A wheelchair-bound Chinese torch bearer has rocketed to national fame after fending off protesters in Paris, becoming a symbol of China’s defiance of global demonstrations backing Tibet.
Jin Jing, a 27 year-old amputee and Paralympic fencer has been called the "angel in a wheelchair" and is being celebrated by television chat shows, newspapers and online musical videos after fiercely defending the Olympic torch during the Paris leg of the troubled international relay.
Protesters denouncing Chinese policy in Tibet threw themselves at Jin. Most were wrestled away by police but at least one reached her wheelchair and tried to wrench the torch away. Jin clung tenaciously to what has become a controversial icon of the Beijing Olympic Games until her attacker was pulled off. Her look of fierce determination as she shielded the torch, captured in snapshots of the scene, has now spread throughout China, inflaming simmering public anger at the protests. "I thought we had lost in France, but seeing the young disabled torch bearer Jin Jing’s radiant smile of conviction, I know in France we did not lose, we won!" said one of tens of thousands of Internet postings about the incident.
Here is the story. Here are further ramifications and don’t worry they’ll be happy to give up their coal factories too.
Who funds and organizes the global pro-Tibet movement?
The outpouring of pro-Chinese posts by Chinese ethnics on every website that I’ve seen write about these protests has been pretty impressive.
I thin Ezra Klein has the best insight on the Chinese Olympics:
Even worse, as Tyler’s post suggests, defiance of international criticism on such a grand stage may actually further embolden the Chinese and engender more blind patriotism, encouraging would-be Tibet sympathizers to side with the Chinese government on purely nationalistic grounds.
Um, Tyler, would that be the attack that was apparently staged?
Wugong nails it. Why shouldn’t we insult the Chinese with their brainless jingoist nationalism? They need negative feedback, and lots of it, now.
Recall that the only thing that cured the Japanese of their jingoism and nationalism was Hiroshima. I’d prefer some boycott/debate conflict up front with the Chinese in the here and now, rather than something really awful later.
Freedom fries for the chinese.
I find it amusing (and disconcerting) that any American would have the audacity to call the Chinese jingoistic.
The nationalism that’s coming out is totally genuine, not mindless jingoism whipped up by the Chinese government. What if the Chinese started aggressively agitating for the independence of Hawaii? What would the average American’s reaction be?
Mixing up Tibetan religous freedom with the independence issue is massively counterproductive.
Foreign activists should feel perfectly free not to buy Chinese products though…
If people brutally attacked someone in a wheelchair carrying the torch for my country, the same way they attacked the Chinese torch bearer, well I can definitely empathize with those Chinese who want to see that person dead. To all those people who think these kinds of protests are good, imagine how you would feel if it was your country!
@rex
Straw man.
Also, who gives a rip if someone is angry about that protester? This is the winners curse in effect. SOMEONE is going to be angry about it, somewhere. They might be justified, too, but the torch being attacked en route by protesters doesn’t suddenly justify the Beijing Olympics. That’s absurd.
What if the Chinese started aggressively agitating for the independence of Hawaii? What would the average American’s reaction be?
Umm… confusion? The Hawaiian movement to secede from the US isn’t exactly robust. It’s a silly comparison.
It seems that we are worried about how to accommodate China’s rise to power. We are worried because historically, a rising power with a chip on it’s shoulder has been a dangerous power. The Germans and the Japanese are the obvious examples. The hyper aggressive nationalism of Germany and Japan only ended after being crushed militarily. We all hope a softer landing can happen with the Chinese.
Is the idea that such hyper-nationalism is inevitable for some decades during the rise … and will fade naturally with time? Is it like dealing with young aggressive males .. you just try not to pick a fight with them in their teens and early 20s and wait for them to mellow.
That seems to be the logic behind not “provoking” China.
But what if puncturing China’s pride is a good thing, what if that will pop the balloon of their inflated self-worth? Perhaps kowtowing to the Chinese now only emboldens them?
Is the hope that China gets rich enough so it can produce it’s own self-indulgent intellectuals who then attack their own country.
America is often called jingoistic. Yet we have millions of citizens who badmouth our country every day. Hollywood churns out a steady stream of anti-War America-bashing movies.
