General Cycling Discussion - So its been over Two Weeks Now. since they choose Beijing,

Its over two weeks now since they choose Beijing to be the host city of the 2008 Olympic, Was it a wise decision or not????

I think an understated but printable version of my response is to say it's a crummy decision.

I've put out feelers locally for protests against the decision, so far no response. Maybe I'll have to go stand on a street corner by myself with anti-China-Olympics signs.

I certainly disagree with those who say human rights issues are not an issue here.

And how is accurate reporting going to get out of China?

Maybe they'll have the 2012 Olympics in Afghanistan.

Since this country had the olympics here last year, I'm going to ask whether China's human rights record, bad as it is, really deserves that sort of punishment. I'll probably spend the rest of my life paying taxes to cover all the money that was lost on the damn thing. Sydney now has a stadium that's a total white elephant (yes, I've been there).

We've had stupid, boring hype non-stop about the bloody things since 1993 (when the 2000 host was first announced) up until now. Maybe that's why I watch almost no TV. To be frank I have just one thing to say:

Glad it's them and not us

Chris

They Should Have chosen Toronto.

Im with Jon on this one, its a crummy decision. I personaly dont think China should host the olympics.

Chris, im in Utah, home of the 2002 winter olympics, what a pain! Our highways have been totaly re-done in the last 4 years, the US government put in over 2 billion dollars into the highway system alone, just for the olympics! Just what we need, yeah, right! :rolleyes:

I do admit, that it is kinda cool to know that i have been on the same ski runs as the olympians will ride this winter.

It really is a sign of how whacked out our society is, that China is going to host the Olympics. Kind of like having the Mafia sponsor a Boy Scout troup! :( The virtues of the Olympic ideal, in the background of human abuse. My hope is that a "Jesse Owens" type thing will occur! Remember the Olympics in Germany, when Owens, a black man, kicked some serious butt, and Hilter's "ideal race" was shown to be a sham!

What Olpympics are going to be in Bejing? winter or summer? I don't really follow the Olympics, the last few times I've watched them the TV stations have done a crappy job with the broadcasting. But my favorite sport is the ice skating. The Russian skater Ilia Kulic(or something) was amazing with the Quadrupal spin in the air. sheesh, when I skated jumping was plain scarry, who would even try jumping AND spinning.

Well, of course, some of us could be extremely cynical and suggest that someone with a lot of money told the IOC in no uncertain terms where they wanted to see the games held. That is just one extremely cynical viewpoint though.

Chris

Originally posted by Chris L
That is just one extremely cynical viewpoint though.

"Extremely realistic" would also work.

Originally posted by AlphaGeek
It really is a sign of how whacked out our society is, that China is going to host the Olympics. Kind of like having the Mafia sponsor a Boy Scout troup

I have serious issues with any American critisizing China and trying to impose sanctions on the hypocritical grounds of human rights.

These goody goody Americans should spend their effort trying to overcome human rights violations right here in the USA. Atrocious human rights violations of the worst kind are comitted weekly by the very policeman that are supposed to be protecting it's citizens.

If the police departments of LA and NYC can't be likened to a "Mafia" as Oscar puts it, then nobody can.

The saying "Get your own house clean before you try to clean somebody elses" rings true. If human rights were a real issue in Olympic sight locations, there would be not winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Although I don't hesitate to criticize my own country, and deplore many things that go on here, and above all the US imperialist attitude (current guise: "globalization"), I believe that the scale of human-rights abuses practiced by China is incomparably greater than anything currently practiced in the US that I'm aware of.

If that makes me a goody-goody, I guess I'll just have to wear that label along with all the ones that say "Made in China."

It might be well to consider, also, that in China we would not be able to post messages like this--or if we succeeded in doing so, we would be in fear of prison. In the US, so far, we are free to express our opinions.

Jon-- I am with you on this one. One only has to look at recent events. Let alone back further. ride long and prosper. Stan

Originally posted by JonR
Although I don't hesitate to criticize my own country, and deplore many things that go on here, and above all the US imperialist attitude (current guise: "globalization"), I believe that the scale of human-rights abuses practiced by China is incomparably greater than anything currently practiced in the US that I'm aware of.

If that makes me a goody-goody, I guess I'll just have to wear that label along with all the ones that say "Made in China."

It might be well to consider, also, that in China we would not be able to post messages like this--or if we succeeded in doing so, we would be in fear of prison. In the US, so far, we are free to express our opinions.

My point isn't to criticize the USA, but it is to criticize hypocrisy. The only way Americans can feel self-righteous about human rights is to do so with one eye closed.

Remember Tienemen Square? Yes, remember Kent State? This is not a parallel of ancient history. Both events happened in the lifetime of most people on this forum; one in China, one in the USA. Both atrocities.

The scale is different, you say. Oh really, is there a scale of human suffering? If so, what is the unit of measurement? Is it OK for human rights abuses in a certain country as long as the occurrences are not, well, let say, too great or as long as we don’t hear about it too much?

Saying that one country abuses it’s citizens less than another gives it the right to criticize other nations and encourage sanctions isn’t logical or ethical. Imagine if the European Community tried to get sanctions put against the USA for refusing to conform to the Kyoto Agreement on pollution controls sighting that the USA is the world’s biggest environmental polluter? What if China made a political issue of the many cases of police brutality, evidence tampering, and drug dealing that has come to light recently?

To all those who squawk about Chinese human rights abuses (or any other complaint about any other county), I say “Think globally. Act locally”.

JonR, I love ya man, but that's the way I see it.

Now, it's back to bikes for me, though. This could get ugly with no reward for anybody. (Unless we could solve the world's problems on bikeforums.com. That would be neat)

I'm in just about total disagreement with your premises, but I agree that this is not the place to pursue the matter.

I remain glad that, at least, in this country we were able to discuss such things. We would not have been so lucky elsewhere, there's simply no doubt about that.

Now I will say no more about it in this forum. I look forward to protesting locally against the decision.