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Oh China...PR Nightmare?

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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Anyone else think these olympics are showing just how crazy China is?

Take a look at this:
http://gizmodo.com/5033674/every-taxi-in-beijing-bugged-with-gps+tagging-microphone-for-instant-surveillance

All the taxis in Beijing are bugged with hidden microphones that the government can tap in to at any time. Along with everything else, such as initially not allowing the media to really be at the games (which they finally gave up on) or the incredibly strict internet censors so that journalists can't use the web and denying certain people Visas such as political activists because they are too big of a "threat".

With all of the attention coming to china for the olympic games, you would think they would try and keep hidden how much they control their populous. It really isn't making them look good at all to the rest of the world, not the kind of image I would think the Chinese government would want to portray as they try to move up in the world.
Aug 6 2008 12:50PM
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beer.
Posts: 3096 - Karma: 44
the games should not be held there.

I'm not crazy about forcing democracy on other countries, but it really doesn't have to do with democracy.  they are guilty of so many human rights violations.  the US is second in the world for number of executions, with an average of 50-60 a year.  china leads, with over 3000 a year.
Aug 6 2008 1:00PM
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babujib
Posts: 5039 - Karma: 104
the olympics should be held there about as much as the world cup should be held in south africa, both are gonna turn out bad one way or another
Aug 6 2008 1:06PM
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Microcosm
Posts: 4765 - Karma: 153
yeah, it's such bull. these olympics are gonna suck to watch. all I hear about is the chinese government forcing more laws to restrict access to the games. I don't know why they would ever pick china.
Aug 6 2008 1:31PM
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cottonwoodarmada1651
Posts: 1734 - Karma: 40
Yeah, I'm thinking this is going to be a massive humiliation for China, especially when events start getting canceled for smog.



Aug 6 2008 1:33PM
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james44
Posts: 3323 - Karma: 578
hahaha its a mess over there the chineese government is not gonna come out of this looking good..
Aug 6 2008 1:44PM
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Meh42
Posts: 2431 - Karma: 14
Oh thank god you think that.  I thought I was the only one with a burning hatred of the Chinese government, with their ridiculous propaganda and unbelievably close-minded attempts to shut down their own citizens.  It's actually pretty funny watching a communist regime try and retain the complete control they need to survive in the information age though.

I get a kick every time China gets humiliated over the Olympics.  They're kind of like that super-motivated dumb kid we all knew in school who just tries so very hard but fails. Again.  And Again. And Again.  Hooray for smog!



Aug 6 2008 1:47PM
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hey_dude_its_me
Posts: 1403 - Karma: 32
yea china sucks, but with over a billion people living there you can't say that they don't deserve to host an all-world sporting event. Even if they don't do a good job with it they still deserve their shot.
Aug 6 2008 1:49PM
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C_Shred
Posts: 58 - Karma: 10
At least three days in these games will be delayed or postponed cause of smog. not to mention a few athletes complaining that it effected there performance after they finish fourth or whatever.
Aug 6 2008 1:55PM
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tomalom
Posts: 350 - Karma: 10
hahaha china sucks
Aug 6 2008 1:56PM
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lushlaxstr
Posts: 3063 - Karma: 41
well the population of china is much much higher than the US's so it makes sence the amount of exacutiomns will be higher

Aug 6 2008 3:17PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
do you know anything about South Africa?
Aug 6 2008 4:00PM
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wrenegade
Posts: 6631 - Karma: 41
^Yeah, and I wonder if they'll have enough electricity to power it................Oh Snap!
Aug 6 2008 5:37PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13106 - Karma: 18,906
China have so many problems
Aug 6 2008 5:56PM
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.SteezusChrist.
Posts: 2296 - Karma: 276
Yo guys,

I was in China earlier this summer. I spent a good amount of time in Beijing, too. First of all, we couldn't get anywhere near the Bird's Nest or Water Cube. They are so paranoid. Also, If you know the Chinese culture, you would know that the numbers 6, 8, and 9 are lucky. The number 4, however, is unlucky. Often times the 4th floor of apartments has nothing in it. Anyway, I wanna give some numbers that will spook you a little.

The Chinese disasters this year:

Big snowstorm- 2/6/08

2+6=8, the "lucky" number


Earthquake- 5/13/08

5+1+3=8, the "lucky" number


There were a few others, but those are the 2 significant ones.

Now, anybody who is superstitious might be thinking that the opening ceremonies, scheduled for 08/08/08 at 08:08:08, will be bad.



