OT...Boycotting the Olympics???

[darklord]

i agree its not s aimple as that, and its a topic of many variable answers. part of the fear is of china usurping the stablished nations but also a fear from china itself that it needs to push forward as quickly as possible to gain a foothold, a simliar thing is happening in India too. I think china\'s place is also much more under the microscope than our own emergence simply due to worldwide communication.
Maybe the games will actually help in a way by bringing china into focus, as much as the chinese goverment and the ioc will want to hide the ugly side of it, a truer picture of life in china will come out and maybe help raise awarness to plight of its people and that can only be a good thing, as stated before part of the problem is china is supplying a demand created by the west and until we are prepared to help change by being selective in our consumerism then they will continue with that demand. Afterall fair trade products are selling more now , maybe something more worldwide would help, but its easy for people to be moral when it doesnt cost them anything

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by MPJ
1) It is the government\'s responsibility to protect it\'s own, therefore if the US government feels it\'s athletes to be in danger (poisoned air, bad food, whatever) then it certainly is appropriate for them to take action and boycott.

Taking a \"Devil\'s advocate\" stance here, When have any of our respective Govt\'s ever really done that?

 

[darklord]

goverments will look after their people but after they have done other things first
1. retain their power
2. look after those that help them retain power (usually business)
3. remove where possible threats to their power

as the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutley

 

[MPJ]

While the last comments of Darklord and Dragonsreach may be accurate they do reflect a rather pessimistic view of government which is not uncommon, oddly enough it seems most common in democratic nations where people enjoy the freedom to hold such views.

Now if I were king of the world... :drunk:

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by MPJ
While the last comments of Darklord and Dragonsreach may be accurate they do reflect a rather pessimistic view of government which is not uncommon, oddly enough it seems most common in democratic nations where people enjoy the freedom to hold such views.

Pessimistic not really just cycnical and experienced.
Having been involved in Local politics I\'ve seen all too well the \"Snout\'s in the Trough\" mentality of some politicians.

But yes, your point about the ability to make such a statement is highly relevant, accurate and appreciated.

 

[skeeve]

Originally posted by lizcam
China has no regard for life at all. None. The earth be damned and everyone on it be damned if the people in power can increase their power base they will do everything they can, walk on everything they can to achieve it.

And in US, majority of people, not government, has no regard for life at all unless it is an American life. This is so entrenched that most people do it rather subconsciously without even noticing.

We are quick to boycot things left and right because of human rights track records in China, yet we completely disregard our own human track records if it suits our national interests (real or perceived).

Do you want to really change something in CHina? Stop buying goods made in China. How about this? I wonder how many of people who wants to boycott their Olympics would agree to do that, considering how painfully it\'ll hit your own personal pockets

 

[Friar]

I don\'t see much cause in boycotting the olympics, I don\'t feel the olympics are a real amazing platform to show contempt for the way china operates if they want to make a statement then boycott chinese trade, but I figure a government can boycott some bullshite event like the olympics get to be a goodey goodey for their constituants without pissing on anyone by cutting off trade and making a real stand.

I also don\'t think it\'s propper to take a dump on how china runs it\'s show, sure there are many things they do wrong but the wrongs they are doing are no different then when the US was going thru the same growing pains. Unsafe working conditions, child labor, exorbently long hours, shite for pay, belching out pollution, repressing other political view points, these kinds of things were all done here... now that by no means makes them \"right\" but it part of the growing pains that I\'m sure every major nation has gone thru, China is just the new kids on the big industrial block. I am also sure that in due time their work conditions will improve, their social and enviromental policies will be upgraded, it just takes time and the struggle inside China to reach a sensible balance, a struggle which continues everywhere some places with better success then others but all in all moving in the right direction. In the end if a government be it Germany, France, UK, or the US really wants to protest what china does then boycott trade, protesting shite like the olympics is a blow hard way of making things appear one way while maintaining that appearances exact opposite.