Why boycotting the 2008 olympics in Beijing would be a complete waste of time
While I may fully support all the criticism against China for its human rights record, opting to make a symbolic statement at the expense of our athletes would be a complete waste.
Slow your roll and play the whole thing out.
While we are patting ourselves on the back for showing the world in a symbolic manner that we are ’serious’ about fighting against human rights abuses, most of the products that we buy in our local stores come from…you guessed it…China.
That’s like boycotting tobacco but not cigarettes.
When I first went to college, there were a few people on the track team who had made the U.S. Olympic team but didn’t participate because of the boycott. They were pissed. In all cases, it was their only shot at being on that stage. One woman stopped running altogether. One man had injuries the next year and dropped out of the world class level.
I don’t agree with the boycott calls either.
Comment by DarkStar | February 27, 2008
Yes, I would be plenty pissed if I spent years training to compete only to be denied the opportunity for some political statement. I could not imagine the anger the folks on that track team must have felt.
Comment by Duane | February 27, 2008