I was all set to enter the spirit of the Olympics again this year...until I heard about this. I realize this is old news, but I just heard about it (apparently I live in a cave). I find it incomprehensible that a country would completely disregard the livelihood of its citizens just to host the Olympics and show the world how "modern" they are. To me, this thought process proves just the opposite.
And so I find myself faced with a moral dilemma. I would love to watch the Olympics and cheer for team USA, showing support (from my living room, of course) to the athletes who've trained so hard and sacrificed so much for this opportunity. But how can I support an event that has jeopardized the lives of so many Chinese citizens? I realize the Olympics will go on whether I watch them or not, and boycotting any TV viewing of the Games will not likely make any difference except to my own conscience.
What do you think? Am I overreacting? Is the tradition of the Olympic Games worth this forced sacrifice by the Chinese farmers?
Posts
2 comments:
I appreciate you highlighting this antithetical dilemma.
Though we (as Americans) might not have the power to breathe life into China's poorest communities, restoring hope and igniting justice, we can do something.
Awareness of the sacrifice those in China were forced to make (their livelihoods) is a start.
But like you, I cannot in good conscience watch the Olympics from the comforts of my home while drinking a cool glass of water knowing what it is costing others.
It's not really the event's fault, though... unless you fault the IOC for choosing Beijing as the location. It's the Chinese government that is taking the water away from the farmers, instead of finding another way to provide it for all their visitors. You're right, it is ironic that they are spending 10 times the money that Athens spent for the last Olympics, in an attempt to dazzle the rest of the world and improve their image, yet things like this just make me think worse of them! But I think those farmers are really paying the price of being citizens of a communist country, and if it weren't the Olympics, it would be something else causing hardship for them. Makes me extra thankful for our freedoms!
Post a Comment