The real Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong has been criticized as a political decision as most of the non-athletic torch bearers were from the pro-China political clan. In the street, the Beijing supporters also out-numbered the protesters for human rights. However, in the virtual torch relay organized by local bloggers, the viewpoints are much more diverse.
The virtual torch relay, blogtorch08, was organized by More than one on April 8, dukedom of Aberdeen wrote:
如果香港要有火炬手，應該找些不是垃圾的運動員，應該找些平民百姓甚至弱勢社群，而不是給那些政治人物或富貴人家來曝光。
我是這樣的想法，你也可以有你的想法。我還是覺得，同一個世界，最好有更多不同的夢想。
This is what I think, you can have your own opinion. I still feel that one world is better to have many diverse dreams.
Up till now, there are more than 70 blog posts. Many of them criticized the arrangement of real torch relay. Ngsezhin pointed out that:
主辦大國以一幫錦衣衛護著那可憐的小火點到處跑。與其說是傳聖火，倒不如說是示威罷？其實這也是有跡可尋。傳聖火的起源不是古代奧運會，而是 1936 年柏林奧運會中希特拉用以宣傳納粹德國的公關手段！
Nikita also pointed out that the Beijing Olympics has been politicized since the very first day:
中共在申奧時聲稱會改善人權狀況，北京申奧委副主席劉敬民的話：「由北京舉辦奧運會將有助於中國的人權事業發展。」(出處)，將政治和體育混為一談的始作俑者是中共當局…
Stannum from Sidney talked about the history of Olympic torch relay protest in Australia to explain that there is nothing “Holy” about the torch. Tintin also pointed out that the Chinese translation has missed interpreted “Olympic flame” into “Olympic sacred flame”. Ah Tong followed the discussion and wondered who was the idiot to state the rules that “the Olympic sacred fire shall never be put out, not even for one second”? Singsit referred to ancient Greek mythology and pointed out that the sacred fire is originated from Prometheus’ action against the Gods, stealing fire from heaven:
假如當年普羅米和我們一般的昧著良心，不為正義去挑戰權力，不肯冒險作公民抗命的話，今天，世上還有火可以給舉起來嗎！？討厭那些人一手把人類最重要最寶貴的人權自由都沒收在手裡，然後涎著臉胡說：「聖火」不容侵犯。
Richey disagreed with the connection of Olympics and human rights issue and wanted to voice out his discontent towards the people who are using the Olympic as an excuse to force-feed something that is totally irrelevant to the Olympic game.
Daihung made fun of the Olympic torch relay protest and said that Torchsnatching has turned into an official competition in 2008 Beijing Olympics. He even made a poster for this event:
Edmund Hui on the other hand tried to figure out how to create an inextinguishable Olympic torch. Harry Potter’s magic is one of his suggestions.
Infilmity noticed that the official name of the 08 torch relay is called “harmonious trip” and he foresaw that news and information regarding the Olympics would be “harmonized”. Technologypark complained about the harmonized measure (deleting photos with pro-Tibet protesters) in mainland China BBS forum and exclaimed that “Let’s all die in Harmony”.
Rosery joined the “Human Right in Tibet” demonstration in London and she was happy that the torch would not past through Taiwan this time.
Heart of Kafka tried to explain the Chinese logic in the Torch relay protect campaign:
中國很辛苦的掙了個資格。現在錢我交了﹐場地我建了﹐你才和我玩杯葛? 還要搶火熄火? 西藏問題這麼多年你不出聲﹐現在就比CCTV更CCTV的說中國的不是?
不過也好﹐西方傳媒與那些連西藏也不知道在哪的示威份子達成了一個中國共產黨也不能做到的目標 – 團結海外華人的”愛國”心。
Well, western media and those protesters who don’t even know where Tibet is have help the CCP to achieve a goal – united overseas Chinese.
Shadow Cabinet pointed out that the fate of China is still caught in the victim imagination during the war time. It is unreasonable that a strong country would feel threaten by a non-existing country – Tibet.
Back to the real Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong today, Tsang Hin Chi (a pro-China businessman) and Leung Chun-ying (an Executive Council member) are two most controversial figures. Point South supported both for them because their existence is a proof on the political character of the Beijing Olympics.
Chonghead has a summary of today protest action with photos and video clips:
10:35am: Protest Banner action at Tsimshatsiu: One protest banner “Human right repression” was confiscated while another one on “Release Hu Jia” was hanged out at Chungking Mansion during the relay.
10:45am: Human rights and free Tibet protesters were surrounded and attacked by pro-China cheering team.
13:00pm: Students’ protest placards were confiscated by police.
16:00pm: A protester was surrounded by cover-up polices who confiscated his protest placards and threatened to arrest him.
30 comments
Or at least please show me just one picture with the tool or the stone in the Chinese students’ hands!
“Upon hearing this, a Chinese student kicked him from behind,”
I’d say that the key word is ‘behind’. This tells me that the account is possibly true. This is the pattern of mob behaviour. Especially in China. Seen, it, been in it. Everyone infront of you screams and yells…and then someone whacks you feebly from behind.
