Mao Beijing

Well I must admit, China has an amazing culture. Human rights violations are being swept under the carpet as we sit back and enjoy the splendor of the Olympic games. The swimming facility is amazing. To think that was built all by donations from Chinese living outside China. Somewhat ironic for a Communist country to receive a wonderful facility paid for by capitalist donations.

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OK so the fireworks were faked:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26139005/

As well as the song for the opening Olympics:

http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V3&showbyline=True&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20080812%2foly_fireworks_080812

Image isn’t everything. Nevertheless, when one sees the splendor of China one must ask what freedoms don’t they have. Surely they are free to work, earn a wage and spend that money how they see fit. What freedoms that we have could they possibly be denied? http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sdc/hr_facts.html

Free Speech is the obvious one and religious freedom seems to be another. What do you mean you can’t practice a religion? Why not? Why can’t Communist ideals of the common good exist without removing individual rights and turning everyone into robots.

One PR spokesman said that in the West the emphasis on individual freedom is seen in the East as selfishness. The materialistic drive to put one’s needs above your neighbor’s. Interesting analogy indeed and surely it has some merit, yet one wonders how deep the rabbit hole goes.

We all remember the student protests at Red Square that resulted in a massacre. One of the protesters said stop killing my people. Who’s being killed? Stalin and Hitler hid their death camps. Are the Chinese Communists doing the same?

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573064/tiananmen_square_protest.html

I don’t know much about Mao other than China’s Communism was modeled after Russia which was based on the Communist Mafefesto which I feel is flawed. Mao’s little Red Book I will address in another thread. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotations_from_Chairman_Mao_Zedong

During the TELUS dispute at the boot I often saw Chinese Canadians holding signs and handing out literature about a long list of murder and atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist government on it’s people. To their credit I’m going to have to dig a bit deeper into the facts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no1KbBOsMds&feature=related

As we remember the tank man and the subsequent massacre at Red Square, let’s find out what he was talking about and make a clear distinction between Chinese Communism and Chinese culture.

Chinese culture is so much more that Communism. It existed before Communism and will continue without it. but perhaps an understanding of Chinese culture can help us enrich our understanding and quest for a better world for all of us not just us as individuals.