Spending 8/8/08 in Beijing

Everyone knows who Steven Spielberg is, right? If not, I direct you to Google, which is a wonderful plethora of information on anything. Educate yourself briefly on pop culture. So about Spielberg . . .

Steven Spielberg's latest project was helping with graphic design for the upcoming Beijing Olympics this August. And yet, on February 14th, Spielberg resigned from this position. He was quoted as saying, "My conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual.”

And why was his conscience so plagued? China has long had solid trade relations with the Sudan. If you are at all familiar with what's happening there, genocide is ravaging Darfur. At least 200,000 people have been killed and two million forced from their homes in the five-year conflict. And has China used their trading prestige to do anything about it? No. Spielberg says, "At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur.”

China's involvement in Darfur - or perhaps lack of involvement - is the reason many people are calling for an Olympics boycott. But this is not the only facet of Chinese politics that is open for criticism. China has never been known for a glistening human, civil, religious rights record. (Clicky.) And their animal rights ratings are obscene. Many argue that politics should stay out of something as unifying as the Olympics, but Chinese politics spill over into the Games, too. A Geneva rights group noted that approximately 1.25 million people in Beijing have been displaced from their homes to make room for the Olympic Village. (Clicky.)

On top of it all, China is communist. And you'd think we'd be beyond wariness of nations simply because of their form of government - believe me when I say I am not a democracy snob - except, well, we'll let the past Olympics of communist nations speak for themselves. Remember the 1936 Olympics Games, hosted by Berlin. They are more commonly referred to as "Hitler's Olympics." Perhaps the 1980 Olympics hosted by Moscow were not has tragic, but they were over shadowed by rampant cheating and drug abuse. China has made promises of freedom of the media, but these have no been upheld.

Does a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics sound so unreasonable now? It has been my conviction that such an Olympics can only end badly, and not even the Olympics are above being marred by political controversy.

Do you think the US ought to boycott? Do you have additional reasons and data to share? Or perhaps you'd like to call me on my facts, and present your reasons as to why it is important that the US attend? Leave a comment.

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