Comments on: China: Beijing doesn't love masks?

By: Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:19:20 +0000

I would have, going to olympics, *anywhere*, worn a mask, not for polution, but because the germs MY body is used to are different from the germs in places other than my home.

That’s why so many people get sick while on holiday: not the *people* of the land they travel to, but the different ecology, the different microbes.

If I was competing in the olympics, getting a cold or the flu would destroy my chance to win.

I think all olympic athletes should wear them when traveling to their big day: let the games be decided by athletics, not by the flu!

By: Zictor

Zictor — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:38:51 +0000

@wewe

Have you actually ever been to Beijing?
People in Beijing DO wear masks. Not everybody every day, but they do. Specially during Spring when the sandstorms come with the strong winds or when there is no wind and the air becomes too polluted.

I do have to say though that after the first week of the olympics, the air became very clean for the second week of the games.

By: wewe

wewe — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:36:29 +0000

thesee athletes wearing masks look like idiots.
Over 20 million people lives in beijing without masks every single day, but these U.S. athletes don’t.
They just made themself like aliens among the crowds.
We should laugh at them instead of criticizen.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:24:59 +0000

Does anyone know if those masks were made in China?

By: chan

chan — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:27:41 +0000

They can surely wear anything they like, they could even wear their” under-wear” outside like SUPERMAN does if they like to, however, we know what is their purpose.

By: Dalai-Lama

Dalai-Lama — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:15:33 +0000

RD, do not need to thank, only someone who comes from under a rock is NOT aware of the controversies created by the west leading up to the olympic games!

:-)

By: RD

RD — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:03:39 +0000

Making an issue of the masks only expands the global exposure of the poor Beijing air quality and political correctness in China. I wouldn’t have known about the masks otherwise. Thanks for spreading the word.

By: Zictor

Zictor — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:38:01 +0000

@MuLan,

Is China a place where children respect their elders? Hmmm.. That’s not what happened during the Cultural Revolution, according to what I read. Same goes for the 1989 protests.

Now, according to what I seed, those 小皇帝‘s are no better.

Quit whinig and grow up. China put up a great opening ceremony. Probably the most beautiful in the history of the Olympics. But nobody is perfect and the air still sucks, tough life.

The Chinese tried to clean their act, but it was clearly not enough. Well, do you expect people to just ignore it? Not gonna happen. People will praise China for what it deserves to be praised and criticise what deserves to be criticised.

The Opening Ceremony deserves praise, the air deserves criticism. You are being childish, not the athletes. They apologised, just let it go, ok? Or is their apology not enough?

By: Jennifer Brea

Jennifer Brea — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:29:13 +0000

haha @ MuLan. Those were the 3 most common topics in my CCP-approved Chinese reader when I studied at Beishida. I think those books were written in the early nineties. Maybe they should write new propaganda…

By: MuLan

MuLan — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:28:49 +0000

Intead of complaining about China’s air pollution, why don’t you condemn your automobile companies for exporting vehicles to China? They are better off riding bicycles.

I believe you do not have the guts, because it means money to help your economy!

By: MuLan

MuLan — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:13:59 +0000

ya, let’s ignore the childish act of those cyclist athletes. You know they did not get enough teaching about respecting others when they were kids. USA is a country where childen do NOT respect adults. They force their parents to nursing homes when they grow up. They bring guns to schools to shoot down teachers and peers. How can you expect them to have decent respect for others??????

:-)

By: jb

jb — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:05:52 +0000

I know most people in Beijing think it’s normal never to see a blue sky unless it rained the day before, but it’s just not. I never in my life had asthma or allergies until I moved to Beijing, and now I can’t run across those lovely 10-lane streets without feeling winded. And no, my lungs are not part of some Western imperialist plot. The air in Beijing sucks, period. It has a texture for God’s sake!

Why can’t we just say, “the opening ceremony was fabulous, Beijing is doing a great job, congratulations, but the air still sucks” and move on? Becoming a confident nation means accepting both the good and the bad.

I am so sick of ultra-nationalist 网民。I guess it’s important to let the outside world know their views, but isn’t there a rational middle somewhere?

If I were an athlete, I would wear a mask. In some events mere fractions of a second separate you from the guy who gets to stand on the podium, so I’d do anything I could to be damn sure my lungs were as free of carbon monoxide and fiberglass as possible.

By: I, Hans.

I, Hans. — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:08:14 +0000

US Athletes showing up with face masks and what bloggers think of it. …

Global Voices Online » China: Beijing do…

By: wei

wei — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:52:35 +0000

except of course they are not that smart…and they are forced to apologize.

By: zooie

zooie — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:30:01 +0000

I think everyone should respect the Chinses efforts!!!They have worked so hard for it .