CHILDREN ARE NOT PERFECT!!!!

Ok, I thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics opening ceremony, as I always have. Some of the synchronized parts involving such huge numbers of Chinese was truly amazing, although at a few spots I did get a horrible flashback to the Berlin Olympics. Maybe I'm the only person who even thought about that, but such perfection in such large numbers of people makes it hard to understand a society where the individual is subordinate to the common good.

That's why I am so disappointed, no OUTRAGED, although frankly not surprised, to read this morning that the precious little girl, with the crystal clear voice, was NOT SINGING the Chinese National Anthem!!

It has been revealed that the child who REALLY sang was not considered cute enough ... that she did not portray the proper image of the Chinese people at what they considered to be the most important part of the ceremony ... when the Chinese flag was brought into the stadium.

So, all those perfectly performing thousands, acting with one mind .....


And then one little girl, singled out ... alone in the spotlight ... and IT WAS FAKE!!!!

Yes, I think China DID "portray the proper image of the Chinese people"!!!!

But the message that was sent to the inner core of YANG PEIYI, the little girl who REALLY sang?? I don't care how indoctrinated they are, that child is hurt. She may never say or do anything to show it, but there is a part of her self image that will never be the same!

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know that I don't normally deviate from talking about my own childhood memories, but I just couldn't help myself this morning.

Stop Abuse Now!

Today is the day that bloggers all over the world are writing about Abuse. Thinking about all the different kinds of abuse there are is simply overwhelming.

Things were so much simpler when I was a little girl. Families consisted of a Mama and a Daddy, with Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles living nearby for many of us. People who got divorced were uncommon enough to be talked about in whispers. Not that our world was perfect in the good old days. We had our scary times, like learning how to duck under a school desk during an Atomic Attack drill. Our larger world was ruled by the Cold War, fear of polio, and the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement.

But it was different at home. I was safe, and I knew it.

This post is for all those precious children who do not know what that feels like. They come home from school to hear their parents fighting over next to nothing. They cringe when a family member comes near, because they don't want to be touched or beaten again. We played Hide and Go Seek. Now, so many little children just hide and pray that no one finds them.

Let us do what needs to be done, so they can feel safe in their own homes. Let them be children.

This post is one of several hundred about Abuse of all kinds you can readhere.