who gives a flying rip who's in the stands at the venues, how many in the crowd badly wanted to be there, how many were asked to step in for the common good?
And fake fireworks? Lip-syncing?
Horrors!
China has some serious problems, within its borders and without. Spending $44 billion on the Games, four times more than any previous Olympics, while poverty exists in too many regions of that expansive country is a shame. There's no defending the lack of freedoms, the government's paranoia, and some of the nation's foreign policies.
But not everything about the Chinese is dirty and rotten.
They can compete in a wide range of athletics, with the discipline, skill, speed and strength that such prowess requires. They're doing better in that regard than Team USA, at least when it comes to finishing first.
And that is a big, big problem.
Nobody does that to the United States. Nobody punks America. And if they do, then we moan and groan, we hurl accusations, some warranted, others inconsequential. We suddenly want full disclosure and complete honesty in all matters, ignoring our own periodic propensity for convenient enhancement.
If the gold medal count were the other way around, the noise likely would be more subdued.
It appears as though China, though far from ideal in many ways, is a sports power that is rising and that will not fade away anytime soon.
That's significant. That's real. And, before London rolls around, we as Americans had best get used to it, face up to it, do something about it, other than whine and cry and act like we've been unjustly played and competitively wronged.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net