Across the pond

Author: Adam Clayton

Earlier this semester I wrote an article advocating that those who choose to attend and participate in the Olympic Games be left free of criticism, not labeled as "collaborators" to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) human rights record in its own country and beyond. As such, I am ashamed by the recent assaults on famous athletes and the Olympic torch, though I find myself in the strange position of sympathizing with most of the grievances being voiced by these protesters. While it is childish and counter-productive to attack a symbol of unity and peaceful co-existence such as the torch, it is even more irresponsible to label the Dalai Lama - another icon of unity and peaceful co-existence - a terrorist. And while I don't expect much maturity from a few protest-following hippies, I expect a whole lot more from the government of the fourth-largest economy in the world and one of its oldest civilizations.

Unfortunately, supporting the Olympics is increasingly being seen as tantamount to endorsing the People's Republic of China's stance on Tibet and Darfur. Two Facebook groups demonstrate the changing perception of the Olympic Games, one called "Boycott the Chinese Olympics - support human rights" and another called "Supporting China to host the Olympic Games." The Chinese government and many nationalistic Chinese argue, correctly, that the Olympic Games SHOULD be a sporting event, free from political interference and the pursuit of narrow political agendas. These people conveniently ignore China's own politicization of the games in years previous, such as the 1980 boycott of the Soviet games, among other politicking. They also make it worse by failing to provide an alternative forum for discussion and progress, which has driven many people to use the Olympics as leverage to force China to make changes. On the other side, protesters would be wise to remember that labeling supporters of the Olympics as complicit with human rights violators immediately isolates a lot of people who may well share the same ideals and values, but who believe that the Olympics is fundamentally a good tradition.

I am also shocked by claims that the BBC, CNN and The New York Times are na've and biased in their reporting about China. Being biased and reporting on embarrassing human rights violations are not the same thing, and it's no wonder news organizations are forced to rely on unconfirmed accounts when they aren't allowed to witness the events and report unhindered. Psychologists would no doubt attribute this to "Freudian projection," applying your own insecurities and weaknesses onto others because you are so acutely aware of them yourself. One can only lament that the Olympic Games has been hijacked by radicals on both sides, with the result that the majority of us who value both the Olympics and human rights are left out in the cold.

In purely sporting terms, the Olympic Games are rarely that entertaining beyond a few of the competitions. Sure, it's fun to see someone run really fast, but it's much more fun when he's got a ball and someone's trying to stop him. With all this fuss over the Olympics, the much more exciting 2008 European football championships have barely registered in America, and it is pleasantly ironic that for once I can hold up Europe and football as alternative institutions of harmony and peaceful co-existence.