Beijing Olympics: to boycott or not to boycott?

[Guynemer]

Discuss.

[Deity Dude]

DON'T BOYCOTT.

a) If you boycott all that means is that China will boycott the next Olympics and you'll end up with 8 years of meaningless Olympics like '80 and '84.

b) The whole point of the Olympics is that it is supposed to be a non-political event sponsoring the best athletes from around the world.

I always thought Carter's decision to boycott the '80 Olympics was just another example of what an enept president he was. All he did was hurt US athletes, hurt the Olympics and what it stood for, and force an '84 boycott by the Russians. Plus it did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to dissuade the USSR from it's Afghanistan folly. It was rhetoric for rhetoric's sake.

[One_more_turn]

Boycotting Olympics will not change a thing about China's policy in Tibet.

Right now the CCP guys in Beijing still care about their "international image". If we boycott and burn that bridge, they will do whatever they please with Tibet.

Unlike Serbia and Iraq, China is not a country you can invade without getting yourself nuked back to dark age first.

Also, the Western media has behaved quite stupidly in this affair. In their utmost zeal to take a swipe at the CCP, they just made too many childish mistakes:

[asleepathewheel]

Are you asking for a personal boycott or a state boycott?

I don't like a national boycott, but I also don't want an orgy of Chinese nationalism that we get every two years from the host country.

Personally, I won't watch much, as I'm guessing the time differential will prevent significant watching, and frankly, summer sports aren't as interesting to me as winter.

Is the comparison to 1936 a stretch? I hope so, this isn't the same
China of the 50's, but I think there should be plenty of counter programming about China by other networks.

[OzzyKP]

Well I intend to boycott it personally.






Just like I boycotted the Olympics in Athens, and Sydney, and Atlanta, and Salt Lake City, and... heck I don't even remember where they had the other recent winter Olympics. Japan somewhere? *shrug* The Olympics are fricken boring.

Anyhow, I definitely think trade, inclusion and cultural exchange is the best way to democratize China. It is happening right now, too slowly perhaps for most in the west, but it'll get there. For democracy to truly be successful in a country there needs to be some social structure in place. If government doesn't wipe your ass and tuck you in at night, people need to get used to doing it themselves. So China, at least from my arms-length perspective, is building the economy, building a middle class (also a good idea for democracy) and getting those social structures, individualism, etc put in place to make democracy successful.

Once more of that is put in place democracy will happen and it'll thrive. Better yet, (one hopes), it won't relapse into an Putin administration within a decade.

So, Olympics in China.
Olympics in general.

[SlowwHand]

The United States and any civilized country needs to boycott it under current conditions. Personally, I'm amazed they were granted the events. I will not be watching them.

[Deity Dude]

If the Olympics were in the US would you support the international community boycotting the Olympics because of our invasion/occupation of Iraq.

I'm not saying it is quite the same thing, but I'm sure there are many parts of the world that consider it comprable.

The whole concept of a boycott reminds of a kindergartener's reaction:

"I don't like you so I'm not gonna play with you."

DON'T USE THE OLYMPICS TO TRY TO ACCOMPLISH A FORIEGN POLICY GOAL.

[Asher]

Don't boycott, that screws athletes who train all of their lives for this...

[One_more_turn]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
The United States and any civilized country needs to boycott it under current conditions. Personally, I'm amazed they were granted the events. I will not be watching them.

Al-Qaeda, Mullahs, and Putin will be really happy then.

[SlowwHand]

I don't understand what I assume was meant as a smartass remark.

[Ben Kenobi]

When they permit bibles to be brought by the athletes, then I will watch them. Until then, no.

[Juggler]

The United States and any civilized country needs to boycott it under current conditions. Personally, I'm amazed they were granted the events. I will not be watching them.

and should the world boycott every US sports competition, under current conditions (occupation of Afghanistan , Iraq)?

you're a hypocrite

[Ming]

Originally posted by Asher
Don't boycott, that screws athletes who train all of their lives for this...

Another thing we can agree on...

The Olympics are for the athletes. Give them their day in the sun.