Puncturing the Olympic myths against boycott and protest
The ever-insightful Anne Applebaum of the Washington Post tears apart the myths spun by the IOC, Olympic corporate sponsors, and the Chinese government. These myths come from statements like:
“We believe the Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations, and we hope that all people attending the games recognize the importance of this.” (Samsung Electronics, when asked whether recent events in Tibet were causing it any concern.)
It would be inappropriate “to comment on the political situation of individual nations,” and the company firmly believes “that the Olympics are a force for good.” (Coca Cola.)
“A boycott doesn’t solve anything.” “It is always sad to see such a ceremony disrupted” (Jacques Rogge, chairman of the IOC.)
According to Ms. Applebaum, the myths are as follows (her piece has much further analysis):
Myth # 1: “A boycott doesn’t solve anything.” Well, doesn’t it? Some boycotts do help solve some things.
Myth # 2: “The Olympics are a force for good.” Not always! The 1936 Olympics, held in Nazi Germany, were an astonishing propaganda coup for Hitler.
Myth # 3: “The Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations.” Aren’t they? Actually, the Olympics seem an ideal place for demonstrations.
She rightly concludes:
No wonder then, that everyone who hates or fears China, whether in Burma, Darfur, Tibet or Beijing, is calling for a boycott. And the Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee are terrified that those appeals will succeed. No one involved in the preparations for this year’s Olympics really believes that this is “only about the athletes,” or that the Beijing Games will be an innocent display of sporting prowess, or that they bear no relation to Chinese politics. I don’t see why the rest of us should believe those things, either.
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[...] from the AP, Belgium is not ruling out a boycott of the entire Olympics (some great arguments for a full boycott are here, from Anne Applebaum of the Washington Post): The Belgian government was not ruling out a [...]
URGENT CALL TO ALL OLYMPIC COMPETITORS:
I would request that all Olympic athletes rapidly develop and make use of networks of communication to pass the word: Make a personal choice to not participate in the Beijing Olympics.
If nobody goes, all the glamor, all the glory for the hideously abusive government in China will evaporate. Attention will be drawn dramatically to the Tibet issue. This personal, grassroots boycott will cost nothing, involve no violence, and leave all the governments and corporations wondering at the power and integrity of the statemant this group of young participants from aroung the world is making! Please consider.