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Free Tibet!


Elvish

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Tibet Activists Disrupt Olympic Torch Ceremony

I already asked for opinions about a possible boycott of the Olympic Games

I kinda think that a boycott wouldn't do anyone any good, not the Tibetians, and especially not the athletes...

imo, the best they could do is to keep demonstrating in a peacefull, non-violent way and thus keep the global focus constantly on that topic

also there might be some statements at the olympic games, a German pole vaulter suggested attending the opening ceremony with tebetian flags...

Meanwhile the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, defended the decision to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing despite the mounting criticism of its human rights record.

"This will have a good effect for the evolution of China," Rogge told Reuters in an interview on Monday. "We believe that the Games are a great catalyst for change."

"I have no message to give to China for what the sovereignty of China is concerned," Rogge said. "But the Games cannot be held in an atmosphere of violence. We are concerned about what is happening in Tibet."

:P

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It 's a well written and learned blog , Elvy ! :thumbsup:

All this needs a dose of realpolitik , and some understanding of the intense pride within Chinese nationalism . For over a century now , China has felt humiliated by Western and Japanese presumptions , pronouncements and exploitation up to the revolution. They grabbed Tibet ( which they view as a historic part of China - a la a Chinese Monroe Doctrine ) , which has long been a Western view of a kindly , Shangra-La of sorts , and have had to put up with being seen as fascist brutes for doing so . China has long seen itself as the natural leader and influence in the Far-East . They sure as hell aren't going to put up with 'free Tibet' groups / celebrities nor the scolding of the states that formerly humiliated them .

China will accept no protest or dissent at their Olympics. Any countries or their respective athletes who do so will be seen as causing a loss of face for China , and taken as an insult to the Chinese people as a whole - and there will be reprocussions toward any country that does so . Better for those countries, then, to either keep those athletes at home or bow out of joining the games as a whole if they feel strongly about it . China has been waiting for decades for this chance to show the world that they need to be taken seriously as a power . I'm not sure the timing was right to give them the Games .

I don't agree with their stance , but that is the way they'll take it , unlike a Western free country that can put up with some dissent , though they dislike it , too . Imagine if the games were in the US this year or in an Arab country and the Iraq war was going to be protested by certain countries - that would probably piss off the hosts , too .

Personally , the Olympics have grown beyond their original intent , and since they are often used to lobby changes politically now , they should be disbanded - the athletes be dammed . They have many other competitions to show their worth in anyway . The Olympics are only important because we, and the sports media , believe them to be so . Unfortunately , they have become gross displays of national chauvinism , and a kind of ' war by other means ' , as well as lucrative money for those involved in the whole sordid display .

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Personally , the Olympics have grown beyond their original intent , and since they are often used to lobby changes politically now , they should be disbanded - the athletes be dammed . They have many other competitions to show their worth in anyway . The Olympics are only important because we, and the sports media , believe them to be so . Unfortunately , they have become gross displays of national chauvinism , and a kind of ' war by other means ' , as well as lucrative money for those involved in the whole sordid display .

And they're coming to me in 2010. I wouldn't be that annoyed if it was summer olympics, but when the hell am I going to use a new speed skating rink?

Great blog :thumbsup:

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