Quote:
Originally Posted by m.g.
I think boycotting the Games is for nothing (it's too late & it'll only affect the athletes...)
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see, i disagree with this view. there seem to be two arguments with regards to the validity of the games this time around:
1) china's human rights violations make it an ill-suited venue and the games should be boycotted in order to send a message.
2) the games are about athletes who train hard and deserve to compete, so leave politics out of it.
my big problem with #2 is that it implies that athletes are somehow a special reserved class of people who should be coddled and cushioned and kept from disappointment because they "work hard." well you know who else works hard? the people who fight to have their voices heard in a country that squashes the freedom of its citizens. i don't understand how the idea of someone skiing down a slope or flipping around a pommel horse outweighs the importance of basic human rights.
the games should be boycotted. period. i'm willing to let a small minority of competitive jocks be disappointed, if it sends a greater message about the lives and welfare of innocent people.
and let's just set aside this whole "good will" crap. the olympics are not about good will. they're about advertising dollars and ridiculous jingoistic shows of competitiveness.