American patriotism

French fries refer to elongated pieces of fried potatoes. French fries were once dubbed "freedom fries" in 2003, when congressmen had the names of certain foods on their cafeteria menu changed after the French government opposed going to war with Iraq. They also had the name French toast changed into "freedom toast." More than a few restaurants in the U.S. followed suit. Certain observers called the action a protest against France while others deemed it an expression of patriotism.

When the U.S. government’s assertion about Iraq’s possession of nuclear weapons was proven false years later, however, the name "French fries" was restored. In his 2006 book "Freedom Fries and Other Stupidity We’ll Have To Explain To Our Grandchildren,” Carl Christman cited that the Stars and Stripes used by supporters of the Iraq war were made in China. He satirized the hypocrisy and contradictions latent in what many called a preposterous act of patriotism.

Last week, Chinese-made clothes made the headlines of most U.S. newspapers. Americans were shocked to find that the Olympic uniforms of Team USA were entirely manufactured in China. Politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties joined the criticism. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Chinese-made Olympic uniforms should be burned. In response, Ralph Lauren, the manufacturer of the uniforms, promised to produce all American uniforms for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the U.S.

U.S. Olympic uniforms for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics were also manufactured in China, something that was reported at the time but hardly drew notable criticism. Even before 2008, such uniforms had not been made in the U.S. for a decade. The price competitiveness of the U.S. apparel manufacturing industry has long been lost. Just 5 percent of apparel consumed in the U.S. are made in America, which means that most of Reid’s clothes must be made outside the U.S. So is he willing to burn his clothes? This is why Chinese-made clothes bring freedom fries to mind.

Weekend Section O2 Reporter Min Dong-yong (mindy@donga.com)