Should Politics be involved in the 2008 olympics?

Well, you may have heard about all of these disruptions to the carrying of the torch around the world in an effort to make China take some action. Some even talk of boycotting the actual olympics itself, which would be a huge embaressment for China.
What do you think? Do you think that they should just do one thing at a time and let the olympics go as normal and then worry about whatever problems china is facing, or do you feel that the world should use the olympics to force china to make change?

Discuss.

Btw, this is the stadium which will host the games. I think it looks pretty good.

argggg this annoys me so much...

im in two minds about it all.. although i think its really good that the olymipics is highlighting the bad human rights records and the problems in tibet ... i dont think that sport should suffer because of this ...

... to boycot it would be aweful... in the end i just feel sorry for all the athletes who have spent the last four years prepairing for the event and the fact that all their achievements will probably be overlooked by the political unrest.

[sdc91]

The Olympics is supposed to bring the world TOGETHER.

Shame on any country who is boycotting them because the Games are in China. I can understand if some athletes won't participate (like Marathoners) due to air quality, but not for political reasons.

China was such a poor place to decide to have the Olympic Games. I know that we're in the "Chinese Century", but seriously. The Chinese military has been committing human rights violations against the people in Tibet and the neighboring Xinjiang Province for decades, and no country has ever made a real attempt to try and stop them from doing it.

And not only that, most major Chinese cities are covered in layers of pollution. How do they think they're going to be able to successfully host track and bicycle marathons?

[sdc91]

When I was in China, I went to Beijing and Tianjin. In Beijing I don't think i saw the sun at all. It was safe to STARE into the sun due to all the pollution blanketing the atmosphere. In Tianjin I saw the sun the day after it rained (which means all the pollution spilled onto the ground, lovely). Then the next day it was gone again.

[nickmc]

I understand WHY the Tibetans are using the Olympics as a tool to get their message across and I do feel for them- the Chinese have treated them like shit- but I wish the protests would just leave the Olympics out of it. Like someone said before, the athletes work so hard and if countries boycott the Olympics then how can they say they are the best in the world at something. There will always be that doubt that maybe someone from a boycotting country was better.

I love politics (it's my major at Uni) but this time, it's butting in where it doesn't belong in my opinion.

[dictionary]

I think people shouldent boycot the olympics because its about unifying people from all around the world...

But i think people should go ahead and protest and demonstrate at them and imbaress china on the world stage..

I dont think these olymipics will be verry good... thats not just because im from australia and now that sydney will always be the best... well untill melbourne has it...

[pirateninja]

What gets me is that people have been trying to extinguish the flame and acted violence toward the people carrying it. I think that if people are vehemently against it, then fine, go ahead and protest. But violence is not needed.

[joeyconnick]

I don't think China should ever have been chosen to host the Games. Obviously given that it has the IOC is hardly going to seriously attempt to force China to do better in terms of human rights.

That being said, the Olympics is all about politics, and money, and thinking it's actually just about the sports is pretty naive. Just look at how much money is spent trying to compete to be the host of the Olympics--the entire process is about money and who knows who, etc.

But as with so many things, it's the hypocrisy of how things work that really gets to me. In 1980 when the US called on people to boycott the Summer Games in Moscow, boycotts are fine and dandy but now the notion of boycotting the Games is treated like some lunatic notion of the nutjob left, when China's crimes against humanity are probably just as serious as the Soviet Union's. But of course China is such a huge market that we don't want to do anything to seriously piss them off (where "we" is "the West").

And then beyond that what about the massive human rights abuses the US commits? Or that Canada has been party to? And I'm pretty sure the UK and really most countries in the world cannot claim to have perfect human rights records, so while it's hypocritical to claim China's behaviour is fine, it's also completely hypocritical to single China out.

Forget Tibet, though... if the US is so concerned about worldwide democracy, I have just two words: Tiananmen Square.

So yeah, the whole situation is a clusterfuck, to sum things up.

[Fiorino]

The Olympics are about humanity joining together for an athletic
competition. However, I think China's record for basic human rights
is UNACCEPTABLE. I also don't appreciate them sending weapons to
Sudan to help out with the genocide in Darfur. I guess it kind of
sucks for the whole "Olympic sprit" thing, but I for one will be
boycotting the Olympics. Until China cleans up it's human rights,
and until the repression of Tibet is over. Not to mention all the
damage that they're doing to the planet... The protests are really
making China look bad, and I'm glad. We're all human beings and
we all deserve to be treated with respect and we all deserve at
least basic human rights. Shame on China.

[joeyconnick]

Yeah but who gave the 2008 Summer Games to China in the first place? The IOC, which according to you is all about putting on an event which represents humanity joining together for an athletic competition.

It's not like China just started playing hardball with Tibet. Or Taiwan. Or like Tiananmen Square was recent. Everyone's known of China's human rights abuses for years. Decades even.

So really, be upset at the IOC for essentially saying: no, that's okay, China... we know you do some pretty questionable things but here, have the Olympics!

[Louise]

I think the IOC was wrong to even consider China for the Olymic games. Yes originally the Olymics were the bringing together of nations bla bla bla but today it is all about money, sponsership, television rights,which brand name has the right (who has paid the most) to clothe one team or another,who has paid the highest price to be the official supplier COKE COLA, MAC DONALDS etc.

