A Brief Thought Whilst Stranded in the Decrepit Norfolk, VA Airport
Joshua Foust on Apr 07 2008 at 2:03 pm | Filed under: Foreign affairs
I don’t know anyone else here, but I think it’s hilarious that every single stop of the Olympic torch is plagued by almost violent anti-China protests. It is about time people freak out about the slave labor, the political reeducation camps, the quite illegal forced repatriation of North Korean refugees (and subsequent public executions), their threats over the Spratley Islands, the military showdown over Formosa, and the tens of thousands of anti-government protests every year.
Well, or it’s all about Tibet and Darfur. Like everything else, there is so much more to protest about China, it can be frustrating to see well-meaning people miss the real meaning of their outrage. But at this point, I’ll take what I can get.
I can remember a few friends of mine (who worked for a Chinese adoption agency) being at the city-wide party in Beijing when they won the Olympics and not understanding why I thought it was a terrible idea. I’ve lost regular contact with several, as they’ve scattered across the globe as missionaries, aid workers, and activists. But I hope they realize now why I was so concerned, and why it really wasn’t worth celebration.
Update: I both hate and love The Onion.
Sphere: Related Content4 Responses to “A Brief Thought Whilst Stranded in the Decrepit Norfolk, VA Airport”
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I still remember when those in favor of the IOC granting Beijing the Olympics argued that it would shed light on China and encourage her to be more engaged with the world. I disagreed with that thinking at the time, but I’m pleased I was wrong. China is getting much more attention than it bargained for.
Of course, there is the downside in that China has slowly (glacially some might say) been moving in the direction of more freedom, and historically it is not accepting of outside influence in the least. While exposure of the government’s heavy-handed, totalitarian nature is for the good, I just hope that China is not pressed too far too fast. The past 20 years have been a seachange for the country, and I’d hate to see a step backwards.
I remember our boycott of the Olympics under Carter too well. Yes, it’s probably good that more attention is being paid to China and oppression there, but it seems to me that the Olympics were originally between enemy or even warring nations. Now we want to insist that the Olympics are only between friends.
I got an email (usually sent automatically to the trash but I was looking in my trash for something else) suggesting everyone demand Bush not go to China… I’m not at all convinced that this is useful. Public shame has it’s uses, true. But the way to avoid it has to be broad rather than narrow.
I suppose the comparison may be between hard-core and more passive evangelism and how either convinces people to change. Sometimes a lighter hand is better.
People from all over will pour into China for the Olympic games. What will have the most and best impact on Chinese people? Friendly visitors who demonstrate that a little bit of disorder isn’t frightening, or angry protesters who cause trouble demonstrating that it is?
The way to avoid public shame can’t be too narrow, is what I was trying to say. If the idea is actually to see change making it harder to change isn’t going to do that even if everyone feels good about themselves for standing up for what is right.
[…] have to say that I’m in agreement with Joshua Foust here. There are plenty of good reasons to protest the Chinese regime. Tibet and Darfur are two good […]