brappy!

Case in point from the other day.

The People's Republic of China has used the Olympics as a political event from their first opportunity, refusing to attend the 1956 Helsinki Olympics. The criticism that the Olympics shouldn't be a political event rings hollow when it comes from Mainland Chinese. Sorry, but history is on my side.

Today, a crowd of PRC citizens protested the Dalai Lama (something that they cannot do in their home country) at my alma mater.

They didn't come across well. They looked more like tools of the Chinese Communist Party. Sad for them.

Several hundred protest Dalai Lama at UW

 

Protester Shufu Xe, a systems analyst at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said the Dalai Lama's message has been distorted by the Western media. "I like some of his ideas about nonviolence. But I think he is behind some of the violence in Tibet," Xe said. "I don't like that he's using the Olympics to promote his political agenda." Xe, like many of the protesters, was born in China. He moved to the U.S. seven years ago.

 

Touché. 

Posted by arion at 12:27 PM | Permalink

I keep having to remind myself these days, of my feelings about the People's Republic of China. It goes something like this:

Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government. Love the country, loathe the government.

I recently came across a group on Facebook called Support the 2008 Olympics when I saw that one of my friends had joined it. I looked into it and became disappointed at what I saw. It was typical nationalistic, pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tripe, masquerading as something that wasn't.

I took a few hours and collected my thoughts, and wrote my friend an email:

Dear Redacted

I was surprised when I noticed that you joined the group "Support the 2008 Beijing Olympics" here on facebook. Reading through the group's statement and postings by its members, I found it hard to believe that you condone their statements.

If you haven't read the group mission carefully, I would take this time do so. The leader of the group seems to be telling everyone who inquires that China's human rights abuses are China's problem, and anyone who objects should ignore them.

The group owner didn't want to see the Olympics turned into a political event by special interests with axes to grind. Unfortunately, when the International Olympic Committee gave the Olympics to Beijing, they did just that. Unfortunately, that large special interest group, the Chinese Communist Party, won't allow any other groups to use the event for political reasons, only their own.

While I come from a country that has its own human rights issues and problems, one huge difference between my country and the PRC is that we allow the free and open discussion of ideas, and respect the right to protest, rather than killing those who disagree with their government. We also have a free press, educating citizens with a variety of voices, rather than the "single voice" media that the PRC has. The owner of this group is, quite naturally, biased toward the PRC and fails to take into account that the CCP is still a totalitarian state, prohibiting any dissent or discussion of ideas in the public sphere.

A country like that certainly isn't living up to the "Olympic Ideal", nor should it be condoned.

I have a really hard time taking arguments of mainland Chinese into account, because they are so often poorly informed. I can't blame them for believing the reports of their media; I can't blame them for being proud of their country. It is, however, unbelievably frustrating when they persist in the misguided belief that China is a victim and act as if they have a chip on their shoulder. While that kind of diplomacy worked in 1972, it rings hollow today. China is not a victim. The CCP are the perpetrators - on the Chinese people.

 

Posted by arion at 03:28 AM | Permalink

While Paris was a mess for the torch relay, I'm sure SF will be equally crazy. I didn't realize the PRC could tell the French what to do.

 

Near the Louvre Museum, a torchbearer was forced inside the bus again when a protester approached with a fire extinguisher. Chinese officials ordered that the torch bypass City Hall after local officials hung a banner outside declaring: "Paris defends human rights everywhere in the world."

Full story: Will protests snuff out torch relay?

Posted by arion at 05:04 PM | Permalink