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absolute hardgainer
New member
Ok, I am going to stick my neck out here and say that: "Beijing and China deserve to hold the 2008 Olympic Games", there is a good chance that democracy and human rights will be advanced in China as a result of the Olympic Games being held there.
Over the past 21 years the Olympic Games have been held in Moscow, Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney. Cities in countries that all have blemishes on their human rights record.
The USA, which has held the games twice in the previous 21 years (LA 1984, Atlanta 1996) still has a long way to go in human rights issues, particular with the uncontrolled behaviour of its government agencies like the CIA, FBI and the NSA. The CIA has for many decades been involved in blatant and systematic human rights abuses in South America and in other parts of the world, particularly in Columbia where they have been linked to training, arming and financing brutal paramilitary groups. The FBI's record on Waco speaks for itself. The NSA is an organization that seems to act as though privacy laws do not apply to their operations.
All in all with the police and legal treatment of minorities in the USA leaves a lot to be desired.
The USSR, which held the 1980 Moscow Olympics was a very repressive regime, so much so that they repressed attempts for democratic change in other Warsaw Pact members, IE Checheslovakia.
South Korea's human rights record (they held the 1988 Seoul Olympics) with its jailing of opposition leaders and severe crackdown on student and worker's movements, only one year out from the Olympics, is also poor.
Spain had a past of dictatorship, but in 1992 Barcelona was actually a very uncontroversial city to have the Olympic Games. Human rights did not play as big an issue as Basque seperatism did.
Australia and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Let me state upfront that I am an Australian and that I was immensely proud that Australia held the 2000 Olympics. I personally felt that it gave our entire country a really positive, uplifting vibe that still lingers. However, Australia's record in the treatment of our Indigenous people is nothing short of appauling. And our treatment of refugees isn't much better either. Australia, too has issues to sort out in regards of human rights.
Now, almost all of the cities that I have mentioned were in countries that have a less than admirable record on human rights, and that did not stop them from holding the Olympics, nor do I believe should it have. I cannot really think of a perfect city.
Beijing and China deserve the Olympics. No other country has tried as hard and succeeded as well in lifting itself out of an extremely impoverished economic state in the last 20 years. The Chinese people have made invaluable and immeasurable contributions to sport (Table Tennis, Martial Arts, Gymnastics, Circus performance) and to humanity and the olympic movement. - That is why China should hold the Olympic Games, not because they have such a terrific government or a great human rights record.
hardgainer (voicing my honest opinion)
Over the past 21 years the Olympic Games have been held in Moscow, Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney. Cities in countries that all have blemishes on their human rights record.
The USA, which has held the games twice in the previous 21 years (LA 1984, Atlanta 1996) still has a long way to go in human rights issues, particular with the uncontrolled behaviour of its government agencies like the CIA, FBI and the NSA. The CIA has for many decades been involved in blatant and systematic human rights abuses in South America and in other parts of the world, particularly in Columbia where they have been linked to training, arming and financing brutal paramilitary groups. The FBI's record on Waco speaks for itself. The NSA is an organization that seems to act as though privacy laws do not apply to their operations.
All in all with the police and legal treatment of minorities in the USA leaves a lot to be desired.
The USSR, which held the 1980 Moscow Olympics was a very repressive regime, so much so that they repressed attempts for democratic change in other Warsaw Pact members, IE Checheslovakia.
South Korea's human rights record (they held the 1988 Seoul Olympics) with its jailing of opposition leaders and severe crackdown on student and worker's movements, only one year out from the Olympics, is also poor.
Spain had a past of dictatorship, but in 1992 Barcelona was actually a very uncontroversial city to have the Olympic Games. Human rights did not play as big an issue as Basque seperatism did.
Australia and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Let me state upfront that I am an Australian and that I was immensely proud that Australia held the 2000 Olympics. I personally felt that it gave our entire country a really positive, uplifting vibe that still lingers. However, Australia's record in the treatment of our Indigenous people is nothing short of appauling. And our treatment of refugees isn't much better either. Australia, too has issues to sort out in regards of human rights.
Now, almost all of the cities that I have mentioned were in countries that have a less than admirable record on human rights, and that did not stop them from holding the Olympics, nor do I believe should it have. I cannot really think of a perfect city.
Beijing and China deserve the Olympics. No other country has tried as hard and succeeded as well in lifting itself out of an extremely impoverished economic state in the last 20 years. The Chinese people have made invaluable and immeasurable contributions to sport (Table Tennis, Martial Arts, Gymnastics, Circus performance) and to humanity and the olympic movement. - That is why China should hold the Olympic Games, not because they have such a terrific government or a great human rights record.
hardgainer (voicing my honest opinion)
