Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Chinese media attacks Boris Johnson for being 'rude, arrogant and disrespectful' at Olympic ceremony
Daily Mail ^ | 26th August 2008 | David Williams

Posted on 08/26/2008 2:29:50 PM PDT by george76

As Britain's magnificent Olympians returned home on Monday, they left behind a fierce debate in China over London's eight-minute contribution to Beijing's glittering ceremony - and in particular, the performance of Mayor Boris Johnson.

While some Chinese media and bloggers praised the creativity of London's segment, others were damning with Johnson described as 'arrogant, rude and disrespectful' when accepting the Olympic flag.

'Unlike the Chinese custom which tends not to reveal their weakness to the outsiders, the British seem to like to laugh about their stupidity in a funny way,' it said.

Columnist Hi Yang continued : 'Perhaps due to the cultural differences, the meaning of the casual London performance and its expensive cost are beyond our understanding.

'If you dress informally or not properly, it can be seen as disrespect to the host.

it was 'rude and arrogant' that Johnson seemed to ignore the mayor of Beijing when he made an effort to try to speak to Johnson.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: 2008olympics; borisjohnson; china; johnson; olympics

1 posted on 08/26/2008 2:29:50 PM PDT by george76
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: george76

I liked this reader’s comment:

“After the paramilitaries scuffled their way through the London leg of the torch relay I don’t think Britain requires advice on what’s “arrogant, rude and disrespectful” from China. Likewise, an unbuttoned Boris was an ideal pin with which to prick the pompous re-enactment of the “Triumph of the Will” that was the closing ceremony.”


2 posted on 08/26/2008 2:40:11 PM PDT by sinsofsolarempirefan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Yeah, China is only arrogant enough to kill Tibetan protesters.


3 posted on 08/26/2008 2:46:30 PM PDT by struggle ((The struggle continues))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

you know what is sad

I am from England and will guarantee that instead of displaying aspects of Britain, the history etc they will concentrate on multiculturalism ..Already some do not want the red arrows(Britains equal to the blue angels ) because it is too military and it might offend some .

They’ll be marching by the Islamic squad, then followed by the Sikh Indians and then have Pakistani music playing.

If you want to see the most PC olympics ever then tune into London in 4 years


4 posted on 08/26/2008 2:46:58 PM PDT by manc (marriage is between a man and a woman, MA has a sham perverted sick version)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Most free countries don’t have a pool of a billion ‘volunteers’ to pull from. The Chinese Ceremonies looked impressive, but at what cost? I imagine the treatment of the ‘volunteers’ would compare to the treatment at most of their sweatshops, but without the generous 10 cent per hour pay. I enjoyed the duo with Jimmy Paige and whoever that pop singer was.


5 posted on 08/26/2008 2:48:47 PM PDT by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: struggle

Or, Falun Gong followers. Speaking of Chinese “justice”, how many applications for protests were given permits? None, I bet. They jailed two old folks for wanting to protest corruption; a year in labor camp. It’s likely neither will see the outside of the camp in one year since their labor camps make Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s look like Disneyland.


6 posted on 08/26/2008 2:54:36 PM PDT by 12Gauge687 (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: george76

I heard in England, they were taking odds on whether Boris would accidently drop the olympic flag during waving it. He’s knows as a being a bit accident prone.


7 posted on 08/26/2008 3:04:00 PM PDT by Proud_USA_Republican (We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good. - Hillary Clinton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Always Right

Actually, pay scales in western-owned factories are pretty good but the work is boring. My cousin said the multi-nationals generally have modern factories with good lighting, clean lavatories and large mess halls. He worked for an H-P supplier and was paid 10 times his previous Chinese salary of $120/month.

He and some of his friends have quit the larger operations to do consulting work (less pay and less stress). Many of the manufacturing operations are starting to suffer because employees are leaving. The cost of training new unskilled workers and the loss of trained personnel are forcing companies to look at other countries for manufacturing, such as Sri Lanka. Also, workers have demanded more pay and received it, an added incentive for companies to look elsewhere for cheap labor.

Finally, despite China’s size, the labor pool is actually shrinking, due in part to the one child policy and later marriages (my cousin and his wife did not marry until he was 50 and she 40). The benefit of a shrinking labor pool means more for those with skills that are in demand; My cousin and his wife now have a combined salary of US$60,000 but it would probably be four times that much here in the US.


8 posted on 08/26/2008 3:15:04 PM PDT by 12Gauge687 (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: george76

They should be ashamed they weren’t wearing neon spandex and riding around on those gyro-cars from South Park like their gracious hosts.


9 posted on 08/26/2008 3:20:07 PM PDT by Unlikely Hero ("Time is a wonderful teacher; unfortunately, it kills all its pupils." --Berlioz)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: manc
I am from England and will guarantee that instead of displaying aspects of Britain, the history etc they will concentrate on multiculturalism .

. I wondered about that from the bus part - there was every culture BUT English it seemed, and the wheel chairs were really a bit over the top.

Your mayor's pants were riding a bit low, but I didn't think it was disrespectful, just casual.

It's just a sporting event, not a state funeral, after all.

10 posted on 08/26/2008 4:08:23 PM PDT by Red Boots
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: george76

Who is he and is he a long lost son of Benny Hill?


11 posted on 08/26/2008 5:08:13 PM PDT by Fishing-guy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 12Gauge687
He worked for an H-P supplier and was paid 10 times his previous Chinese salary of $120/month.

I can confirm based on an acquaintance's experience that Chinese pay at domestic firms is closer to $120 a month than $1200 per month. Of course, the work at domestic firms is less tightly audited, allowing for a kind of bonus pay via pilferage and/or kickbacks. Unfortunately, this stuff goes way, way beyond taking office stationery home.

12 posted on 08/26/2008 7:18:28 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson