Gu Ailing wins a gold medal in the freestyle skiing women's freeski big air event at Beijing Winter Olympics, Beijing, China, February 8, 2022. /CFP
Editor's note: Dr. John Gong is a professor at the University of International Business and Economics and a research fellow at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at UIBE. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.
One of last week's Tucker Carlson show episodes on Fox News featured a disturbing conversation between the host Tucker Carlson and another Fox News host Will Cain that in effect constitutes a vicious attack on America's national soul as a melting pot of the world. The issue regards winter Olympic champion Eileen Gu (Gu Ailing), who is born in the United States to a Chinese mother. Nevertheless she decided to compete on behalf of China this time in the Winter Olympics.
"I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings," she once wrote in an Instagram post.
On the show, Cain started out with calling Gu "ungrateful," "shameful," "betray, turn her back on the country (Unites States)," and culminated by saying, "I hope stardom and the riches that you (Eileen Gu) have earned through betraying America are all worth it because you have definitely sold out."
Wow, wow, wow!
After the venomous personal vitriol on Gu, Cain then started to assault Gu's American corporate sponsors (Louis Vuitton that Cain brought up is actually not an American company). "There are very few American companies that wouldn't and haven't already done the same thing as Eileen Gu," Cain said. "They've already turned their back on the United States of America in exchange for Chinese riches, and that's why she's a symbol."
But alas, switching citizenship for sport is actually quite common internationally, and the Unites States is a prime example of that. In the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year, out of the 600 athletes in the U.S. Olympic team, at least 34 of them were not born in the U.S., but decided to make the U.S. their home country and for which they represent.
Gu Ailing of China in practice at Big Air Shougang in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, February 6, 2022. /CFP
In fact, the exactly same story can be said of Jay Litherland, who won the silver medal for the U.S. in the men's 400-meter individual relay. Litherland was born in Japan. His mother is Japanese and his father is from New Zealand. Will Will Cain call Litherland and the rest of these foreign-born athletes in the U.S. team betraying and selling out the countries where they are from?
Olympics is just one of many areas that has seen great champions who were born outside of the United States. Currently the world's richest man Elon Musk, who I don't hesitate for a second to call him a "world champion" - in the billionaire competition business of course - was born a citizen of South Africa. I guess Will Cain would still call him a sellout.
In his last public speech, the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan once referred to immigration as one of the most important sources of America's greatness. "We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people - our strength - from every country and every corner of the world," he thundered.
But now China appears to be merely following the American torch, and started to draw just a few athletes from a few countries. Other than Gu, perhaps the most prominent feat in this regard at this year's Winter Olympics is China's national men hockey team, which counts only 10 indigenous players on its 25-man roster, and the rest are all Canadian - and U.S. - borne. So what is wrong with it? All of a sudden, according to the Tucker Carlson show, that becomes "selling out."
Give me a break!
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)