Finally, in Beijing, the air is nasty. I have never had trouble breathing until I got to Beijing. You can't even see far through all the smog. Of course, the 100 degree days with tons of humidity don't help. Those poor marathon runners...
Aug 6 2008 5:58PM
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gmack24
Posts: 4636 - Karma: 31
The Chinese are sooo strange, they've been brainwashed their entire lives, with no idea what the fucks going on.
Aug 6 2008 6:28PM
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BeerGoggles
Posts: 712 - Karma: 11
There's stories about huge delays though. Although the tournament is only in 2 years, some stadiums have barely started construction.
They have a contingency plan to have the tournament in Germany again if the whole thing were to become a huge fiasco.

Mind you, they also have that same plan in place in case Poland/Ukraine cant get their shit together to hold the next euro cup.
Aug 6 2008 6:51PM
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potatofarmer
Posts: 2020 - Karma: 13
...9

but yeah I think everyone can agree that china is fucked up.  they have insane human rights violations and have blatenly broken their vow they made to the IOC saying they would clean themselves up before the games.
Aug 6 2008 7:47PM
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.SteezusChrist.
Posts: 2296 - Karma: 276
i meant the 12th, ahah
Aug 6 2008 8:13PM
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.SteezusChrist.
Posts: 2296 - Karma: 276
yeah, i had a lot of trouble, actually. it took a few days to kick in, but holy shit, it was awful. everybody over there seems to smoke so maybe that played into it. or, the fact that china doesnt give a fuck about environmental policies. they want something built, it gets built
Aug 7 2008 12:59AM
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JeffersonDavis
Posts: 1167 - Karma: 14
the fact that an authoritarian nation like china is hosting the games has really shown how much of a farce the IOC is.


Aug 7 2008 1:03AM
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JeffersonDavis
Posts: 1167 - Karma: 14
and btw i will be loving every humiliation or problem or debacle china faces during the olympics. What an evil, evil nation, I hope the opening ceremonies get crashed by the dalai lama buzzing the birds nest or whatever in a f14 tomcat.
Aug 7 2008 1:08AM
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fillup
Posts: 4904 - Karma: 568
Whats scary is they are the next superpower.
Aug 7 2008 1:13AM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
he might man, considering some pro-China protesters at a rally when the dalai lama was in Seattle claimed he was a paid CIA militant...

as for the Olympics, hopefully they go well, but it is rather hilarious yet disconcerting at the same time that so much shit, be it locking people up or heightened censorship, keeps going on right before the start. Itll be an interesting couple of weeks.

Aug 7 2008 1:13AM
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cottonwoodarmada1651
Posts: 1734 - Karma: 40
Not to mention a bunch of small terrorist attacks.  Last couple of weeks there have been a number of bus bombings around the country.  But the government's tried to keep a pretty tight lid on it and say they aren't acts of terrorism..."Yeah, that's not a terrorist attack, our buses just explode sometimes, nothing to worry about."  Riiiiight.  BBC had an article that mentioned it the other day.


Aug 7 2008 1:20AM
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onearmwanderer
Posts: 1153 - Karma: 31
ya i just saw a tv show about that.  there advancing pretty quickly
Aug 7 2008 1:39AM
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richards
Posts: 2177 - Karma: 11
china's dirty and shitty and gay
andretarded
Aug 7 2008 1:50AM
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cottonwoodarmada1651
Posts: 1734 - Karma: 40
No, we put the Shah in power in 1953.  He was overthrown in the 1978 revolution.

And yes, lots of modern nations do bad stuff, but even taking that into account, China's human rights record is significantly below average.


Aug 7 2008 2:18AM
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Fish_Sandwich.
Posts: 9108 - Karma: 16
This thread is intense as fuck.
Aug 7 2008 3:13AM
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SkiUnit03
Posts: 3597 - Karma: 114
yeah china executes a lot of the citizens and has a bad human rights record but consider all the people killed as a result of unnecessary US wars.

not trying to justify the things china does but ragging on them so hard is kinda hypocritical if your american
Aug 7 2008 8:26AM
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Ryno
Posts: 31125 - Karma: 336
Beijing's Anti-Smog Efforts Failing, Independent Readings Suggest

Click for larger image

Full story about the BBC's independent weather readings in Beijing:
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/sensors-photos.html


I wonder how this is actually going to effect the athletes...
Aug 7 2008 8:51AM
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papasteeze
Posts: 12055 - Karma: 915
thank you!  exactly..
Aug 7 2008 8:53AM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,948

I'm just stoked for the world cup, and the 2010 winter olympics guys...

first go up to vancouver.. check out the games there... that would be SWEET.

Then that summer.. or fall or whatever.. head on down to south africa and watch the greatest sporting event ever - the world cup.

2010 is going to be a super sick year i think.

Aug 7 2008 10:02AM
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solidstate85
Posts: 198 - Karma: 16
I think we all just need to stop and understand where these people are coming from... 20 years ago there was no freedom, people were assigned jobs by the government, and there was no contact with the rest of the world.  These olympic games are progress, not prefection. 