Is the self-hating elite an inevitable result of being rich? Or is it because of defeats in Vietnam?
Is it better to undermine the moral strength of China now or later?
“Yet we have millions of citizens who badmouth our country every day.”
They’re called patriots. They see the nightmares of this administration – our two-faced foreign policy coupled with rudderless domestic policies – and aren’t hesitant to speak up about it.
“Is the self-hating elite an inevitable result of being rich?”
I don’t hate myself. Just people like you.
China is America’s biggest supplier of capital, a liquid commodity that America needs a constant supply of as badly as it needs oil. It’s a bit astounding to hear commenters airily discussing how China needs to be taught a lesson and get the uppity nationalism beaten out of it. My realpolitik, quoth the Chinese lolcat, let me show you it.
“Also, boycotts can be a two-way street. The Chinese “people” are already organizing a boycott of French goods. So to those who want to boycott the Olymics, or the opening ceremonies, what is the point? You’ll just make things worse, not better.”
You’re right. If we’re not careful, there’s always the danger that the Chinese might dump loads and loads of their poorly-manufactured and lead-coated products onto our shores, while simultaneously barring the sale of American-made products within China.
Oh, wait…
The problem with the Hawaiian independence movement is that they lack a distinctly costumed leader in exile, the latest in a line of theocratic leaders that brutally ruled over slaves and serfs, who could appeal to naive Western liberals wanting to appear fashionable and spiritual.
@ Richard
It should be perfectly clear. You claim, without supporting evidence, that US intervention was just and necessary. I dispute that claim, but it isn’t the focus of my post. My post was to point out that you contrast this action with the inaction of protest, presumably because protesters just complain while the US gov’t gets things done.
This is absurd. One can’t claim that the bar for action is invasion of a country, as you do implicitly, then assert that those of us not in possession of a working army are doing nothing.
Beyond that level of absurdity, we come to your unsupported claims that US interventionism is just. I submit that the nature and motives of those invertentions are not going to be fully fleshed out in this thread. I further submit that the thesis of most of the protests was that the US does not have the moral authority to dictate the nature of governance in another sovereign state–just as that authority is withheld from any other nation. Consequently, it follows that invasion with remaking an internal government is an immoral act. I presume that is their thinking on the subject.
One may argue that the conditions in those countries rise to the level of compelling actions from the outside world. That’s a perfectly fine argument. I didn’t see you raise that in your list of absolutes. It didn’t seem like you were open to this as a discussion.
Needless to say, your complaint that protesters don’t do much to end tyranny needed to be responded to, as silly as it was.
meter,
Since you’re comparing two groups of people, it helps to actually know something about both of these groups. The average Chinese in Chinese makes the average “jingoistic” Republican here look like … well, you. There’s just no comparison. It like complaining about the flood in your basement and saying it’s just like the houses flooded by Katrina.
addendum:
Isn’t jingoism by definition an irrational point of view, meaning that it’s able to turn almost any situation to support it. No boycott = the world salute’s China’s glory! Boycott = China is bravely standing up to the irrational hatred and provocation of others! If anything goes wrong, it’s their fault, if anything goes right it’s a Chinese triumph!
The IOC and Chinese may have been smart in recognising this, with the latter proposing and the former opposing the round-the-world torch rally. As it is, we’ve been put into a situation that while it may not be lose-lose is at least very complicated to work out the correct response to.
“meter,
Since you’re comparing two groups of people, it helps to actually know something about both of these groups. The average Chinese in Chinese makes the average “jingoistic” Republican here look like … well, you. There’s just no comparison. It like complaining about the flood in your basement and saying it’s just like the houses flooded by Katrina.”
Oh stop talking out of your ass. Is this whole Iraq invastion completely and utterly lost on you? I guess that’s not belligerent enough for you. And certainly wasn’t propagandistic enough either, it seems.
We have our flag pins, our “God Bless America” (go read the gun posts), our “America is the greatest blah blah blah” bullshit. Only instead of it being completely government-sponsored (we have at least one party which doesn’t kowtow to that), it’s the flag-waving cheerleading segment of the population that keeps jingoism alive and well in this country.
