Oh it’s been so long since I’ve done a Guilty Parent award and honestly I’ve seen some good ones but I bet you didn’t think that a WHOLE COUNTRY could be responsible for crushing a child’s spirit.
OK I do think it’s possible, the United States does it all the time through the current state of our public education system but that story is for another day.
No, I found this little tidbit over at Lively Woman. Kristen King tuned me in to the story of the little girl who sang during the opening ceremony at the Olympics. You can read the full story on how China has single handedly taught two little girls that talent and love for your country will get you nowhere if you aren’t cute enough.
Here’s the short version for those of you not clicking over to CNN.com
A little girl and her song captivated millions of viewers during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. But what they saw was not what they heard.
Yang Peiyi’s voice was heard during Friday’s opening ceremony, but her face was never seen.
Games organizers confirm that Lin Miaoke, who performed "Ode to the Motherland" as China’s flag was paraded Friday into Beijing’s National Stadium, was not singing at all.
Lin was lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was heard but not seen, apparently because she was deemed not cute enough.
"The reason was for the national interest," said Chen Qigang, the ceremony’s musical director, in a state radio interview. "The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression. … Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects."
The decision was made at the highest levels, Chen said. (courtesy CNN.com)
Kristen was nice when she called the marketing stunt "appalling". I’ve got other words for it and because I love making other parents feel as guilty as the next guy, I’m not opposed to leaving out entire countries when I say.
THAT’S JUST SICK.
Clearly there is no shame in China’s stupidity whatsoever since they clearly agree that this little girl got the shaft for being able to show her love for her country and demonstrate her talent to the entire world.
You know what? While I’m at it, let’s give a second Guilty Parent Award to the mom of the little girl who did get to stand on stage for teaching her daughter that as long as you’re pretty the world will love you and screw having real talent.
I’m not into politics and I could give a rat’s a$$ about China and the politics that is involved in their twisted system…
I’m a little more concerned at the message they are sending to their own youth and the youth of the world really. I mean what kind of gall does it take to stand there and tell a child she isn’t cute enough to earn the right to stand on stage and sing? Plus, what kind of mother can stand there and tell her daughter that she can sing, just not in front of the biggest audience she will ever have because genetics wasn’t kind to her?
I feel awful for these little girls; one has learned that you can have the hearts of the world as long as you have the right look while the other one just learned that no matter what you do in this world, where your talents are and how many lives you can move with your talents, it means squat if you don’t have the looks to back it all up.
These girls need better role models in their lives because certainly their mother and their country have let them down.
Where oh where is my whoopin spoon? I know a country and a parent who needs a beatin.
I’ve read the news. I don’t agree with their arrangement. They should let the girl to sing in front of the crowd. They are too emphasizing on the physical look. I do agree with you! They have indeed spread the message to the children in China without good look should be hiding from the crowd!?