China’s “Guide to disabled people”
Oh boy. As if China hadn’t shown enough reason why they shouldn’t be hosting the 2008 Paralympics, now they release their absurdly patronising “Guide to disabled people”, as part of their Olympic Volunteers Handbook.
The guide ‘warns’ that disabled people can be unsocial, stubborn, defensive, and have a strong sense of inferiority, along with sharing the remarkable insight that physically disabled people are, in fact, “often” mentally healthy. Mind-blowing stuff.
In fact it’s enough to make Australian swimming great Dawn Fraser decide she’s not going to Beijing. Good on her I say, and while this sort of thing isn’t enough for me to call on Paralympics NZ to boycott the games, I’m getting mighty close to that point!
Thoughts?
[from the Herald]
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OMG, but at least the Chinese are brutally honest and you know stand (excuse the pun). Don't think I'll be saving my hard learnt pennies to go China, any time soon!!
I have read through the offending guide carefully and have to say in this case it is mostly a case of well intentioned document suffering from some inartful language. Please take a look at the blog post I just wrote on this controversy.
I cringe while seeing the photo you showed. Please believe me it is most likely a stupid mistake made by someone not knowing enough English looking for help blindly through a dictionary. I have seen way too many aweful attempts at translating Chinese signs into English. Most of the mistakes of this nature are just comical, but this one certainly hurts and is too much as an unfortunate mistake.
Incidentally, the Chinese phrase in the photo refers to "Can Ji Ren," or people with disabilities, instead of "Can Fei," the handicapped and deficient. I still remember growing up in the 80s in China, there was a big effort to educate people to be careful with Chinese terms used in talking about people with disabilities. One thing that was particularly emphasized was that "Can Ji Ren" should be used instead of "Can Fei."
Totally, totally, cringeworthy – lashings of egg on face and mind-boggling that a nation of that size and power couldn't manage to find a competent translator. However, for the sake of argument, lets reverse things and pretend that NZ is an English speaking nation of 1.2 billion people (would be a bit crowded!) and we're holding the Olympics. The powers that be have thoughtfully taken it upon themselves to make sure all signposts etc. are translated for the visiting Chinese into Mandarin (the first language of approximately 400 million people worldwide). Are you confident that we wouldn't make some equally embarrassing **** ups? Hmmmmm…..
I appreciate the decision of Dawn Fraser but China 's hospitality is still un questioned we should spread our thought while in China.
From the act of Dawn Fraser every one get the clear sense of sense of inferiority in disabled…