Do you know *anything* about America?
Ask any American about Hawaii, and they would say that Hawaii is an integral part of America, that the US controlling Hawaii is a good thing, that the almost-gone native Hawaiians are doing well under American rule, that Hawaii is necessary for national security (Pearl Harbor), and that the Hawaiian independence movement is silly and ignorable.
There’s your unanimity. Of course there’s been more media attention on Tibet, so possibly many Americans don’t know that native Hawaiians exist and Hawaii used to be fully independent.
wugong– You’ve got to be kidding me? Obama is still being called unpatriotic for not wearing a pin? And yes, I think back in 2002 most Americans would respond “We are attacking Iraq to bring freedom and liberate it from tyrant Saddam”. And I think many of them probably believed back then that Saddam is connected al qaeda. How is that any different?
The problem here is that Hawaii about 100years ago is equivalent to Tibet today. Unless you believe back then native Hawaiians were grateful for the “freedom” brought by Americans, and happy to become a part of the union? I think this is why most Chinese feels no need to negotiate with dalai lama and prefer to just wait another 100 years and for Tibet to turn into Hawaii of today. And then there would be no longer need to teach Tibet is “an integral” part of China. Personally, I think that’s short sighted and can’t disagreed enough. But you make yourself look like a hypocrite to most Chinese now if you refuse to acknowledge the historical similarities.
“You’ve got to be kidding me? Obama is still being called unpatriotic for not wearing a pin? And yes, I think back in 2002 most Americans would respond “We are attacking Iraq to bring freedom and liberate it from tyrant Saddam”. And I think many of them probably believed back then that Saddam is connected al qaeda. How is that any different?”
1. Yes, Obama is getting call unpatriotic for his lack of a pin. Idiotic to be sure. But HE’S RUNNING IN AN ELECTION!!! And he’s winning! Now think about how that’s different from the situation in China in every meaningful way. Do you really think criticism of his perceived lack of patriotism is the equivalent of it being illegal to start an opposition political party in the first place?
2. As for many Americans thinking Saddam is connected to al Qaeda, no disagreement from me that they believe such stupid things. But you ask “How is that any different?” Well, you can go to innumerable media outlets and read/listen to/watch people saying that such claims are completely false. You can publicly attack the Bush administration for its policies and not go to jail for it. Yes, they have hurt civil liberties, but to say there is no difference between the ability to question governmental policy and dominant ideas in the US and China is simply ridiculous.
3. I agree with your comment about the historical situation with Hawaii. Frankly, I think the US treatment of Native Americans historically is FAR FAR worse than China’s treatment of Tibetans. But by point here is that I can freely say so and not risk the US government shutting down this website. The original issue was jingoism and I still hold that it plays a far larger role in Chinese political discussions than it does in the US. I’ve lived there; I speak the language; I’ve had these discussions with Chinese students again and again. To say the situation with public speech is the same in the US and China is factually incorrect.
Want more jingoism? Enjoy: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/16/net-bullies-target-c.html
Boycott what, Olympic? Is there a country called Olympic? Wait a sec, I know where it is. It must be that dirty little crappy town I got my pipe beaten off in Texas. I hated these Olympians.
Whatever you texas olympians say I go for it. Yeah, boycott them all from selling us huma rights.
I boycotted Wal-Mart but went broke I now can’t even afford for buy me a pair of underpans. They darn getting more and more expensive Made in China stuff, all darn the same as costy as gas price. I olddy daddy boycotted Japanese cars b’cause he aren’t afford to get one. He told everyone he boycotted Japanese cars only I know he had nothing, not a penny in the bank. I boycotted Chinese clothes, electrics, watchs,toys,whatever you name it, I boycotted. Now I aren’t wearing underpans at all.
Yeah! I boycott everything I can’t afford to get but don’t boycut tibetan monks I like monks. I always wish I was one of them and had slaves and serfs to bring me foods and boozies. I heard they have free gay sex, is that true? Wow, I can’t wait to jump on a greyhound bus to want to go Tibet, is that in Mexico?
