Opinions on the Olympics being held in Beijing

[Jeeti]

I was just curious as to how everyone feels about the amount of effort that China has been putting into the hosting of the Olympics...Particularly, China's willingness to reduce pollution..for now...or at least for as long as the games are held...

Personally, I find it disgusting and just a temporary curtain being put over a country thats problems are endless....

 

[Summy]

I think it is wack that so many people are sitting there are trying to play tree hugger when the olympics roll around, but all-year round are blind to china's problems.

The biggest reasons that people are boycotting the olympics is China's human rights abuse. Especially in Darfur, with their investments in the Sudanese government, and in Burma etc... When the olympics roll around, people read the cnn news headline, the local article, and a documentry and claim that they have rights to sit there and critisize the olympics for being held there. Where is the pressure all year round on china? Why is it that the olympics raises peoples awareness for a few weeks, and then when its all over people stop caring.

I think its sad that these stories are pimped out for controversy that excits people during the olympics. You want to make a real difference, dont boycott the olympics that will happen anyways, but go out of your way well after the olympics to help the causes you are boycotting for.

I think its patronizing, all these olympic boycott bullshit

 

[Varun]

What better time to get a major power to listen to problems then when it is put under the magnifying glass by the world? Much good has come out of criticism via the Olympics...this is the first time China has ever even considered having negotiations with the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Government-in-exile. And I agree with Jeeti, alot of the change, though it is good, may unfortunately be temporary. Time will tell.

 

[Meistro]

I agree with summy. The olympics happen every 4 years for a few weeks at a time. Where is everyone for the 4 years leading up to the olympics? If you want to bring up the whole "the olympics is a good platform to address these issues" idea, why weren't these problems brought up when China was announced as the host for the upcoming olympics? Much good has come out of criticism via the olympics? Like when? varun, you're saying this is the first time china has ever considered having negotiations? It is also the first time china has EVER had an olympics in their country. When the olympics are over, china is going to forget the whole thing and back to their old ways. Its a front so that the olympics go smoothly. China is such a powerful country, something like the olympics is not going to change anything. Gonna need a lot more than that.......

 

[Varun]

Well said. I think there are two things that make up this show of disgust against China as the Olympics come near:
1. People are lazy and usually only stir up a fuss for change when there is a big backing and a sense of revolution in the air.
2. I think people see the olympics host country (and the nations that have been historically chosen to host, save Nazi Germany and USSR) as exemplary countries that are expected to be very civilized, have good human rights records, and overall support democracy. I think the fuss is that China is none of this and was still chosen as a host country. I think people are not as mad as China being a terrible dictatorship (much of the world is) but more so that it was chosen a host country while still being a terrible dictatorship.

So I think people hardly care about the issues but more so that China is tarnishing this well held perception that the host country is a dream democracy. I agree with you guys, its shady that we would not care otherwise. I guess thats human nature at its worse, unless anyway else has some explanations or solutions to BS like that.

 

[Vick]

I think Israel accidently needs to drop a bomb on the chinese government... All problems will be fixed...

 

[Meistro]

vick, please refrain from suggesting terrorist, sexual, fraudulant, or other activity as it is not the purpose of this website. Thank you for your cooperation skank.

Love,
yours truly

 

[Summy]

I think Israel accidently needs to drop a bomb on the chinese government... All problems will be fixed...

Wow, if thats supposed to be funny, its not remotely, and bad taste. Maybe you should that garbage somewhere else. Are you implying you have something against the jews and the chinnese?


Im gald people can see through alot of this hype, drummed up by the media. Its halirious to watch, because whats better for China's bid for olympics but to be highly conterversial. How much has this olympics been hyped by the media. Not one story in main news channels was done on China and their influence in Africa, their treatment within their own country, Burma etc prior the lead up to the games... The olympics roll around, everyone wants to see dramay and a big fuss, and then when the olympics are over, slowly it will go back to the same ignorance.


Varun, the olympic boycotts have NEVER brought about change. Quite the opposite. The most controversial olympics was probably Berlin 1936. Yes, even though the olympics was handed to Germany prior to the Nazi regime, the Nazi party was up and coming and a threat. The IOC also did not strip the olympics. Think about this, you have the olympics in one section of Germany, and literally, MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS of dead bodies in concentration camps, with people dieing in gas chambers, and mass graves. The pressure to "boycott" lead to more agressive tactics by the Nazi regime, something Im sure China is employing as well...

The Nazis used the olympics to further their ideologies of the aryan race. They employed MASSIVE propaganda in the olympics, and gained HUGE AMOUNTS of profit to, guess what... sponsor more terrorism, death, and oppression. Yeah boycotting the olympics at face value is great, but do you think China can put up with a few months of international pressure, when literally billions of dollars are on the line? umm, Im guessing yes. It would have been better if the media had exploited China a lot earlier, umm say the earlier 90's, or around 2003... right before all that genocide stuff starting happening in Darfur, where the weaposn and funds used are given to the government (oppressors) by the Chinese oil investments.



China is going to profit immensely from these games, and the fact is, had people cared a little bit earlier, it would been alot more easier to accept this boycott bullshit. But the fact that the world community and the media did not give a flying fuck prior to the lead up to the olympics, and when hyping the games are good for ALL MEDIA, just shows how most of the outrage is superfical at best.

 

[HarmanSingh]

Of course China is only talking a big game now to appease the public before the Olympics, and they will go back to their ways after the games are done. But the fact that people have outrage now instead of 2 years ago is expected....the Olympics are a big deal and illuminate problems the host country has. A lot of people may not have been educated on their human rights abuses and other problems before the coverage shifted this way. Of course the media knew, but I for one expect nothing of the media anyway, as the majority of them are just sucking off a conglomerate and telling half truths/complete lies.

And as sad as it is, people quickly forget and move on from these sort of things and find something else to be outraged about for 5 minutes. Look at New Orleans post Katrina...how many times do you hear about their problems on the news now? What about the Jenna 6? What about Sean Bell? The list could go on and on...people have selective outrage and say they want change without doing anything to create change.

So after the Olympics are over, that is it for this news story. You aren't going to hear anything about the human rights abuses because the media will move onto some other half-assed coverage. It would have been a good idea to boycott earlier and send a message that a country that does this kind of stuff is not to be rewarded with unbelievable profits from games, but at this point it is too late and a boycott will do nothing. What I would like to see is people speaking out on this stuff after the games are over and demanding the media continue to cover China's abuses. Too bad the people in DC don't give a damn about any of this as long as they get reelected.

 

[Meistro]

just like when 9/11 happened everyone SUDDENLY turned patriotic. A sheepish world we live in.