Bashing China has long been fashionable among politicians in America. But everybody understands that this is rather like a crack addict bashing his drug dealer.
Nevertheless, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) crossed the line yesterday when he spewed jingoistic indignation at the made-in-China uniforms members of the U.S. Olympic team are scheduled to wear when the London Games begin in two weeks:
I think the Olympic Committee should be ashamed of themselves. I think they should be embarrassed. I think they should take all the uniforms and put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again. If they have to wear nothing but a singlet saying “USA” on it painted by hand, that’s what they should do.
(CNN, July 12, 2012)
Frankly, it would only have been shocking to me if these uniforms were labeled, “Made in USA.” Because one would be hard-pressed to find any apparel in the United States that was not made in China. Therefore, the only person who should be embarrassed is Harry Reid for taking this cheap shot at the Olympic Committee.
Meanwhile, given the way the U.S. government depends on China to fund its initiatives, members of Congress are the ones who should have “USA” stamped on their foreheads, no? Not to mention the hypocrisy inherent in pro-business Republicans like Mitt Romney riding this China-bashing bandwagon while being the ones most responsible for outsourcing American manufacturing to China.
More to the point, though, the only thing this jingoistic indignation is doing is providing psychological fodder to help Team China get into the head of Team USA. And the Americans cannot afford to be unnerved in the least if they have any hope of reclaiming the crown for the most gold medals which the Chinese took away in 2008, winning this quadrennial fight 51-36. But no American Olympian can now feel proud and invincible marching into that stadium during Opening Ceremonies knowing that most people watching will be snickering about how their great country had to depend on China to manufacture their uniforms—notwithstanding that they were smartly designed by iconic American designer Ralph Lauren….
Anyway, just to be clear, despite Harry’s grandstanding stamp of disapproval, members of Team USA will be wearing their made-in-China frocks. But thanks for the pep talk Harry!
NOTE: Others are criticizing the uniforms for looking “too French.” But these are the same idiots who tried a few years ago to stoke mindless patriotism by urging Americans to begin calling their French fries “freedom fries.” They came to their senses after they got tired of kids at McDonald’s, Burger King and other restaurants staring back at them as if they were nuts and refusing to get their French fries until they ordered them by their proper name.