RSS 2.0 FeedIt’s Time To Call For An Olympic Boycott
by Doug Mataconis
Over at The Crossed Pond, Rojas gets on the bandwagon:
After some reflection, I think I’m now ready to fully endorse a boycott of the 2008 Summer Olympics. I don’t do so lightly. For one thing, I like sports. For another thing, I don’t like the corruption of non-governmental enterprises by political concerns.
The bottom line, however, is that there’s no point in pretending at this stage that these Olympics are apolitical. The Chinese regime views them entirely as a means of establishing its international credibility and prestige. And based on various reports, they have proven willing to do anything and everything awful to maintain that prestige–from the forcible relocation of thousands of citizens to a vehement crackdown on any possibility of dissent. There is simply no case to be made anymore that the Olympics exert a moderating effort on Chinese policy; they are clearly and demonstrably having the opposite effect.
China wants these Olympics for the same reason that Moscow wanted them in 1980 and Nazi Germany wanted them back in 1936 — to give an aura of international legitimacy to a dictatorship that has no intention of reforming.
We shouldn’t give it to them.
Of course I haven’t watched the Olympics since ‘92 (so I could see the first Dream Team play)…so this boycott will have absolutely zero effect on my life. I’m in. :)
Comment by UCrawford — March 26, 2008 @ 2:57 pmWhat the devil are the Olympics? A pair of Greek wrestlers? Get off my lawn!
Comment by Nitroadict — March 26, 2008 @ 4:10 pmNo government has the right to tell athletes they can’t go to China to compete.
Comment by Joshua Holmes — March 26, 2008 @ 5:31 pmJoshua,
Of course by anarchist rationale no government is required to sponsor or lend their name to a team of athletes so they can go compete either :)
Comment by UCrawford — March 26, 2008 @ 8:08 pmJoshua,
The athletes can do whatever they want as far as I am concerned. But don’t let them pretend they are representing the United States in a land of dictators.
Comment by Doug Mataconis — March 27, 2008 @ 5:14 amI never watched it. It’s boring. I hope China makes money so they can use it to help prop up our dollar some more!
Comment by uhm — March 30, 2008 @ 11:19 pm