Olympic Opening Ceremony

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

When I was watching, my only thought was, "hey, this is neat visual and auditory entertainment." Never once did I associate the show with what the Chinese government may or may not be like.

Just because you weren't thinking it doesn't mean it wasn't there. There were clear themes and messages being portrayed about China, its people, and at least one view on how its history informs the country now and going forward. How much of that was the work of the director, Zhang Yimaou, vs. how much was what the Chinese government would let him get away with is obviously a murky question, to put it mildly. But regardless of whatever propoganda agendas the government was using it for, I see it as a starting off point for an international conversation that, in the most optimistic world, puts China on a path where the government can no longer keep the eyets of the world off of 1/5th of our population and brings a level of scrutiny that is necessary for the drastic change that needs to take place.