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Originally Posted by Dorian Gray
...I think China has already acted to improve its human rights position directly because of the Olympics' spotlight.
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It's good to have dreams, Dorian...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorian Gray
For that matter, has anything positive ever been achieved with boycotts?
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Hmm... the end of Apartheid in South Africa, British rule in India... certainly not the only cause, but boycotts are potentially very powerful politically and economically, and they were major contributors to the end of these regimes. A boycott of the opening ceremonies would certain result in major loss of face for Chinese leaders, though I'm not sure that it would necessarily help Tibetans. However, not watching the games or buying Chinese products is healthy political action.
I think that there are likely to be a lot of people who don't want politics to interfere with their enjoyment of the Games. I cannot relate with this position one bit. What is and has been going on in China and Tibet is cultural genocide, political and religious repression, torture, corruption, environmental devastation, and so forth. I honestly do not understand how someone can turn a blind eye to the immense suffering of all of these people, both Chinese and Tibetans alike, and just want to bask in the spectacle of a sports game with a mind unfettered by the reality of what is going on just outside of the arenas.
My apologies to anyone who wants to just enjoy the games, but this one is going to be sharing the spotlight with China's outrageous human rights, political and environmental records. How the Chinese government thought they would avoid that is a mystery...