Well as for politics- all those old bullcrap mantras about sport being above or beyond politics are so tiresome. Politics is just people, and things related to people- sport can easily be political anyway, international sport ALWAYS has an element of politics to it... and staging the Olympics in China is, de facto, political right from the start, to the very core.
As for protests- depends on the extent. The games themselves should not be disrupted. I'd approve of boycotts though.
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did you see the olympics and that guy in that costume ran and stopped that runner? stuff like that shouldnt be allowed but boycotts and other things that do not disrupt the actual games is ok
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everyone remembers the Iranian martial artist (one of the favorites to win the gold) who refused to fight an Israeli, on the grounds that Israel wasn't a nation, and was thus disqualified?
ya, my opinion is that politics and sports have never been seperate. Like Ush said, choosing China as the spot for the olympics was political in itself, there was hope it would reform human rights (instead child labour has been used to make olympic merchandise).
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very well put...there has been political protests of sort at the olympics before...some obviously more extreme than others...Munich 1974 was as political as it gets
there was also the olympics in Nazi Germany...the Russian boycott during the cold war of the 1984 olympics in LA along with 14 other eastern bloc countries
the question is not whether protests should be allowed at the China games....it's whether or not they WILL be allowed...which is highly doubtful...
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Not "above and beyond", rather, they are a different element and shouldn't be terribly mixed up. Protests should not be allowed. Boycott the Olympics, protest at your capitol, but at the same time, don't disrupt others who ARE participating.
I don't get the impression that the IOC thinks that the Olympics are "above" drastic political issues..more like they have no place in the Olympics. Politics are a major part of the Olympics but the IOC as drawn a specific line when it comes to politics. These are in place to allow the participants to perform and represent their country as best as possible while also providing a form of security.
The writers of these rules did not drink pickle juice before they decided to talk about the rules. The rules are still being changed and added to because it is not perfect. That is one of the reasons for the IOC.
my favorite was the time when those black competitors threw up a "black fist" after they won their medals and that white dude was stuck standing there like .......
i think that they should be allowed to protest outside in the parking lot or whatever. just hold up your little signs and pass out free tibet flyers outside so spectators can act interested for 5 mins, without interfering with the actual fun.
as far as boycotting china goes if you're really going to boycott the chinese you better get ready for a whole lot of boycotting... because the olympics is just the tip of the iceberg. the chinaman currently has america by the balls, without them we could very well fall on our faces.
Doesn't country need to fulfil certain criteria in order to host Olympics?
We all know China bought the games. Just like numerous other countries previously.
I don't believe in disrupting the games, but protest all you like. I am all for free Tibet, but equally I know that if any country waged a war to free Tibet, those who are sticking 'Free Tibet' stickers on their car, would be pulling those off and sticking ''No War'' ones on.
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Peaceful protest is a form of expression that doesn't hurt anyone else. What these protestors don't understand is that resorting to violence makes them no better than the people they're calling oppressive. China does a lot of stuff I don't agree with, but if you're going to pick a place to hold the Olympic games that has never been part of any crimes against humanity in its whole history, you'll be hard-pressed to find a place.
To the topic: That they're taking place in China means we likely won't be seeing the level we would if the games were being held in Europe or North America.
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It's mutual ball-handling. They need us as a market just as much as we need them as the mass producers of the products we purchase.
Personally, I think the US should adopt many of the same standards the EU has in regards to production standards. Not that they're perfect, by any means. In fact, if the US had any manufacturing standards, many right-wing pin heads wouldn't have the luxury of equating our miserable import standards coupled with China's knowledge that they have no production standards with the notion that the Chinqs are trying to kill us. If they don't care about their own people, I doubt they have in place a particular consideration when it comes to the citizens of other nations.
Ehh...no, not really "anywhere" I mean why hold a protest in the middle of a busy interception, or near a hospital, you know what I mean? Just do it somewhere in place more suitable for whatever cause the protest is about.
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****ing A! There won't be any peaceful protests in your mother-****ing country, roit! If they're peaceful, it'll look bad when the national guard releases the hounds on them and starts beating them with night sticks and high pressure water cannons. And who can have a really real protest without a GOD HATES **** sign, anyway?
KMC Community Forums
Should Protests be allowed at the Olympics?
Apr 15th, 2008 04:35 PM