Today the Olympic games has NOTHING to do with sportsmanship and the uniting of nations! The only thing that counts is money, television scores and brand names.

The IOC asked in a very meek and mild way that China to improve it human rights records without any set limits on what they wanted and in what time frame or what the consequenses would be if human rights were not improved. (A bit like you are I asking a mass murdering psychopath to please stop now because we did say please!) Now at a few months from the start all of a sudden they want China to make a 'show of good will' Good god they have had the last 4 years to make a 'show of good will' all they have done NOTHING, nothing but oppress and brainwash the masses allowing only the informaetion that they want known to be broadcast or printed, whilst keeping their singlularly brutal strangle hold on Tibet

One of France's complaints for the Games is the fact that the Chinese don't want to give journalists free access to Internet and only images accepted by the Chinese governement can be broadcast! Are we really going to accept these conditions? Can this sort of thing be acceptable in any way shape or form?

I get the feeling that the Chinese governement are having a jolly good laugh behind out backs, our greedy capitalism is making us a bunch of whores ready to accept the inacceptable as long as there is financial gain for us, and they are making the most of every minute of it.

Slightly off topic but not so much... Every time we greedily buy yet another cheap item 'Made in China' we are condoning, aiding and abetting, the Chinese system of repression of sweat shops of making people work 14 hours a day living in conditions you wouldn't make your dog live in. Part of these workers wages go to pay for their bed and board, a bed in a huge room, the beds only separated by a thin curtain, the food served from a communal canteen not much better than slops you wouldn't give to a pig.

Everytime we buy something 'Made in China' we are showing the Chinese government that we are ready to accept their behaviour as long as we don't have too see it and we can pretend that it isn't happening... Well wake up everyone IT IS!.

This problem is bigger than the Olympic games but I am glad that people are using them to finally make a stand. However if we don't say anything, if we accept the conditions imposed by the Chinese then they will have won and they will never change because they will see us for the weak money whores that we really are!

Ok I'm going to stop now and calm down a bit but yeah, basically that is how I feel on the subject!

[Steam Giant]

Originally Posted by ThatCrazyThang

What do you think? Do you think that they should just do one thing at a time and let the olympics go as normal and then worry about whatever problems china is facing, or do you feel that the world should use the olympics to force china to make change?

The olympics are supposed to transcend this sort of thing. They went on during WW2, for Christ's sake! It's supposed to be a time to forget about diplomatic relations and political disputes, for competitors from around the world, representing their homeland, to compete with one another peacefully. It's supposed to be a glimmer of hope for world peace.

Note my repeated use of the word "supposed" ....

[joeyconnick]

Originally Posted by Steam Giant

The olympics are supposed to transcend this sort of thing. They went on during WW2, for Christ's sake! It's supposed to be a time to forget about diplomatic relations and political disputes, for competitors from around the world, representing their homeland, to compete with one another peacefully. It's supposed to be a glimmer of hope for world peace.

Note my repeated use of the word "supposed" ....

Cool post but... you're wrong about the WWII claim: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympics#Violence

They weren't held during WWI (1916) or WWII (1940, 1944).

[Steam Giant]

Whoops! I stand corrected! It's a foggy memory from a long time ago, so for all I know, I'm remembering something about the 1980 games in Moscow you'd mentioned. Sorry for being misleading, everyone! And thanks for correcting me, Joey ^^

[joeyconnick]

It's okay... I just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy because I thought I had remembered them specifically not happening during World War II.

Of course, I was using wikipedia as my source, which is hardly ideal.

[Steam Giant]

Originally Posted by joeyconnick

Of course, I was using wikipedia as my source, which is hardly ideal.

No cited source, either! :P Hehe!

It occurs to me that I really didn't answer the question properly. As has been said by posters above (myself included), the Olympic games, which are supposed to bring the nations together in peace, really don't represent what they should anymore, which is sad.

But to state my own opinion, in this case, "using" the Olympics may just be what is needed. After all, something has to happen with China. This can't go on forever. If China doesn't change, sometime down the line, there's going to be conflict, and I think they realize that with their unnerving modernization of their air force. The situation's at a standstill now, and a catalyst is needed...something big, capable of grabbing the world's attention. Somehow, the Olympics today still fit the bill.

[Orion]

Well I'm not quite sure about the part the Olympics play in the world, if it is a saviour, a gift to us all or just a big, huge money maker.
What I do know is that by no means, should the Olympics be 'taken hostage' (and I quote several news reports and if I remember correctly, several politicians) for any gain other than it's original purpose.

It's obviously not the purpose of the games, and interfering with them is not 'using them for' it's 'sacrificing them for'. That's my humble opinion.

Originally Posted by joeyconnick

Forget Tibet, though... if the US is so concerned about worldwide democracy, I have just two words: Tiananmen Square.

I'm pretty sure the only person who cares about worldwide democracy in America is President Bush

[Steam Giant]

Originally Posted by Perrygay

I'm pretty sure the only person who cares about worldwide democracy in America is President Bush

Weeeell, for a time there, the US was setting up democratic governments in foreign countries, which tended to get a lot of nations angry with them. Until Iraq, it hadn't happened in a while. And speaking of Iraq, but not speaking of democracy, guess who's responsible for getting Saddam Hussein in power in the first place....