Beijing Boycott

Boycotting the Olympic Games has been a favorite way for countries to express their displeasure with the host nation. The US boycotted the Munich and Moscow games and Communist countries boycotted the LA Olympics in 1984 in retaliation.

Now a cry arises for all countries who believe in human rights to boycott the 2008 Beijing Games. This is due to the escalating violence in Tibet as those who are protesting for their freedom are being mistreated.

Why is an Olympic boycott seen as the solution? Truthfully, I can think of few actions that would be more unfair and less effective than an Olympic boycott. Here are amateur athletes who dedicate four years of their lives training, preparing, and dreaming for a chance to compete against the rest of the world on the biggest stage and their government decides that they can't go because they have a political beef with the host country.

Why not let the athletes decide? If they feel strongly about the situation, they can boycott individually. A better idea might be to find a way to display your feelings during the games. Remember Tommy Smith and John Carlos? The 1968 Olympians who silently lifted their black-gloved fists as a display of solidarity for the civil rights movement? What good would it have done them to have boycotted? How much louder would the athletes who find themselves on the medal podium be holding a "Free Tibet" sign, or displaying the "Free Tibet" emblem, than not competeing at all? I can't think of a better way to show the Chinese government and the world how you feel about the situation in Tibet. "Out of sight out of mind" if we boycott; "Front and center" if we don't.

Thankfully, the United States and the EU have agreed to attend. France showed some of their true colors by saying that it was an economic decision on their part. While that may be true for the other countries, at least they are trying to make it sound like the decision is on behalf of the athletes.

It's the right call. Don't punish the athletes to make a political point. China is punishing Tibet's citizens to make a point, isn't that exactly what we would be trying to stop if we did boycott? There you have it: Just my opinion.

(On a final, mostly off the subject, note: what if Saddam's final act was one of selflessness? Think about it: He kicks out the UN inspectors knowing that the US would invade. If they invade they'd have to rebuild the country. Reports are coming out that the Iraqi economy is much worse than we originally thought. Did Saddam sacrifice himself to trick the US into rebuilding his country? I doubt it, but it's fun to consider.)