Flame attendants just doing their job

During the closing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, the local host had his mind elsewhere for a second when he told the cheering crowds as the community cauldron was about to be lit: "Now, please welcome the flight attendants on stage."

As local spectators laughed it off, I thought to myself, had a slip of the tongue like this taken place in China, the audience would have treated it quite differently.

Many in the West would not mistake these men for flight attendants. Some have accused them of being too tight and concerned-looking, and a few have even called them "thugs".