Friday August 8th, 2008. 8:11 am by frog
And I’ll be watching them avidly - especially Kimberly Smith and Mahe Drysdale. But that doesn’t mean they are not also a political event. What a great opportunity for the world to talk about human rights, democracy and justice.
Image Credit: sha3bi1Beijing
Posted in Justice & Democracy | Society & Culture | by frog | Fri, August 8th, 2008 |
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August 8th, 2008 at 9:21 am
It is a great opportunity, it is a shame that something that once stood for some of the better things humanity has to offer has been perverted into nothing but a giant money making machine. Good luck to the kiwi athletes but I for one will not be watching
August 8th, 2008 at 11:23 am
How long are we going to pretend that China is the only country on earth with a dodgy human rights record?
SHORTY: It’s not the commercialisation that annoys me so much as the China-bashing the western media is exercising. If I see one more typical-big-city, long-lens smog shot of a northern hemisphere watery sun, or hear one more idiotic complaint that a country that slaughters its neighbours is less worthy of hosting the games than another country which slaughters people any damn place it likes, I’ll puke.
That said, still curious to see what the athletes and locals have the gumption to come up with by way of protests.
August 8th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
“How long are we going to pretend that China is the only country on earth with a dodgy human rights record?”
Hear! Hear! When are we going to hear about the other nations with dodgy human rights records, such as North Korea?
August 9th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
James- China is certainly not the only country with a dodgy record. However, China is about the worst- even countries like the USA have room to criticise, what with political censorship, media that functions as state propaganda, arrest of dissidents, systematic female infanticide, suppression of regions that could well be independent countries in their own right, the whole “one china” policy where they cut off anyone to recognise Taiwan/the Republic of China, etc…
I’d also love to talk about North Korea, (which is about as bad as China) the United States, (Guantanamo Bay comes to mind) the United Kingdom, (Anti-terror taken too far) New Zealand, (The Immigration Bill) Iran, (similar to its neighbors, religious groups controlling politics and suppression of women’s rights) Germany, (banning of religions and political parties similar to Nazism) Israel/Palestine, Serbia/Kosovo, and a lot of other countries that have passed over-the-top “anti-terrorism” laws or have areas of easy human rights improvement that they simply refuse to get along with.
August 10th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
“How long are we going to pretend that China is the only country on earth with a dodgy human rights record?�
“Hear! Hear! When are we going to hear about the other nations with dodgy human rights records, such as North Korea?”
Probably when you start talking about the subject, instead of complaining that other people aren’t doing what you can’t be bothered doing yourself.
I’ll send you some stuff about NZ’s links with the Burmese regime if you let me know your e-mail.
August 10th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
“Probably when you start talking about the subject, instead of complaining that other people aren’t doing what you can’t be bothered doing yourself.”
The Green Party and other organisations are supposed to be the ones that criticise nation’s human rights records. They have done a good job criticising the PRC, Sudan, the United States and Burma - yet they have been strangely silent on North Korea; the only nation that I am aware of that still has concentration camps, and Zimbabwe; a nation where basic rights have been steam-rolled by a syphilitic nutter.
I am only complaining as it is the responsibility of the Greens, along with other organisations to be the upholders of human rights. Keith Locke makes a big fuss about minor human rights issues, but I have never heard him utter a single word criticising North Korea.