The Saga of the Olympic Torch-Should Jenny withdraw?
Yesterday, I voted for Jenny Bowen, the founder of Half the Sky-an organization dedicated to making the lives of children living in orphanages better-to carry the Olympic Torch.
Jenny, an American, lives and works in Beijing. She said she will run with eight Chinese children who are orphans.
On many levels this is a wonderful thing-it raises awareness for the kids who are left behind in China’s orphanages, the publicity could help Half the Sky raise money which could help more children, its a great image of international co-operation and it is great showcase for adoption.
Today, I read some of the comments on the site. There are some people that think Jenny is ‘cheating’. They question how she could have gotten so many votes in a short period of time. Indeed, her votes nearly doubled in less than 24 hours and it appears she is closing in on the leader.
This is a perfect example of the power of the internet-adoption groups-representing thousands of families formed via adoption-all over the world are being rallied to Jenny’s side.
Of course, in many cases the rank and file Chinese citizen is not privvy to groups, blogs and other lightning fast communciation tools. It is easy to see where the idea that Jenny was cheating could come from.
So, is Jenny’s selection really a good thing? I am certainly not as sure as I was yestday. I wonder how we would react if a Chinese citizen had carried the torch in Atlanta or Salt Lake City? I suspect there would be outrage that one of ‘our own’ got supplanted by someone who was not a citizen. Should Jenny win, what impact will it really have on international relations? on adoption?
The Chinese have a long tradition of saving face. How will they handle the international public scrutiny on their adoption policies. Not only will the world comment on what happens to China’s children, but the Chinese themselves will be made aware of just how many kids are leaving the country or languishing in orphanages. Much of this information has been kept from rank and file Chinese citizens.
So, like most complex questions there are positives and negatives. I know which way I am leaning. Maybe the eight kids representing all the children in the orphanages should carry the torch…
What do you think?
With Respect,
Deb
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:26 pm
She isn’t entering in competition with a Chinese citizen. She is entering under a section of voting that is specifically for expats–so she is ‘competing’ against other expats only.
February 14th, 2008 at 6:50 am
The Nutcracker - Boone Mountain
Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Clara awakens to find her journey has been a magical dream…or was it?
February 14th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Karin, you are absolutely right. And I am guilty of jumping to conclusions without all of the facts! As a side note, since karin responded to this post Jenny has been selected to carry the torch. It is still not clear if the children will be joining her. Jenny and the Half the Sky Team have been busy trying to help the children in the orphanages weather the storms-literally-in the worst weather China has experienced in over 50 years. You can check out what Jenny is up to-and make a donation-at www.halfthesky.org
February 19th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Jenny and her team have been helping the children in the ophanages deal with the record-breaking cold weather. As the Lunar New Year comes to a close, the weather is getting a bit warmer and the children have recieved much of what they needed.