For the record, I’m not a big fan of China, their policy on Tibet and Taiwan, or their less than stellar track record with human rights, or their habit of putting lead and antifreeze in consumer products…
Judging from the number of protests I’ve seen lately, I’d say I’m definitely not alone. They wouldn’t have been my first choice for the summer Olympics, and I really don’t understand how they got it if they are so despised by the rest of the world for their practices. But, the IOC made their decision - if you don’t like it, start writing them angry letters.
But - how the hell does it accomplish anything to attack the Olympic torch runner? Congratulations, you’ve just attacked one of your fellow countrymen - I’m sure China will sit up and take notice over that.
At the moment, we have police and fire crews trying to get protestors off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Again, I don’t think the folks in China are glued to CNN and suddenly deciding to change their policies because someone managed to get a Tibetan flag on the bridge.
If you want to protest their practices, fine - but take a minute to think about an effective way to go about it, rather than just looking like a bit of an idiot. Write your reps in DC, tell them how you feel about the situation. Cut back on your purchases of Made in China products. Write the IOC and ask them WHY China got the Olympics in the first place.
But don’t go attacking the guy running the torch through your neighborhood - it’s not his fault and it’s not going to fix anything.
April 8th, 2008 - 10:47 am
I suspect the protests were a success, after all, they got you talking about it. The protesters are probably happy for you to think them idiots as long as more people are aware of their complaints and talk about it. China already knows what it does. For letters and boycotts to work they need to be massive which means the message must be front and center on the news.