boycotting beijing
Last night Brooke had a group of girls over and at one point several of them were talking excitedly about one of the current Olympic showdowns and they asked me if I had seen it. When I replied that I was actually boycotting the Olympics this year I received several confused looks. One of the girls asked me why I would do such a thing and when I told her it was because they were being held in China I got a very dismissive response of, "Oh whatever."
I realize that since the Olympics started over four days ago making mention of my "boycott" now is a bit anti-climactic but I figured I might as well put up a few of my thoughts as well as a couple of links for consideration. It's not like many people view this site or that even those of you who do will care much about my opinion on this issue but I figured, what the heck.
I don't need (or want) to go into much detail here so let me summarize by saying that allowing Beijing to host the 2008 Summer Olympics just seems to me to be a clear demonstration of global hypocrisy and ambivalence. My reasoning here is simple, China has been and continues to be one of the worst human's rights violators in the world. Despite full awareness of this fact many nations seem to simply be ignoring China's record as they join in the games there this week. This wouldn't be a big issue if it weren't for the fact that many, if not most, of these nations didn't also claim to be defenders and proponents of liberty and justice.
Maybe I'm just cynical (okay, I know I'm cynical but that doesn't make me wrong on this) but it seems to me that this is mainly about the money. The fact one of the worlds most repressive and brutal communist regimes also happens to have a bursting economy that many nations want to trade with seems to me to be why there hasn't been more of an international outcry over holding the Olympics there. Let's not make them angry so we can get some of their wealth.
Oh yeah, and in all the talk of global warming and climate change over the past few years let's not forget that China is unabashedly one of the worst polluters in the world. I don't know man, it just seems to me like the world's moral compass is way off on this. I've heard that during the opening ceremony much was being said about peace and harmony. Unfortunately the Chinese government doesn't really believe in these things and actually upholds repression, brutality, persecution, and censorship as their values. Why are we injecting their economy with billions of dollars by allowing them the privilege of hosting the Olympics?
Here are some links for your perusal (if you care):
posted by Travis @ 2:01 PM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Travis - not sure I've ever commented on your blog, but here goes: I 100% agree with you about China hosting the Olympics and how incredibly hypocritical it is for every participating country (especially ours) that blathers on about human rights and then caves economically. That said, the joy I've seen on the athletes as they're competing and being able to watch them is wonderful. God bestowed exceptional, specific talent on these people and their work and dedication is amazing to see.
I don't support the majority of the actions of the U.S. government (federal and state), but I do support the people of this country. Probably a poor analogy, but I'm not that much of an intellectual. :)
With all my respect,
Kitty
kitty,
first, thanks for commenting. i didn't even know you read this and i didn't know you had your own blog for the fam. i'm very excited about that and am adding it to my bookmarks.
second, i totally agree with your comments about the ability and prowess of the athletes involved in the olympics. my problem is not with them so much as it is with their governments. although, what a rebuke it would have been to the hypocrisy of their own governments if the athletes themselves refused to participate in the games. (?) like i said though, my problem is with those higher up the ladders than the individual athletes.
Travis, I've never known you to be a boycotter, so this intrigues me. I know you wouldn't be part of a culture boycott (i.e. Baptists vs. Disney) but would instead call for engagement. Does the call change here? And why?
Not critical; just curious.
craig,
your observation is fair, i'm not typically a boycotter. and yes, i disagreed with the baptist vs. disney boycott.
i think the context and situation changes the call. for one the issues at stake here are a bit bigger than a few films that happen to violate someone's moral sensibilities. we live in a free country and people can choose to watch or not watch what they want to. with china there are larger issues of justice and liberty at stake and when every major nation participates without batting an eye we are in effect throwing support behind the chinese regime. this is more true when you consider how tightly controlled the propaganda... err, i mean news, is controlled within china. the chinese people hear only what their government wants them to hear and then all of the sudden scores of other nations show up in apparent friendship, solidarity, and "harmony" with their government.
the flip side of this is that those who are participating in and enjoying the games this summer can't really be said to be "engaging" china. at least not in a way that brings any lasting impact or significant change. again, comparing this with a disney film, i can watch a film with somebody and even if i disagree with the film i can engage the person and ask them why they liked it, how it spoke to them, etc. i can also think critically about the film and come away with a better perspective on something and in that sense it can be educational. i don't think i'm missing out on an educational, worldview deepening experience by passing on the olympics. also, while i'm choosing to avoid all that's connected with the games i'm not boycotting other people. i can still talk with people and see why they think it's appropriate to watch and we can dialogue on the issue.
i'm not trying to make anybody else take my position here. but for me it is a position that i think is right to take. not the most important matter in the world right now, but one that's still worth doing or not doing something about.
is that a fair enough answer?
does that sound like a fair answer?
Travis, I am with you on the boycott. I just read this this afternoon: http://reformedmusings.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/communism-vs-the-olympiad-form-over-substance/#more-273 The hypocrisy of these Olympic Games knows no bounds
a jacked up moral compass is right on dude. i am preparing for my Christian ethics and apologetics class and of all my readings here's the verdict: "the world in general and America in particular is loosing its moral moorings." (luke bobo) No wonder it seems we are cry foul over a politician's indiscretion but quickly forget. What a great opp for Christians to live out the gospel; a radically different ethic!
sven - thanks for the link. definitely an interesting read. not to defend china's actions but i wonder though on the "cheerers" and the "singers" scandals how much was the fault of communism and how much should be placed on the shoulders of a different cultural outlook where the community (state) is more important than the individual. chinese communism tends to be the extreme of that while in the west we err on the extreme of individualism at the expense of community. there are a few other cultural factors to consider as well. however, i agree that what they did is wrong, i'm just not sure if communism is to blame.
luke- it'd be interesting to interview a class of college students just to see how many of them have even thought about this issue and whether or not it is an issue. hmmm...
craig - i thought of one more thing from above. i think there is a major difference between the southern baptist boycott of disney and my decision to boycott the olympics. that difference being that this is a personal decision i've made that i haven't asked anyone else to make and i don't look down on those average people who are just watching the olympics.
wow - i'm going to have to up my vocabulary to comment next time. ican't compete w/what's on here.
i completely understood your argument/position and actually agree; i'm just a little sad you don't get to see some joy.
with all my respect (and enjoyment of all that is travis),
K
kitty,
can i just share some of your joy through osmosis?
we need to come hang with you, john, and the kiddos sometime soon.
oh, and i'm sure your vocab is just fine. sometimes i use big words just to make myself feel better for paying so much for an education. i actually prefer small words though. ;-)
oh - you woke me from my slumber.
thanks!
um... you're welcome, i think?
Fair enough.
did you come up with the handcuff t-shirt or can I actually buy one somewhere.
i didn't come up with it, they were for sale on one of the pages i linked to in the post.
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