if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803
Getting Wood For The Torch
by Hal_10000
I have a confession: I’m not terribly interested in these calls to boycott the China games or protest the torch. Especially that torch thing. Jesus, how self-important do you have to be to think that mobbing a stupid God-damned torch is going to accomplish anything? (Answer: stupid enough to be liberal. Libs always think they’ve accomplished something by making a pointless gesture. We’ve had our protest; time for lattes!)
Maybe it’s my childhood. When I was eight years old, History’s Greatest Monster boycotted the Moscow Olympics. I remember very little about it other than being disappointed. I was just getting into sports and wanted to see Americans compete. As I’ve gotten older, the decision looks more and more pointless. What exactly was accomplished? I mean, I know the Berlin Wall fell only nine years later. But as far as I could tell, all it really did was deprive a lot of dedicated athletes of their rare moment in the sun.
On the other hand, maybe it’s my discomfort with the whole Gyatso Fetish that permeates certain leftist circles. If China were just an oppressive communist state, I’m certain all of the protesters would be at home, battling poverty by blogging about Hillary Clinton. But throw a cute religious leader in and they’ll work up the nerve to go all the way down the corner to shout at some guy with a torch.
Anyway, post your thoughts on the subject in the comments. I’m open to arguments that we should boycott the games or turn fire extinguishers on the torch relay. I just don’t see it right now.
Update: Lee has a great post on the subject over at Lee in China, one of a number of really good posts on the boycott subject.
Comments
It is a right-wing issue in Japan, with Chinese bashing nationalist groups really pulling out all the stops.
I don’t think it should be a left-right issue at all. It’s a self-determination issue, and that should be a concern for everyone. I was heavily involved in a Tibetan rights group as a university student. We had people from right the way across the political spectrum - it was great!
As far as the protests/protesters are concerned - they have a three month long moving headline for their cause. Why wouldn’t they take advantage of it?
Jesus, how self-important do you have to be to think that mobbing a stupid God-damned torch is going to accomplish anything?
As stupid as the three college kids I saw standing by a busy street yesterday holding up “FREE TIBET” signs. I’m sure the Chinese will give up any minute now after that.
Jesus, how self-important do you have to be to think that mobbing a stupid God-damned torch is going to accomplish anything?
Well I don’t know about you, but the issue has been all over the news in the UK for the past week, and its on the front page of the RTFTLC blog. It seems that using the olympic torch to protest is creating awareness and getting people talking about it. Politicians are getting asked tough questions, and are being forced to take a position. Thats what protests are for.
Out of curiousity.. when did the torch relay become and around the world thing? I don’t remember this happening before (but in the past it was a non-event I imagine)
History’s Greatest Monster
I generally refer to Carter as the “Worst President Ever” or “Inept Buffoon"…
Personally, I’m game for anything that’ll stick a finger in the eye of the government of the so-called “People’s” so-called “Republic” of so-called “China.” You have no idea how much I regret the outcome of the Chinese Civil War; yes,the Nationalists were corrupt and often inept, but China, poor China, was 1000% worse off with that gang of lunatics and hot-eyed fanatics from Yenan in charge. If I had an A-bomb and a time machine, I’d drop it on the Chinese Communist HQ on VJ Day.
I don’t agree with boycotting the Olympics, but I would have to say that the torch protests are pretty effective in terms of getting coverage for the issue. Do you not think what’s going on in Tibet protest-worthy, Hal? What more effective mechanism would you choose for people to protest? In Virginia, I can pay the state extra to get a Friends of Tibet vanity license plate. Is that a better way to go about it?
Hal, What would you consider a liberal “Pointless Gesture”? Besides the torch protests? The MLK Rallies and Union sit down strikes seemed to have accomplished some things…
And I’m sure the coverage these protests are getting are turning the heat up on China a little bit. I think you are a little off base here.
The MLK Rallies and Union sit down strikes seemed to have accomplished some things…
The difference was that those people risked something. Respectively, being arrested and losing jobs. They also targeted their protests effectively. If people want to picket the Chinese embassy or boycott China products, that’s fine. But this is grandstanding.
Part of it is that I know these people; I work with them. They honestly think that awareness-raising is equivalent to good works.
Also, many don’t really don’t care about oppression that much—hence their opposition to the Afghan and Iraq wars. They have a fetish for Tenzing Gyatzo.
It’s not that I don’t sympathize with the people of Tibet (although the rule of the lamas was far less benign than that most leftists like to think). It’s that I think this is the wrong venue. And I think it has more to do with embracing a popular cause than actually giving two shits about Tibet. I guarantee you that most of these protestors couldn’t find Tibet on a map.
History’s Greatest Monster
Surely this is tongue in cheek. He may not be our greatest president, but history has quite a few monsters (1000’s?) to go before you get to Jimmy Carter ...
It should not be lost on anybody that a large portion of these “protestors” could not find Tibet on a map (OK, its probably somewhere near China)and are looking for any excuse to either skip class, hang out with friends, chow down on the good eats over at the ANSWER booth or engage in some other reprehensible behavior while cloaking themselves in anonimity with the rest of the crowd.
You forgot smoke dope, rich…
I’m going to do my part and wear my “Genghis Khan was misunderstood” T-shirt, oh shit, thats Mongolia, close enough.
Surely this is tongue in cheek. He may not be our greatest president, but history has quite a few monsters (1000’s?) to go before you get to Jimmy Carter ...
Simpsons reference, flogg.
Simpsons reference, flogg.
:) ... I knew there had to be something ...
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One would assume this would primarily be a right-wing issue (it is in some quarters, but not by much). I suspect this is being driven by the likes of Nancy Pelosi as a way to embarress Bush into not going, and for the Dems to show their protectionist credentials.
Either way, while I would like to see a free and independent Tibet, I don’t think the Olympics is necessarily the venue for this to be an issue. The best way to focus attention is to keep up the media heat on China through the coverage that Tibet has already gotten.