The mainstream media here in North America, over the last few months, has heightened its scrutiny over any negative issue regarding China. Pick an issue – human rights abuses, Darfur, Tibet, poisonous toys, internet regulations – you name it, it’s been exaggerated, tinged with racism and half-truths, and spoon-fed to the masses via the mainstream media. While a number of media reports have been more reasonable and objective – namely, Ted Koppel’s report a few weeks ago and Bob Woodruff’s “China: Inside Out” documentary which was shown just this week – these are, sadly, very rare exceptions.

The problem with this biased, hate-tinged media approach (for example, how often has China been mentioned on the MSM without calling it “Communist China”? Brings to mind the “Barack HUSSEIN Obama” incident eh?) is that it is counterproductive to any real efforts to try and solve China’s various problems. To an audience ignorant of Chinese culture and affairs, such media coverage only perpetuates their ignorance and fans the flames of racial tension. An audience aware of China’s struggles as a growing nation, on the other hand, is instantly turned off by the explicit media bias. No one gets informed, no issues get really challenged – but emotions sure are stirred up.

Woodruff’s hour-long documentary, China Inside Out , a model for how politicians and the media should approach China, was far lot more effective in its task of pointing out various emerging issues facing China and the world. Regarding China’s role in spurring economic growth in Angola, Woodruff praised China for doing more for Angola’s infrastructure in three years than any Western country has done over decades of involvement. Woodruff, however, was also critical of the fact that this economic growth in Angola helps the richer more than it does the poor, and that the poorest people there haven’t had much improvement in their living standards yet. This two-sided approach plainly recognizes issues, intelligently takes them apart, and encourages honest debate that makes the world move forward in dealing with China’s emerging issues.

It is imperative that the American mainstream media – and the politicians that control it – recognize that to continue to hide its own country’s social issues, human rights abuses and various other blemishes any longer with its shortsighted, small-minded fear-mongering tactics is absolute folly. As CNN’s own Fareed Zakaria brilliantly states, “You can’t stop China’s rise. All you can do is make sure that the U.S. is fully positioned to take advantage of that rise. Those are our options – we can either ride this wave or we can drown in it.”

The significance of Zakaria’s words are especially relevant considering the current economic situation in America. In the wake of the collapse of the housing market, American financial institutions have been wracked by wave after wave of crippling multi-billion dollar asset writedowns. Many would have collapsed, if not for last-ditch financial aid from the US government… and foreign investors, such as Singapore and Kuwait. Now is not the time for Americans to hide their heads in ignorance and xenophobia – its economy is on the verge of a major recession; how bad this recession is, and how severe its effect is on the people of America depends largely on whether it allows its lesser brethren all over the world to aid it in moving forward.

Which brings us to my final point: America, its allies and every country in the world are currently guests in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. Many are those who feel the need to use the Olympics as a platform to forward their political views and to strike China while it is in the limelight. Some are even intent on using their nations’ athletes as puppets spokesmen to forward their own agendas. If these issues are approached with intelligence, reason and etiquette – the way a scant few such as Bob Woodruff and a handful of Huffington Post journalists have – then I wish these people the best in promoting global understanding and facilitating awareness and mutual progress.

However, if America’s politicians and media approach these Chinese issues the way they’ve been doing for the past year or so – with ignorance, bias and racism – then they are not only doing themselves, their people, their athletes and their crippled economy a great disservice, they are also showing extremely bad manners.

As a guest in someone’s abode, do you harshly and vehemently criticize your host’s yard as being messy, or that his dog seems to not be fed properly? You simply don’t, not because it isn’t the right or wrong thing to do, but because there’s a time and place for everything. And that as a guest in your host’ home, you should have the basic manners, the fundamental courtesy to respect your host.

Therefore, to anyone who sees the upcoming Olympics as a grand opportunity to spout propaganda, promote hate and undermine the spirit of the Olympics – instead of civilly and intelligently dealing with political issues, appreciating their hosts’ hospitality, and enjoying their own athletes’ performances, then shame on them indeed.