Goose-Stepping at the Beijing Olympics

I thought it was terrifying when the soldiers did the goose step. To Americans the goose-step is a symbol of oppressive, human right abusing dictatorships. It was a grim reminder that many countries do not enjoy the freedom we enjoy in the US.

I’ve read a little about goose-stepping and have found that there are a few countries that incorporate it into their military pageantry. I’ve also read that it came from Prussia. I’ve also read that the Chinese were enemies of the Nazi party during world war 2. For all these reasons, many on the net argue that I should not find it offensive.

However, like the swastika(which has actually been used for thousands of years), goose stepping has become a symbol of evil. Just like I choose not to name my children Adolf or Satan, I would like countries not to use the swastika on their flags and would like them not to goose-step during military pageantry.

This generation of americans has been brought up to believe in respect for other people’s cultures. I think that we should do that, as long as those cultures deserve our respect. Silently tolerating the use of symbols that are commonly used to represent evil is not something we should do.

The goose-step opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics was a slap in the face to the world. China will not respect our traditions, our culture, our sensitivities any more than it will respect the human rights of its own citizens. Ideally, the olympics would be solely about the games and the spirit of human brotherhood. However, from the begining they have served as a catalyst for discussion of politics and national policy. People who argue that we should ignore China’s human rights abuses should consider that there are human beings suffering horribly over there right now, children being exploited and killed, adults being exploited and killed and Chinese protesters trying desperately to bring our attention to the corruption and oppression that they are suffering. Ignoring them is like walking through a concentration camp and admiring the beauty of the sun and getting angry at those who tell you to look around at what’s happening to the people around you. While it is right to admire the beauty of the sun, there should be discussion and action to right wrongs that have no place in the world.

The Berlin games of 1936 was a truly spectacular olympic opening ceremony. The Germans walked in hailing Hitler there was inspirational music. It was crafted with the same flair for cinema that the nazi propaganda films would enjoy for the next 10 years. We can’t watch footage of that opening ceremony without being facinated by the knowledge that all those people sitting in the stands would witness some of the most incredibly evil national programs the world has ever seen. Its amazing to think that a modern culture could embrace the ideals of the nazis and its scary as hell that it could happen again. When I watched the chinese soldiers goose-step around I felt similar to the way I feel when I watch footage of that 1936 Olympic opening, except I am more fearful, because I wonder if we had another World War or if there was a slow spread of oppression from China to countries around the world, would good still prevail.

Why do you Americans keep focusing on goose-stepping and swastikas only?

You always focus on these originally-harmless symbols more than the true atrocities, hatred, racism and genocide of one of the darkest moments in history.

I keep reading about complaints of “modern Nazism” just because someone does the goosestep. That’s absurd.

Then probably you Americans probably don’t buy chrysanthemum flowers because this is a symbol of the Emperor of Japan, Imperial Japan, and was crested on all Imperial Japanese Navy battleships. You keep focusing on the symbolisms more than the actual devastation and atrocities.

Edison is absolutely right. It is dangerous to confuse symbols with reality. Military traditions are historical accidents.

The Imperial Japanese Army never goose-stepped, and the Imperial Japanese Navy had nice, proper British traditions. But the Japanese armed forces were among the most vicious on earth, even more so than the Wehrmacht.

American tourists go to Warsaw and they’re shocked when the changing-of-the-guard features a goose-step. “Didn’t the Nazis invade Poland?” Well, geez, Einstein, don’t you think the Poles know that? It actually doesn’t have anything to do with the Nazis — it’s Russian in origin.

The logic is backwards for China as well. It’s not just the Chinese army that goose-steps. The army of Taiwan (the Republic of China) goose-steps, too. Ironically, the Chinese goose-step is Soviet in origin, while the Taiwanese goose-step is German in origin (some of the German instructors were Nazis, actually — does that make Taiwan Nazi by association?).

You should see some of the newsreels during the Cold War. “Free China stands up to the Commie bastards!” Shot of a parade in Taipei, with goose-stepping soldiers marching past Chiang-Kai Shek. Except the shot is framed to show the soldiers from the waist up. It wouldn’t do to show the valiant “Free Chinese” goose-stepping, would it?

Now let’s look at the United States. The Pledge of Allegiance used to be accompanied with a Roman salute (arm held straight out, just like the Nazi salute). How embarrassing! And George Washington’s Continental Army was trained by von Steuben, a Prussian aristocrat. One more month of training, and the US Army might be goose-stepping today. (Thank goodness the groundhog didn’t see his shadow in 1778!)