Drinking the Olympic Games Kool-Aid

There is truth to the saying that ignorance is bliss. One of the upsides or downsides of this whole internet thing is becoming aware of what's going on in the world. My personal epiphany regarding the 2008 Olympics in China and that country's involvement in related atrocities around the world have literally given me a headache.

I visited the official website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The lighting of the Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece is scheduled for March 24. The Olympic Torch Relay is expected to last 130 days. It's not likely the Games will be moved anywhere else with the August 8 start date only months away. It is, however, not too late to boycott the games themselves and reach out to their sponsors.

Get this, the theme of the OTR is "Journey of Harmony" and its slogan "Light the Passion, Share the Dream". Harmony? Dream? What dream? I'm not making this up, folks. I was so outraged when I read that. How insulting!

There's also an OTR website. The information in the box below is taken from the site verbatim.

You should know that Coca-Cola, Samsung, Lenovo are listed as partners of the OTR.

Chinese officials have said that a boycott will not be successful and they could be correct. I have not been able to find a real coordinated protest to address this issue. The recent massive protest in Tibet has focused international on the plight of the people there. All of the rights violations must be packaged together and shared with citizens everywhere.

Comments

[linda]

vanessa, I linked this post today in my post about violence in Nepal. I have a friend in Nepal who witnessed a Buddhist monk being beaten by Chinese thugs.

[Danielle Vyas]

I found this group who is organizing internationally on the boycott of the Bejing Olympics.
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=174

In light and love

[Evelyn]

Thanks for raising this issue.

[sauerkraut]

A boycott would result in too many Americans of varying persuasions and ethnicities suffering the consequences. Just as what happened back in 1980. That boycott was not successful and neither will be this one.

Various African countries boycotted a number of Olympics due to the South African apartheid, leaving many Ethiopians, Kenyans and Tanzanians with life-long dreams of better lives out in the cold.

There was a time when I thought differently. Perhaps it's the cascading affect of collateral damage that really left me jaded. I am no longer comfortable with the idea of making others suffer the consequences of other people's actions (or lack thereof).

I won't be going to China any time soon, but I will be supporting our athletes who decide to compete. And Gebreselesse will still be a hero to many of us.