14 DAY TRIAL // The Chinese tried everything in order to stand out at the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games. Whether it was fake fireworks or making a pretty girl lip-sync the performance of another one, who wasn't a classical beauty, these actions outraged the global blogging community.
"What isn't adorable about a little girl with crooked teeth, chubby cheeks, and a voice of an angel? This girl reportedly said she didn't mind singing in the wings and that it was a honor to sing for her country. God bless her? but what kind of message does that send to her?" said a woman on the parentcenter blog. Her opinion is supported by many others who believe that a young girls' self-esteem could be affected for life by such decisions.
On the other hand, Chinese citizens or people who moved to China seem to understand that, for those who are always persuaded into believing that they're just part of the mass and have no special qualities, getting to participate to the Olympics is the ultimate reward. "In the end, what happened will probably not affect her views of herself at all. It will be drilled out of her and she'll feel about herself exactly as all others do. That's just the way it is here. People are not individuals they are a group, a team, and if they take one for the team that's what's honorable in their culture." commented another user, who temporarily lives in China.
One blogger made an interesting observation. He failed to understand why Americans were so outraged when it comes to the lip sync story at the Olympics, seeing as how U.S. is one of the most looks-oriented countries in the world. Moreover, playback has been used in American cinematography for a long time, as famous feminine leads, namely Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Wood, did not actually sing their songs.