Boycott 2008
Now, before I get started, I must point out that I am not a boat jumper, and have been touting the Boycott Beijing idea since 2006.
I cannot honestly see what good the Olympics are doing anymore. The movement has gone from good will and unification, to greed and corprorate whoring. And worst of all, they cater to the direct market of any country with deep enough pockets. Having 1.3 billion democratically opressed people helps make China not only a perfect candidate, but one of the front runners for super-power supremecy in the next few decades.
China has one of the worst human rights records for a first-world nation, enforced censorship, and has bronek all it’s promises for unrestricted media access to the games and an improvement of rights by the start of the games. Yet, being as they have the US on an enconomic dog leash, who’s gonna stop them?
When I first heard that China was getting the games, back when they announced their mascots, my immediate though was this was the worst choice since the 1936 Berlin Olympics. But, hey, history can’t repeat itself, right?
With all of this, I will be glad when the fucking thing is done and China can go back to quietly opressing its people while the world looks elsewhere for a better distraction. Like, maybe the 2010 Olympics? No, wait, those are being held here, and have almost as much advertising as the damn Beijing games!
Why can’t it just go away?