Infinite MonkeysActivists warned on Olympic protests, reports the New York Times. You don't say. "In the latest sign of efforts to prevent dissent during the Beijing Olympics, political activists in Shanghai say they have been warned against expressing their opinions, speaking with foreigners or visiting Beijing until after the Games," according to our friends at the Times. This would be somewhat less of a problem for the United States is we simply boycotted the thing, but I appear to be in the minority of that view. The Chinese government understandably wants to look good in the eyes of the world. Let us have no talk of censoring news from the outside world, oppressing Tibetans, abetting genocide in Sudan, or supporting the backward regime in Burma. No, no, let us talk instead of embracing globalization and its attendant virtues. Hail Olympia!
Posted by Ben at June 26, 2008 01:07 AMMy wish is that we'd participate, but use the event as a world stage from which to protest the Chinese government's do-baddery. Especially sweet would be for the criticism to come in an ironic/sarcastic form of faint praise. We should nationalize and "filter" the coverage (as a show of solidarity with the ChiComs, and to silence NBC's inevitable puff pieces) but assign Mark Steyn and Christopher Hitchens as senior correspondents, actually giving them free rein.
I'm just too much of a softie to call for the athletes to again pay the highest price for our lame statecraft.
Posted by: Monkey Brad at June 27, 2008 11:24 AMThe US government shouldn't force a boycott of the games. After all, they couldn't find the moral high ground if they had detailed maps of its location, extracted from a Guantanamo Bay torture session.
But I would like to see the athletes refuse to compete. Waves of individual athletes resigning of their own accord would make a much stronger statement than being forced by their imperial masters to collectively boycott.
Posted by: Monkey RobbL at June 27, 2008 01:37 PM