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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Seeker
Considering this is the 'New Asia', no one will watch unless they include online games as an Olympic sport. |
I can just hear the commentary now:
"Is he.....yes, he is! He's lighting up another cigarette and opening another bag of Doritos!"
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mrmitchell
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I thougt the point of the Olympics was to promote international unity...
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Ted Striker
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United States of America
Jan 1970
time: 21:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Winston
Yesterday, in another thread, something came up again that I've been wondering about for some time now. The city of Beijing is hosting the Olympic Games in 2008, and I'm not sure it's the right course of action for civilized, democratic countries to participate in these games. The People's Republic of China is ruled by a regime that routinely tramples on human rights, encourages hate among the populace towards its neighbours, and uses its military and security forces for an aggressive authoritarian rule of the country.
Now, my concern for the participation of the rest of the world in this upcoming event is sparked by the sense I get that hosting the Olympics may set back attempts to change the regime's way of doing business - it may in fact encourage it to further its ways of oppression and aggressiveness. Consider the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which provided the National Socialists with a very welcome opportunity to boost national pride, as well as serving in the eyes of the rulers as a stamp of approval from the outside world. Also, the 1980 Moscow Olympics (although boycotted by 61 countries over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan) might still have been perceived as a propaganda scoop for the Soviet leaders, and a source of national pride among the citizens, thereby perhaps postponing the call for change and the eventual fall of the Communist system a decade later.
I was watching the nomination acceptance speech that President Reagan gave to the Republican Convention on 29 July 1984. Just the day before this speech, the President had been in Los Angeles to officially open the Games of the XXIII Olympiad. The last 10 minutes of the speech saw Reagan convey the sense of national pride that had come from the Olympic torch making its way across America in the preceeding months, relating some of the striking images and telling of the little stories that went with it. It was beautiful, moving, and no doubt very symptomatic of the way people were starting to feel about their country at the time.
I started thinking that this is what hosting the Olympic Games offers for a country. An opportunity for jubilant celebration of the Games and of the nation itself - and a chance to present to the world the very best of what that nation can do. It would be very nice I think, for the Chinese people to some day get this sensation as well, but do we really want, under the circumstances, to hand the Communist rulers this opportunity for propaganda, this global stamp of approval of the system they have set up?
Do we really want the President of China, Hu Jintao, to ever be able to hold a speech in the same vein as the one by President Reagan quoted below? |
A solid Onion piece.
Wait...
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VJ
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Helsinki
Dec 2001
time: 07:37
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quote:
wouldnt it be better to show up, and hope our presence is somehow subversive?
also, their desire for the olympics to go well, is probably keeping them on good behavior between now and then - boycotting would lose that. |
You know, in the early 90s I would've probably agreed with you -- remember how giving PRC a most favoured nation trade status was going to slowly turn them into a democratic, non-corrupt, non-militaristic country with respect for human rights? They haven't made any progress at all, on the contrary actually (consider, f.e. hard-line leader Hu Jintao and their quickly increasing naval budget).
EDIT:
IMHO, We need to sharply increase economic pressure on China - a bit of shock treatment if you will - it will decrease stability in the area, but it's the only way I can think of (ok, short of war and a puppet goverment) how we could get the corrupt communists out of power and turn China into a democratic (or at least more democratic) nation.
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Apolyton Time is 00:37. |
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26-08-2005 01:22
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