Imagethief

That sounds a bit like "if the foreigners would have a better opinion of the Chinese (government), they (it) would change for the better". I would doubt that very much.

The other way around would probably work though.

It'll be a great achievement if they're both right. However, the question arises: If they're both wrong, what happens in the aftermath of the games?

"However, the question arises: If they're both wrong, what happens in the aftermath of the games?"

God help Taiwan.

None of the US presidential candidates, much less Curious George, have said anything about what is happening in Tibet. Guess they don't want to irritate their MNC and Wall St supporters.  The French gov't is the only one openly discussing at least a boycott of the opening and closing ceremonies.  Nothing from the rest of the EU, UK, Canada, Oz or the US.

As for China being acceptable to foreigners, that's laughable.

"YouTube will be filled with videos of beaten and bullied Chinese protesting against their country’s dismal human rights policies."

Not likely, because those caught shooting video will be beaten and bullied as well by a highly efficient PSB machine that will have been trained or even be doing their jobs side-by-side with WESTERN law enforcement agencies that want to SELL their expertise in good crowd control/public order at major international events!

Not to mention that the only protesters will be retired seniors that have had pensions stolen or land grabbed for development, etc. They will have told their youngers  to stay away because they are now old and will make the sacrifice as they are old and their lives are almost over.  

That, and despite the injustices suffered, the average Chinese guy will see the Olympics as a matter of pride.

As much as the Chinese care about face, they don't necessarily "expected the Olympics to change foreign perceptions of China for the better".  Western media have collectively labeled the Olympics China's "coming-out party", which is hardly accurate. They want to do a job hosting the games that will impress the world. Certainly they want to look good, but if you think they are doing this to please foreigners or merely to improve their image, you are wrong. I think they, like everyone else just wanted to have a piece of the what Olympics bring, the whole package (attention, fame, money etc.) But increasingly they realized this is the monkey on their back. I have sensed that they are saying now "to hell with the Olympics, let's get it done and get it over with". The problem is that they care too much about "foreign perceptions", I am glad more people are learning to deal with them, live with them and ignore them.

I'm going to say something similar to what I said at CLB and have been saying on my blog, but do you think that this is a case of yet another PR mistake by BOCOG?  Since 2001 they've been setting the bar so high for these games and have been so gung ho on this being their chance to show the world a different face, instead of doing what typically would be advised and keeping expectations at a bare minimum.

b.Cheng: Not only was the bar set ridiculously high, but the gov't made promises it damned well wasn't prepared to honor. Or surely they were blinded by the "glory" and didn't foresee all the little nooks and cracks in which damaging crap could seep out of...

But ask anyone that's been working in China for a number of years and they'll tell you it's common for the locals to promise the universe and deliver a lump of dirt as well as make promises they weren't even planning to follow through on.

There's more interest, awareness, and discussion in Taiwan amongst the Taiwanese about their presidential elections than there is in China amongst the Chinese about their Olympics. From that, you can extrapolate a multitude of reasonably interesting conclusions.

As always, all politics is local. So it is with the Olympics.

The Olympics are simply another way that the Chinese government can convince the middle class that they're not missing out on anything, and thus acquiescent. Anything else they might achieve is purely a bonus.

So the question then becomes, having given the middle class cars, private schools, internet connections, private hospitals, private property, to make but a short list, what's left after giving them the Olympics?

As we know, the only thing that keeps the middle class permanently out of the revolution game is the illusion that they're in control (we call this "democracy").

I don't believe that there are going to be very many protests by domestic Chinese at the Olympics at all.  In this case nationalism will trump discontent on human rights or any other subject.   Informal chats I have been having with some quite anti-CCP Chinese friends would tend to confirm this as they are unanimously against any action to disrupt the Olympics.

The only real wild card there is the economic situation.  If inflation were to continue to rise this discontent could possibly trump nationalism.  Remember 1989 protests were driven by inflation more than anything else. (you can bet the CCP remembers)

ShaMao:  http://shamao.typepad.com/