“Free T-back! Free T-back!† That was all I heard yesterday on the street on Van Ness and Broadway. I jumped out of my basement window all I saw was a bunch of crappies running down the road chasing by cops. I asked for free t-back they dammy stuck me a yellow flag, told me “thas’s fee T-back. thas’s fee T-back.Wa pay you, Wa pay you.† I asked for $100, they cheaters only gave me $50. What to cheat on me? No way! I aren’t texas Olympians! I tore the yellow flag in half, put half on my head it darn cold yesterday, stuck the rest under my pans.
“Free T-back!†
Cheaters! There was no free T-back at all. They cheated on me! I want boycott anything free b’cauz nothing is FREE! Nothing is FREE! Try to walk away a hamburger from Macky they beat the crap of out of you!
Hold on, there IS a thing free, yeah, your mouth water is FREE.
Or why Tyler Cowen shouldn’t rely o state-produced propaganda to bolster his point.
Would you quote Pravda in defense of libertarianism?
I was going to stay out of this one, finding myself largely in agreement
with Tyler while also being appalled at the behavior of the Chinese government.
But “Sunny” does call for a reply.
So, “Sunny,” with your bad English, does it not occur to you that Beijing
should be dealing more seriously with a man who 1) agrees that Tibet is a
part of China, 2) has denounced violent opposition to Chinese rule in Tibet,
and 3) has criticized protests against China hosting the Olympics?
Regarding your links, they are pretty weak and pathetic. The sarin nerve
gas money was given before it became clear those folks were going to use
sarin nerve gas. The Nazi kept his identity secret. The CIA money allegations
remain unproven. The Dorje Shugden people may dislike the Dalai Lama having
turned against them (he admired the D.S. in his youth), but their accusations
do not seem to be backed up by any of them actually experiencing any serious
problems, and certainly nothing like what the Chinese government has been
doing to the Tibetan protesters and their supporters, which is an international
embarrassment, full evidence of the failure of the Chinese government to keep
to the promises it made to the international community when it was granted the
right to host the Olympics. And as for his weird views on sex, so what?
And, while we are a-googling, I suggest that something has not been mentioned
at all on this thread and very little in the press should be brought up, the
fact that Hu Jintao, President of the Peoples’ Republic of Zhongguo, Chairman
of the Standing Committee of the Poltical Bureau of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Zhongguo, and Chairman of the Supreme Military Commission of
the Peoples’ Republic of Zhongguo, spent a crucial part of his career, starting
in 1988, as leader of the Communist Party in Tibet, and that he played a crucial
role in the violent suppression and killing of protesters in Tibet during the
following year. For better or worse, that is another reason why the current
protests will probably affect nothing, although perhaps a future regime.
Here is a bottom line question for you, “Sunny”: who has killed more people,
the 14th Dalai Lama or Hu Jintao?
Your logic is this:
Whatever Dalai Lama said is correct. Anyone who doubted/disagreed with him is wrong or “remain unproven”.
Check this: http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/vol_xxx/337_343.html
The U.S government already admitted and you still deny it?
What happened in Tibet (3.14) is Terrorism, not just a riot. Some Tibetans attacked other ethnic groups (schools, hospitals, stores, etc) and killed people and injured a lot. Did Dalai Lama evey commented on this?
When Dalai Lama is useless to the U.S Government, he will be forgotten, for sure. 5, or 10 years? Let’s see.
My post is for those who want to listen to different voices on 1 issue.
Sunny
http://www.trimondi.de/EN/interv03.html
Dalai Lama and 9/11
An Interview with Victor and Victoria Trimondi (Germany)
By James C. Stephens
Victor and Victoria Trimondi (Germany) are the authors of “The Shadow of the Dalai Lama – Sexuality, Magic and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism”
We can give you the best cabal money and best service.
it has a long history all the people are used ot it
The western world started another loop of boycotting Olympics, so why should Chinese break it. The western world has a long tradition of linking Olympics to politics. I believe it is correct to boycott 1980 Moscow game since they invaded Afghanistan. How about 2012 London game? They invaded Iraq, should they also be boycotted for the same reason?
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