I’d say that the key word is ‘behind’.
When some one has a bicycle attacking you, you have to kick them from behind. It’s simple logic self defense!
Paren:
Thanks you for saying, “It’s best not to ad lib.”
Then you have ask yourself what’s the purpose of toting those photographs and videos without any attempts to understand the circumstances, both psychological and situational factors, that lead up to what we see in those pictures and videos.
If you think you had made attempts to understand what precipitated everything, please, by all means, share some of your insights with us.
Images and videos, although extremely compelling, they don’t tell the whole story. They have to be qualified by accounts from many different sources, including first hand / eyewitness accounts, that will shed light on what happen before and what happened afterwards. Even then, we have to verify the credibility of all those accounts.
To tote photographs and videos as the singular and absolute proof is fallacious. It creates an environment for the audience to lean toward their predispositions and fill in their own narratives; to Ad lib when information is lacking. Yeah, we all saw this happening on both sides.
So, help us understand what your perspective on the reasons and motivations behind the actions of the people we see in those pictures and video. Hopefully by the end of the day, we can all get a better understanding of what happened and why.
Let me know, okay.
Best
Kain
Here’s something comments from Kadfly you might find interesting for the current circumstance.
http://chineseinvancouver.blogspot.com/2008/03/mainstream-media-bias-against-china-is.html
“Yes, too bad the Chinese students do not have photos to defend themselves. You know what, or you may already know, the “journalists” and “protesters” were more professional than the young Chinese students in grasping every opportunity to take pictures of things that interest them the most. And yes, I believe this is one aspect of the whole thing. “
Thanks for the laugh. These students didn’t just show up in Seoul. They had organized and planned carefully, coming in on chartered buses, wearing specially made t-shirts identifying their student groups, and wavings tens of thousands of flags. There are plenty of photos taken by Chinese students available on the web, including the one of the man holding up the bike. Some Chinese have been savvy enough to launch a defense campaign, posting photos and commentary that has spread around the internet. Some English-speaking Chinese have compiled those images into videos posted on Youtube, grasping every opportunity to express their views using available media.
@ Paren:
> Thanks for the laugh. These students didn’t just show up in Seoul. They had organized and planned carefully, coming in on chartered buses, wearing specially made t-shirts identifying their student groups, and wavings tens of thousands of flags. There are plenty of photos taken by Chinese students available on the web, including the one of the man holding up the bike. Some Chinese have been savvy enough to launch a defense campaign, posting photos and commentary that has spread around the internet. Some English-speaking Chinese have compiled those images into videos posted on Youtube, grasping every opportunity to express their views using available media.
I said the “journalists” and “protesters” are professional at doing including photographing what interests them the most. I am not denying any photos. Let me now add that the Chinese students are also trying to do their best at what interests them the most. Unfortunately, it is my opinion that overall the Chinese defense campaign is a complete failure.
I said: show people all the available info (pictures and eyewitness accounts) and let people make their own judgment. It appears to me that your opinions is that the lack of a picture *clearly* showing the man was swinging his bicycle means that he did not swing his bicycle. Understood, you are entitled to your opinion. (My opinion is I do not know if he swung the bicycle or not. Like I said before, what matters more is perhaps how the Chinese students around him interpreted his action.)
In any case, glad my writing made you laugh, at least good for your health.
@Trying to be rational:
Even if the man swung his bike, according to the account of the Chinese student, he was first kicked from behind by another student. Thus, he would have been acting in self-defense.
@Kain:
The links to photos and videos were provided as support for claims made in my posts. Supporting one’s claims with evidence is not being “fallacious.” In no less than three posts, you have made mention of motives and possible events preceding and following the encounter. It seems that you have some ideas yourself, so don’t hold back. Share with us your perspectives on the event in question.
In general I do not agree with younger people kicking older for no reason. However, it’s okay to kick your enemies when they try to harm your country. American’s kick the hell out of Iraqis’ behinds with real weapons.
btw It’s great Tai-Kwando practice for the Chinese students. Bravo!
I find it interesting that people care so much about Chinese students kicking Korean man. I do not find any defense that non-Chinese rush to defend Jin Jing, the handicap girl who was shoved and attacked by a man twice her size. The whole concept of you attacking Chinese students vs. attacking the man who attacked Jin Jing is biased. All I can say to you is “Do NOT be too CNN” You have a pre-determined prejudice against Chinese, and you secretly laugh at videos attacking even Handicap girl. Then you sweep it under the carpet and start attacking Chinese students.
You have a pre-determined prejudice against Chinese, and you secretly laugh at videos attacking even Handicap girl.
Did you see that in your crystal ball? You’ll be comforted to know that I find objectionable any attempts to disrupt the torch relay, including the attempt to wrestle the torch from Jin Jing. Protestors exercising free speech and expression from the sidelines is fine. Running out and trying to grab the torch is not.
As for cheering on the violence of the Chinese students, it is unfortunate that you seem not to distinguish violent from non-violent protest. And frankly I am at a loss to understand how the US invading and occupying Iraq provides justification for Chinese students kicking Korean protestors.