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Point-Counterpoint: Politics and the Beijing olympics
Published: Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Point: Boycotts don't work
By Lily Shen '11
The media has recently buffeted Americans with the calamitous Olympics torch relay and all sorts of protests that came with it. Politicians are tripping over each other in their eagerness to ...
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Wow, so both "point" and "counterpoint" are anti-boycott? What's the point of this op/ed then? This is classic Prince, presenting all sides...of the same position.
I believe that Mark's original intention was to simply write an opinion piece... The Prince wanted a point-counterpoint. Apparently they've somehow forced a simple opinion piece into a point-counterpoint article? Good job.
The point-counterpoint designation would have been appropriate if the Prince editors made the point 'Protests demonize China,' and the counterpoint 'Protests not anti-China.'
I think that you and "clearlyeditingproblem" both miss the point. There actually is a difference here, in that the point is saying that the protests have been attacking the Chinese people and engaging in racism whereas the counter-point is saying the opposite, quite explicitly in fact, e.g. "The recent wave of protests from advocacy groups and world leaders are not "anti-China," as some suggest, but instead "pro-human rights." Even the organizations that do condemn some in China are expressing outrage directed at the Chinese government, not the Chinese people. We regret that China today remains a nation where the crucial distinction between a country, its people and its government is blurred and ambiguous."
Exactly. The articles do have a point and counterpoint, but the editors failed to properly label them.
oops, shouldn't have lumped you in there! My point was simply that the first and second people I saw posting does not seem to have actually read the articles before attacking the Prince, which is par for the course in this comments section.
yeah i agree it is a little tricky to see the point-counterpoint here, but that does exist.
Some points need to be added here --
The fact that the Oly torch on its so-called ‘peaceful journey’ required protection by Chinese para troopers and has met with massive anti-government protests should come as no surprise given the recent crackdown inside and outside China. (Point: Boycotts don't work, April 23rd, 2008).
This is the same regime that has been responsible for murdering Falun Gong adherents on the operation tables of China for organ theft that are sold to transplant tourists since 2001. ( http://www.organharvestinvestigation.net)
Some Olympic host! There is more but the list is too long.
Having said this, for people to argue that the Olympics are not political is a bit too late for that and by all means they should take it up with the IOC. Good luck with that. It’s worth noting though that the IOC were the first ones to make sure that the political nature of the Games be preserved from the time they gave the Games to Hitler right up until today. It should be clear to almost everyone by now that Olympic hosts with a dictatorial background tend to bring with them an aura of disharmony among other things.
Now that the bloodbath has officially started in China with the arrest of nearly 2000 Falun Gong adherents since January 1 because of the Olympics--media is mute--I ask you why should we, in the free world, go along with the evil ways of Beijing? With all due respect, shouldn’t it be the other way around and have Beijing improve its ways in an effort to comply to the Olympic Charter along with its code of conduct and its high Olympic ideals. So far, quite the opposite has happened. We can’t ignore the bloodshed. Or can we?
I’m afraid that if we don’t speak out now the true essence of Olympism will forever be lost and the crackdown will only get worst. It’s time to take a stand for human dignity and to give the true Olympic spirit to the Chinese people before it’s too late.
The Hon. David Kilgour, author of the 'Bloody Harvest' on organ harvesting report once stated: "In hindsight, all nations should have boycotted the Berlin Olympics in 1936, but at the time most governments claimed not to know what Hitler had in mind. Today, we know too well what the Chinese communist regime has in mind for the Falun Gong community because of what it continues to do to them. This is a vitally important difference between 1936 and 2008
Lily et al - guess what; THE CHINESE COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP IS NOT CHINA although I am sure your education in China had you think otherwise. China was kidnapped by European Communism in approximately 1949. The ancient 5000 year history of China is filled with Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. The atheist CCP endeavored to wipe up all traces of that culture during the supposed 'cultural revolution'. The biggest trick that the CCP pulls on the Chinese people is to try and confuse the communist party with China. I actually heard that when Chinese people die they comfort each other by saying they are 'going to see Mao'...
The Chinese Communist Party demonizes itself without any help from us. How many journalist languish in gulags for daring to tell the truth, how many environmentalists, how many human rights lawyers... people who truly love China and dare to stand up for the truth.
Please do not think that because the CCP loses face, you lose face. This is the trick this brutal dictatorship has played on you since its inception.
Please differentiate yourself - you are Chinese and thus have a beautiful and distinctive heritage. The Communist Dictatorship is not, heaven forbid, your mother.
It is back-ass-wards for China to be able to host the Olympics. The countless abuses, like this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/world/asia/15...
are simply unacceptable. No free nation should be showing China the honor and respect that it so clearly does not deserve. I'm sorry if as Chinese or Chinese-American students that makes you feel bad about yourself or your heritage. But you need to open your eyes and recognize that your fellow countrymen are being locked away for speaking out about the things they care about--the very right you are taking advantage of here in the states.