Eric's Beijing Diary

The recent trouble in Tibet had some unusual consequences today that show how quickly legitimate concern can be exaggerated. A group of cub scouts had been invited to come down on the baseball field and meet the players at last Saturday's game, but when the cops saw these kids with their uniforms, they thought they might have some connection to the rioting in Tibet (???), so they were not allowed on the field. The writer of this piece in the Danwei Blog was obviously irritated, but the article actually made me laugh. I am trying to understand what could possibly have possessed those cops to think the cub scouts could have started a revolution in a baseball field! I suppose that, not ever having seen a cub scout uniform, they may have assumed that this organization was something akin to the Young Pioneers in China. But what does that say about the Young Pioneers? If you asked the Chinese government (or any other person in a position of power) about this, I'm quite sure they would deny any connection between the military and the Young Pioneers. A story like this makes me wonder.