Some of you said that the Chinese are brainwashed.  I would agree that their world view has been shaped by their culture and community and history are very important for them.  This means that nothing is going to change fast.  What we also need to realize is how much we have been shaped by our culture, and no culture is perfect, or even better then another.  Learn to appreciate the differences, it will take you far. 

Just enjoy the games for what they are and forget about all this political crap that everyone is throwing out there.  The games are about peace, so do your part.


Aug 7 2008 11:09AM
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lazyguy
Posts: 470 - Karma: 10
couple things: if any athlete complains that the weather caused their failure to medal at the games is a joke of an athlete. yes the conditions are terrible ( i wont be shocked if someone dies in the marathon) but every athlete has to breathe in the same environment. Another thing.... every country has committed gross human rights violations. (yes, even Canada... WW2 internment camps and treatment of aboriginals) But as a state they are cleaning their act up. Ive taken many classes on china and their development into the world's next superpower and their democratic evolution: it is happening but something you need to know about china is they believe in very slow calculated changes so that nothing goes out of whack because the CCP are paranoid that they will be the laughing stock of the world again. What people need to recognize is change only happens through big events and the world is hoping further change happens through this one. Also see the media bias in this. Western society wants to shoot down china because they are at odds with each other. I believe that the press limitations in china have more to do with the CCP not wanting their own citizens to see the world rather than let outsiders see whats going on inside. How can you say they shouldnt host the olympics when you probably have tons of things in your house that are "made in china." Ultimately buying that you are supporting the Chinese government.  Finally, the olympics has nothing to do with democracy,
Aug 7 2008 11:15AM
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lazyguy
Posts: 470 - Karma: 10
yes as an international organization they naturally become political. The olympics are a time where the world comes together and celebrates sport.
Aug 7 2008 11:18AM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,948
Last time I checked... Aboriginals were in Australia... not Canada.
Aug 7 2008 11:18AM
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cottonwoodarmada1651
Posts: 1734 - Karma: 40
Aborigine is the term for the aboriginal people of Australia.  An aboriginal is any native person - such as the Native Americans of the US/Canada.


Aug 7 2008 11:35AM
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cottonwoodarmada1651
Posts: 1734 - Karma: 40
China's expanding role in Africa is anything but "cleaning their act up."



Aug 7 2008 11:36AM
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lazyguy
Posts: 470 - Karma: 10

I meant cleaning up in several ways. They have cleaned up through economic reforms. Many academics argue that China isnt really a communist country anymore because they have become more liberal economically. Physically speaking they have tried to improve the air (yes nowhere near soon enough) by shutting down factories and taking cars off the road. I thougtht I heard the other day that they had talks with Tibet and the Dalai Lama. They have cleaned up their streets as well of garbage. They trained their people on how to interact with the western society, yes that seems outrageous but they want to make the olympic experience the best for everyone. I agree with you about China's role expanding in Africa being a serious issue (Darfur). China clearly has taken a critical look at themselves and tried to adress as many of the issues as possible. Could they have done more, could they have started earlier? sure. Its in China's best interest to make these olympics the best, to be honest I dont think they care if it costed them billions of dollars that they never see again as long as the olympics leave a good image. 

Aug 7 2008 12:11PM
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BASS_PRO_SHOP
Posts: 1519 - Karma: 52
let 'em have their 'lympics.  FREEEEDOMMMM!!!
Aug 7 2008 12:38PM
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JeffersonDavis
Posts: 1167 - Karma: 14
They're still an authoritarian regime with a deplorable human rights record. They spy on the US, they support the most horrid regimes on the planet. China is an enemy.
Aug 7 2008 2:05PM
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cottonwoodarmada1651
Posts: 1734 - Karma: 40
Everybody spies on everybody and nobody has perfectly clean hands.  China is a rising competitor, not an enemy.



Aug 7 2008 2:17PM
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Ryno
Posts: 31125 - Karma: 336
Nicely put.
Aug 7 2008 2:17PM
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BASS_PRO_SHOP
Posts: 1519 - Karma: 52
eh not exactly. us and china pretty much keep each other's economy's going. china keeps us going because they've invested over a trillion bucks into our national debt, and we keep their's going by creating jobs and goods. goes like this... we outsource jobs to china, china gets jobs which inturn provides cheaper goods for our growing demand. china is now doing the same outsourcing the jobs we provided them to cheaper countries making themselves some buck. now here's the kicker... our goods that were made in china, are now being exported to china as they have a growing demand for our product, increasing their economy.

so china isn't an enemy or a competitor but more of partners that without one, the other would crash.
Aug 7 2008 2:50PM
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