About Patriotism What pops into your mind when it comes to "Olympics"? For me, the first thing is LiuXiang, a man who is entilted the "speed of Shanghai", also the record setter of 110-meter hurdle race. The second thing is about the medals, especially the ones for Beijing Olympics, which are made of both gold and jade.They are the symbols of glory and success. The third thing is about patriotism. It seems that the Olympics provide us with a platform where people all over the world, old or young, man or women, poor or rich, can start at the same starting line and be treated with no difference and discrimnation during the games. It is intended to boost the solidarity and coherence in this splendid gala. But two news i have read lately cast doubt on my perspective of patriotism. One is about the uniforms for the American teams. In effect, they are sponsored by a well-known brand, Ralph Lauren. The design is inspired by the classic marine look with blue and red stripes. Well, the controversy does not lie in what the suits look like, but where they were made. They are "Made in China". Some politicans directly linked it with the patriotism and stressed the relations with the high unemployment rate in America. They even argued that this bunch of clothes should be pulled into a big pot and burned immediately. The other is about a random survey among London citizens. About 60% of them hold that they will not go to see the looming Olympic Games. Moreover, they will choose to leave the city at weekends during the Games since there will be swarms of people come to London. Thus, the meaning of holding the Olympic Games is no longer about gathering people together, rendering the opportunities for communicating or enhancing the solidarity and pariotism among the people. More attentino has been emphasized on national interests, private convenience and the hidden trouble. The Olympic Games have been commericalized so much that people seem to ignore the essence of this traditional game. That is a pity.