By Amy Flis
<[email protected]>

The coming Constitution Day on Wednesday provides a timely opportunity for Americans to reflect on their rights, especially those made prominent by various controversies during the recent Olympic games.

One such controversy is that surrounding the Chinese gymnasts. As of Aug. 25, the actual age of the Chinese gymnasts was still in doubt. The International Olympic Committee asked the International Federation of Gymnastics to reopen the evaluation of the gymnasts’ ages on Aug. 23 according to a Time article by Alice Park. The scary part of this is not that these gymnasts can be so outstanding at such a young age. No, the frightening part is that China has the power to hide information as basic and fundamental as the age of several young citizens.

Whether the Chinese government did alter this information or not is irrelevant; what is clear is that the possibility exists and consequentially raises the question of “What else?” If the government has hidden these facts and done so under the blatant scrutiny of the rest of world, couldn’t there be other cover-ups that have stayed hidden as intended? After all, it is no secret that China’s socialist government discourages free speech. Although Beijing did designate three locations as protest zones as a response to criticism, it refused to grant permits to all 77 applicants, and consequentially, no rallies took place during the entire Olympic games according to the Associated Press. Foreigners, for the most part, illegally staged the only protests, which were quickly halted. Restrictions on Internet access were also an issue.

All of the above are examples of China’s suppression of freedom of speech. Living in America where we value freedom as much as Monday night football, those actions appear atrocious. Although we sometimes take the First Amendment for granted, it is the backbone of our society and a right that deserves recognition.

The controversy over the age of the Chinese gymnasts has brought into harsh light the distinction between American ideals and those of China. Once again, this is a showdown between democratic and socialist ideas. While Americans grow up glorifying the power that comes with our Bill of Rights and hold dear our freedom of speech, Chinese citizens know only the media presented to them and live with it with an understanding that there are consequences for speaking against it.

The point is that although censorship and controls put on China’s media is distressing, the blatant alteration of public information scares me to the core. With censorship, the government denies that the information exists and forces its people to act the same way. China simply might not publish the girl’s age. However, changing public data takes that a step farther. The government not only denies the fact’s existence, it alters it. It turns a 14-year-old girl into a 16-year-old woman. Ignorance is bliss, and if China wishes to impose that on its own people, I can deal with it, but China needs to realize that in the ever-shrinking world of globalization, it cannot isolate itself, follow its own rules and hide its secrets.

One girl lost two years of her life. What else will be lost to the tight control of a socialist government?

China is not the only example of this type of control, but it has been most prominent in recent news. In light of these events and upcoming Constitution Day, Americans need to re-examine their rights. After all, here it is everyday that you can rally, petition or voice your opinion in any way you see fit. Clearly, that’s not true everywhere. Amy Flis is the Editor in Chief for the HiLite. Contact her at [email protected].