Would you have said the same about boycotting the Moscow Olympics in 1980 over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?
I think the moscow olympics was the reason why I am opposed to this idea of a boycott of the china games. Did’nt work then , and i doubt it would work this time. After the moscow games, reagan was elected and a variety of things were done to make the soviets leave A-stan. If tibet is that big a deal to people , we can send in the A-teams into china and destabalize them.
Declan
It is exactly BECAUSE of the Moscow boycott that I say this.
The Moscow boycott accomplished NOTHING with regard to Soviet foreign policy, made Carter look like a petulant idiot, alienated dozens of different national teams, ruined the lives of hundreds of Americans, deprived the world athletic community of proper competition, and, because I haven’t yet mentioned it, **accomplished NOTHING with regard to Soviet foreign policy.
**
And let’s not forget, the Moscow Games weren’t the only ones boycotted. The Los Angeles Games were boycotted as well. But you don’t remember that or mention it, because you’re American and because it flat out didn’t work. Last I checked, America was still here and still incarcerating higher percentages of its population than anywhere else and still practicing economic colonialism.
I defy you to provide an example of how boycotting the Olympic Games ever accomplished ANYTHING positive.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. At the stage we’re in right now regarding relations with China, while an Olympic boycott would get lots of attention at this point in time, expecting some long-term positive result on the China side from it strikes me as incredibly naive and short-sighted. Even if the U.S. or whoever boycotted purely for symbolic reasons, regardless of Beijing’s reaction, one could still point out that, okay, whoopee, we sure showed those Olympics assholes, but if we’re so upset with China, then why do we still have a bazillion dollars worth of trade deals with them? Hey, it’s just a silly sporting event after all, but god forbid we should go without our Happy Meal toys and microwave omelet cookers. With the 1980 boycott, the U.S. at least was not nearly as officially buddy-buddy with the USSR as it is with China right now, so it was maybe easier to say, “hey, not that we particularly like these guys anyway, but look how they invaded Afghanistan! How dare they!” Boycotting the Beijing games would be quite a hypocritical move on the U.S.’ part, I believe, if this was all that was done to send a message to China that we do not approve of the way they treat their people.
As for the protests…people have a right to say what they want, of course, and I think it’s great that there are so many who want to take a stand for the gross mistreatment of the Tibetan people. However, I think it was a bit crass on the part of the protesters (especially the ones in Europe) who extinguished the flame not once, but several times. While the Olympic games have become fraught with commercialism and corruption to a certain degree, at their heart is a well-intentioned desire to bring the world together on the same stage, regardless of political viewpoints, and I think more than anything else the flame represents this. The Olympics are not purely a Chinese property - China merely hosts them this year. Not one country that hosts the games is free of problems, and while it’s a great thing that there are people willing to point out these problems, attacking what is ostensibly a symbol of world unity is probably not the best way to address them. In my opinion, anyway. I’m not a big fan of China’s politics at all, but there are many things that I admire about Chinese culture and it would be a shame if they slipped to the wayside because of the country’s arrogant, idiotic political machine.
I sure don’t wanna pay more at Wal-Mart! Do you?!
I got a gut feeling here, which is sort of like feminine intuition, but much more reliable…
The Games will go on, but participation will be haphazard. A face saving gesture will be made, to the effect that China’s levels of air pollution make it untenable, accompanied with an acknowledgement that China’s efforts in this regard were sincere and forceful, but insufficient.
I want the cold war to heat up again before the Olympics (and then subside after).
I miss the old days of the Olympics. You have an American or British gymnast give a flawless performance and all of the Eastern Bloc judges give them a 1.2 or something.
Then an East German athlete hits his head on the pommel horse and dies, and the Soviet judge gives him a 9.4.
Those were the days to pound beer and get a violent, visceral rage toward sports that you otherwise wouldn’t give two shits about…
I agree 100%. A boycott of just the opening ceremonies wouldn’t be as bad, but I still think it won’t accomplish anything except to invite some kind of retaliation a la Los Angeles.
Bravo, sir, bravo.
Funny, but you have to admit, some o’ them Romanian skaters were hot.
I’m not really strongly pro or con on the boycott issue, but I’m curious: how did the Moscow boycott “ruin the lives of hundreds of Americans”?
Even if I’m mildly sympathetic to your position, this strikes me as a bit hysterical and self-indulgent, esp. in the context of whole countries (Afghanistan and Tibet) being subjugated.
Now BBC is saying UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon won’t attend the opening ceremony, due to “scheduling problems.” This is on top of Brown and Merkel not going.
I’m for the leaders boycotting, and the athletes and reporters going. For the leaders, what would the retaliation be - a bunch of Communist thugs not showing up?
But the best thing that will come out of this is a bunch of reporters, there only for the duration, fanning out and giving us the real story. Will they be stopped by the security thugs, even though free access was promised? That’s a great story there. Win win, the light is shone on them, and the athletes get to compete.
As for you, Richard Parker, Americans are all over China these days, setting up business deals and the like. It hasn’t seemed to help much, has it? Exactly how is the Chinese middle class going to get more contact with this. They’re not going to be visiting the Olympic village, for obvious security reasons. Maybe they’ll see some tourists for a few days. It won’t help.
The head of the London Olympic Committee was also caught on air, unbeknownst to him, referring to the Chinese security detail as “thugs.” He said they literally pushed him out of the way three times!
UPDATE: China has announced that Tibet will be closed to tourists during the torch relay there. Story here. Hardly surprising, really.
I actually think international contact is a very minor factor. The thrust of my post was how this plays into the state’s cultural narrative, which I think has a substantial effect.
But, I also think it is very difficult for you to argue that the having the Olympics in Beijing doesn’t put more money in the hands of middle-class entrepreneurs and increase, if only marginally and temporarily, international contacts.
What makes you think middle class Chinese won’t be visiting the Olympic village?
I think hundreds might have been an exageration, but concidering it would be twelve years before two peer atheletes would have competed against each other , by that time they may have been ecclipsed by more younger atheletes coming up in the system.
Their lives were probably not ruined ,but their dreams and aspirations might have been ruined and their monetary post olympic rewards would simply have gone poof.
Declan
It seems hypocritical or maybe naive for Americans to protest the Olympics because of China’s human rights record. American corporations have no problem exploiting cheap Chinese labor or exposing Chinese dissidents. There is no problem with China carrying U.S. debt. Barack Obama is the only politician to honestly address the problem with a U.S. boycott of the Olympics, saying: *It is hard to say no to your banker. *
G.W. Bush will certainly be at the opening ceremonies. The U.S. will inevitably need more money soon.
I was actually turned off by the SF protesters. I agree with John Mace. The time to protest was when China won the bid to host the Olympics, but more importantly, where were the protesters against the Bush administration’s decision to use torture, subvert the Constitution, and cut funding for socially critical programs in order to fight a war? No one is protesting the dire situation in this country. Thus, I don’t understand the outrage towards China.
Let the Games begin!
So are you boycotters giving up Chinese-made goods then?
I guess we’ll never see eye to eye on this, 'cause if anything arguments like this convince me all the more firmly not to care. “Monetary post olympic rewards” my eye . . .