ceremony. by showing that, china is adding to the politicization of this event as well. in some ways, this is a country that likes to reject the notion that they need the validation of the west. because in part, they don't. they have an incredibly robust economy, and a strong military. but what we're seeing is that state media is the first to elevate or promote the western countries' criticism. how does that play into these olympic games? well, they were supposed to be at that event that beijing hoped would push past the political implications. they wanted to leave the world with the impression of 2008. in 2008, folks looked at china with criticism, yes, but with intrigue of this emerging world