As a result of the Olympics, is China perceived as a more compassionate country? |
No, I don't believe hosting the Olympics had any sort of large impact on how China is perceived, because hosting the Olympics is not a compassionate act.
China is no more or less compassionate simply because they hosted the Olympics. Hosting the Olympics is really a selfish act by any country, which is why it is a battle each time a country attempts to win the bid for the Olympics. The Olympics bring economic growth and wealth to a country, so it is in no way a compassionate act.
Posted by: danielleduceYes, China is perceived as more compassionate, because of the Olympics, as they were a gracious host.
China has a history of not trusting outsiders, of being isolationists, and shutting out the rest of the world. By hosting the Olympics, the world's focus was on them, and they played host to citizens of most nations in the world. In preparation for the Olympics, they did try to clean up their very dirty air, so that visitors could literally breathe easier.
Posted by: FlakyHerb64I believe that there are huge economic and marketing benefits to hosting the Olympics for any country or city.
I believe that hosting the Olympics would be a benefit for any location. The chance to accentuate a positive image on a world stage is priceless. I believe that China has made vast steps to a more modern China in recent history.
Posted by: TaraThiProbably, to be certain is hard.
For the general majority of the public, I am sure China will probably look more compassionate as a country, but to the rest of humanity - China's crimes will not be forgotten or overlooked.
Posted by: MikJeansI agree that China is perceived as a more compassionate country as a result of the Olympics because the world got to see the rich culture, the passion of the people and hospitality of the nation.
The world got to see a fabulous opening ceremony where the Chinese culture was proudly showcased and the athletes were given a warm welcome by China. The athletes also saw some great engineering marvels in the stadiums and infrastructure. The spectators saw some great performances and world class competition.
Posted by: P03tAnce
I choose to disagree that China is seen as a more compassionate country.
China was assigned to host the Olympics, which was done splendidly; however, that does not have any significance or relation to being compassionate.
China always like to represent itself as an independent country who can make everything possible and that is what they did.Posted by: A RichardsonI think China showed in the 2008 Olympics that the country could put on a good show, but not compassionately.
Remember the lip-syncing little girl in the opening ceremonies? The little girl who did the actual singing was considered not physically attractive enough to be seen. Contrast that incident with the rise of Susan Boyle in the UK.
Posted by: ScarceLowellThe Olympics brought a lot of positive attention to China, but also a lot of protests and scrutiny. As a result, I do not think China is now perceived as a more compassionate country than before.
The Olympics gave China an outstanding opportunity to present itself in a positive light to the world. It also, however, put added attention and scrutiny on China, which caused the world to take a closer look at China. Not everything reported in the West looked so good. Furthermore, Olympic events such as the torch race gave protesters and human rights activists an opportunity to publicize their grievances -- an opportunity they often took. As a result, I would argue China is not perceived as more compassionate since the Olympics.
Posted by: EminentBennett93They are making progress, but they still have a long way to go.
Although they were able to surprise the world with their expertise and flair for the Olympic Games, it still does not change the fact that they invaded and murdered the Tibetan monks, and that they do not allow freedom of speech to their own people. They need to allow protests, uncensored Internet, and try to give people equal rights, before they are viewed as a compassionate country.
Posted by: DisillusionedGilberto67I don't believe China will be seen as a more compassionate country because of the Olympics because the Olympics have nothing to do with compassion.
I don't believe that China will be seen as more compassionate because of the Olympics because the country still does not allow freedom of speech, and they are a Communist country that controls their population and has a small number of elite people with power and money. They have no compassion towards their own people.
Posted by: MycCra2iiChina has a history of human rights violations.
China has routinely limited everything from free speech to internet access.
The internet limitation was used as a method of limiting Google searches. It was felt that the unrestricted access to Google might help foster new ideas and free thought. There are numerous cases of dissidents being jailed for making speeches against the ruling Chinese government.Posted by: J GonzalezChina is not a more compassionate country, due to how "perfect" they were trying to make everything.
China is not a more compassionate country, due to how "perfect" they were trying to make everything. I felt that they had a strong need to make everyone look a certain way, and the media focused on that a lot. Although they did a great job on everything, I just felt like that showed no compassion toward their own people.
Posted by: TypicalWilton37Few people likely remember much of each Olympics once they conclude -- least of all the setting.
People may remember exceptional moments of a performance, or their jubilation after their national team won a gold medal in a hard-fought contest, but the only thing they are likely to remember about the host country is the spectacle of its particular version of the opening and closing ceremonies; certainly, the overall impression of a country is unlikely to change because it hosted a well-conducted Olympics. In fact, my main memories of the Beijing games are a spectacular opening ceremony and the sense I got that China pushes its young female figure skaters too hard (perhaps entering them before the legal age). I don't think of China as more compassionate after the games. While the desire for a good hosting experience on the global stage is certainly an understandable feeling, I sensed that China was also trying with its hosting to brush aside protests about its authoritarianism and human rights abuses.
Posted by: M4I4cFeIineNo, I didn't see any great show of compassion or humanity from China during the Olympics.
From everything I saw during the Olympics, China didn't show much in the way of good qualities like compassion. They put a gymnastic team out that was believed by many to be ineligible, the opening ceremonies were not as they appeared, and I thought there seemed to be a fair amount of coldness in attitude. Holding the Olympics there did nothing as far as I could see to show them as compassionate.
Posted by: PinkMychChina has had too long of a history of being cruel and unusual, and one event won't change the masses' perception of a nation.
Even during the Olympics, the Chinese government made a shrewd move and attempted to pass off a girl that was two years too young to compete as being eligible. People in general are too wary of their own governments, let alone foreign ones, to be moved by a false facade put in place merely for the purpose of changing perception.
Posted by: daveyxhI do not believe China will be viewed as more compassionate after the Olympics because they have such a stigma attached to their country.
I do not believe the Olympics did anything to make China appear more compassionate. There were a few violent incidents that did not help the cause. As well, I think people do not identify with that culture or lifestyle and therefore, do not get that warm and fuzzy feeling about it. The Chinese still seem foreign to our nation.
Posted by: SascM0nI think there were many positive changes in western views of China as a result of the Olympics, but I do not think compassion is one of the strengths revealed.
The artistic, athletic, and financial contributions China made to hosting the Olympics were stellar, sometimes beyond comparison. Images of the opening and closing ceremonies come readily to mind and the "Bird's Nest" was an exquisite building to view. Seeing this country's culture at its best was a joy. However, I simply do not see compassion as one of the values that was highlighted throughout the games.
Posted by: baltute