"Ethnic" Children at Beijing Opening Ceremony Were Fakes: Fake fireworks, fake singer, fake children

[DeepModem Mom]

London Evening Standard: 'Ethnic' children at Beijing opening ceremony were fakes
15.08.08


Fakes: The 'ethnic' children wave after carrying the Chinese flag in to the Bird's Nest during the Opening Ceremonies

Fake fireworks, a fake singer and now fake children at the Olympics opening ceremony. Organisers of the Beijing Games admitted today that the children dressed in various ethnic costumes from around China who carried out the Chinese flag at the August 8 opening ceremony were not actually from those ethnic groups.

This is the third faking incident to emerge from the ceremony after it was revealed an angelic 9-year-old girl lip-synched the song "Ode to the Motherland" as the real singer was not pretty enough, and some "live" fireworks were pre-recorded. Games Vice President Wang Wei played down the latest incident, saying he did not know exactly where these children were from as they were performers representing China's 56 minority groups....

The children were reportedly from the Galaxy Children's Art Troupe, which involves young actors and actresses mainly from the dominant Han minority which makes up about 92 per cent of China's 1.3 billion population. But the programme for the nearly five-hour ceremony had said the children were from these groups. "Fifty-six children from 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag, representing the 56 ethnic groups," read the media guide for the opening ceremony.

The fill-ins came as China struggles to keep conflicts with its ethnic groups out of the spotlight during the Olympics. Human rights groups have tried to use the world's focus on the Olympics to highlight what they say is repression of Tibetans and Muslim Uighurs of Xinjiang by China's government.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23533011-details/%27Ethnic%27+children+at+Beijing+opening+ceremony+were+fakes/article.do

[connecticut yankee]

1. It was only a show

and they are actors.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. That's true, but they were presented to the world as of different ethnicities.

It's not that big a deal, but if we had an Opening Ceremony, and 50 children WE TOLD THE PRESS AND THE WORLD to be from each of our 50 states carried our flag into the arena -- and then it turned out that they were professional actors and not from each state, we would have been guilty of misrepresentation. And we, especially here where we've had our fill of misrepresentation by government, would not have liked it.

[geckosfeet]

2. How can 92 percent (Han) of the population represent a minority?

This whole thing is such a damned farce.

China has really stepped in it.

[tomreedtoon]

4. Who can make the Chinese government honest? You?

In case none of you people have noticed, they are in the catbird seat (with their "bird's nest" thing). They own America. They make most of the world's stuff. Their own people are indentured slaves. Your own government (and that would be true even if Bush wasn't President) is afraid to do anything against them. You can bitch and moan and write strongly worded letters to the editor, but you're never going to change the behavior of our Chinese masters.

And it isn't Republicans alone that brought us to this point. It's the business world, that was more interested in cheap goods and big personal profits instead of actually producing things and employing Americans. Politicians of both parties were lubed by the profits the business world made from Chinese profits. And they will continue to do so, until the Chinese tire of the facade and march on the United States. You think those yahoos with their stockpiles of guns will be able to do anything against them?

So continue muttering, slaves. Just don't mutter too loudly.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Sadly, tomreedtoon -- I agree. nt

[bemildred]

6. They looked like real children to me. nt

[AmyDeLune]

7. Baby femmebots n/t

[mwb970]

8. How suitable for bush to attend an event that is mostly fake.

Everything about bush, from his ranch to his presidency, is phony and fake. He must feel right at home!

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Good call! Crawford "Ranch" -- same thing. nt

[kskiska]

10. Hell, we had a presidential candidate and his VP

who were supposed to be from different states, except they weren't.

[rAVES]

11. Neg coverage of these events is really tireing....

[bemildred]

12. Yeah, shallow, demeaning, and offensive.

Bashing little kids.
:puke::puke:

[Blue_Tires]

13. um....it's a show! why are people surprised to read that some showbiz was used?