Like most people, I was a little sickened by the lip-syncing gag pulled by the Chinese at the Olympic opening ceremonies. On top of bringing back painful memories of the Ashley-Simpson-on-Saturday-Night-Live fiasco, I was depressed at how starkly shallow the incident was, that a person's humanity could be so readily sacrificed in the name of vanity. (Dig them rhymes! I could be a rapper if I wasn't doing this crazy blog thing.)

    However, being a big proponent of the "morality is relative" theory, I suspect my response to the incident may be distinctly western. I'm no expert on Chinese culture, but I think it's interesting to consider that the two girls and their families consented to this arrangement - that it was by no means forced on them, and both parties have expressed pride at being part of the ceremony. From what I've gathered, most of the outrage stems from American and European spectators, and I think it's plausible that we are applying our own ethics in a situation where they are irrelevant.

    Since the Renaissance, western culture has been very individualistic. Americans and Europeans tend to place emphasis on personal worth and achievement a lot more than their Eastern counterparts, so it makes sense that we would be disgusted by the incident - but I'm not sure if the Chinese feel the same way. Neither of the girls seem to be traumatized or upset over their roles in the ceremony. To the contrary, they are honored. If no one was hurt, is there really a problem?

    Yes, I'd be enraged if someone tried to pull that sort of stunt on me or someone I knew, but that's the culture I've been raised in. People are all different and perceive situations in different ways. What is injustice to us may not be elsewhere, and if people are content with their lives I don't see any reason to pass judgment or interfere.