ThoughtThought

If you’re like me, you enjoy the drama and internationalism of the Olympic Games, and never tire in the irony of the racewalking competition.  Its internationalism is by design — stated goal: “promote understanding through sporting competition”. The ancient games united warring city-states from across the Greek world, and the modern Olympics have upheld that tradition, even during the most tense and fearful times.

For these reasons, I don’t think the 2008 games should be canceled, and neither  does the Dalai Lama. However, we can’t ignore the spectacularly poor Human Rights record of host nation China — it seems to get worse by the day, especially with regards to Tibet. So what do to…?

Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s reasonable solution: that political leaders worldwide skip the opening ceremonies. Via Reuters:

“The leaders of the free world, for goodness sake, don’t attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games until it is quite clear that they (the Chinese) mean business and that they will stop the violence against the Tibetans,”

I think this is a reasonable and potentially effective strategy. And let’s take it a step further and boycott watching the ceremonies on TV (not that it’s such a sacrifice). Here’s what you can point out to people when they ask why:

• China has violently repressed peaceful pro-Democracy street protests, inciting riots, in the last few months.
• China prosecuted/persecuted these peaceful protesters with absurdly prison harsh sentences last week. The Daily Mail reports that some Tibetan protesters even received life sentences — for participating in street protests!
• Chinese secret police have intimidated and harassed journalists covering Tibetan freedom protests in Beijing

The BBC video below, published on March 20th, provides documentary evidence of the first and third point.

Mind you, let’s not confine our sino-disgust (hey, it’s a blog, I get to make up words) merely to its treatment of Tibet and its advocates. China’s collusion with the most vile and demented of dictatorships, as well as its de facto policy of unchecked capitalism, are also worth noting. But Tibet is China’s great black stain — an entire nation has been violently, wrongly, and almost sadistically, imprisoned by another nation.

We should hold China to higher moral standards, and take advantage of the fact that they are hosting the Olympics to shine a spotlight on what they are doing to Tibet, and to Tibet’s advocates inside China. I am signing this online petition and telling some people I know about it. I know that nobody reads petitions — but they do count them, so your signature counts. And do call or write your political representatives, if you live in a country lucky enough to enjoy that right, which so many Tibetan protesters are literally giving their lives for.

Also, if you live in the US, you know that we have our own moral standards we need to struggle to rekindle. Let’s start by asking President Bush (and his representatives) to heed Archbishop Tutu and skip the opening ceremonies in Beijing. And meanwhile, we’ll turn of the toob and read up on Tibet.