Tuesday
Aug122008
Conveinent activism
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 6:55AM
A friend recently asked me what my opinion was on the Olympics in China, and whether or not I was boycotting them personally.
To be honest I hadn't given it much thought, and really it didn't even apply to me because I don't have a TV. But that's besides the point, I never shy away from developing an opinion on something that doesn't apply to me. It's so much easier to pick the morally superior choice when you don't actually have to worry about how it effects your life.
by tingley
I immediately remembered the protests and public outcry that lead up to the Olympics. I remembered how many people called into CBC radio (my source for news) to voice their opinion, usually in support of the boycott concept. And then I thought of something that I hadn't before.
It suddenly struck me how ironic it is that the very people who are proposing we boycott the Olympics are directly supporting the communist regime financially by buying products manufactured in that country. I'm sure if the question had been "Should we boycott all trade with China?", their answer would have been very different.
by Daquella manera
People are all too willing to take strong moral stands on issues that don't effect them directly. If you are so vehemently opposed to human rights abuses that you are willing to destroy the noble life dreams of the athletes in your country, you should also be willing to pay twice as much for a Tickle-Me-Elmo manufactured in the western world.
Convenient activism is incredibly widespread in the western world and masquerading as real activism. Everyone is a hypocrite, but it's one thing not to practice exactly what you preach, it's another thing to preach dramatic changes that you will never have to practice.
It's easy to come down hard on handguns when you've never held one. Protests by people who don't own pit bulls lead to them being the only animal that is banned by in this province. According to Ontario Law you can own a tiger but you can't own a pit bull. You can call for a ban on cars over 400 horsepower when you don't have tens of thousands of dollars worth of suped-up '69 Mustang parked in your driveway.
by exxodus
I'm not saying that I agree with China's behavior and I'm not saying that everyone is entitled to a handgun. I'm just saying you should be wary when calling for others to make sacrifices that require nothing from you.
by laihiu
Everyone has an opinion and they should feel free to voice it. But when that opinion has the potential to become a law or policy which takes things away from other peoples lives, the benefit to the majority of the population has to be dramatic and clear in order to even justify considering it.
So the next time you propose banning violent video games, think about how you'd react if I proposed banning automobiles in cities, which cause more environmental damage and kill more people than anything else I can think of. I live in Toronto and drive a new car, do you play video games?
To be honest I hadn't given it much thought, and really it didn't even apply to me because I don't have a TV. But that's besides the point, I never shy away from developing an opinion on something that doesn't apply to me. It's so much easier to pick the morally superior choice when you don't actually have to worry about how it effects your life.
by tingley
I immediately remembered the protests and public outcry that lead up to the Olympics. I remembered how many people called into CBC radio (my source for news) to voice their opinion, usually in support of the boycott concept. And then I thought of something that I hadn't before.
It suddenly struck me how ironic it is that the very people who are proposing we boycott the Olympics are directly supporting the communist regime financially by buying products manufactured in that country. I'm sure if the question had been "Should we boycott all trade with China?", their answer would have been very different.
by Daquella manera
People are all too willing to take strong moral stands on issues that don't effect them directly. If you are so vehemently opposed to human rights abuses that you are willing to destroy the noble life dreams of the athletes in your country, you should also be willing to pay twice as much for a Tickle-Me-Elmo manufactured in the western world.
Convenient activism is incredibly widespread in the western world and masquerading as real activism. Everyone is a hypocrite, but it's one thing not to practice exactly what you preach, it's another thing to preach dramatic changes that you will never have to practice.
It's easy to come down hard on handguns when you've never held one. Protests by people who don't own pit bulls lead to them being the only animal that is banned by in this province. According to Ontario Law you can own a tiger but you can't own a pit bull. You can call for a ban on cars over 400 horsepower when you don't have tens of thousands of dollars worth of suped-up '69 Mustang parked in your driveway.
by exxodus
I'm not saying that I agree with China's behavior and I'm not saying that everyone is entitled to a handgun. I'm just saying you should be wary when calling for others to make sacrifices that require nothing from you.
by laihiu
Everyone has an opinion and they should feel free to voice it. But when that opinion has the potential to become a law or policy which takes things away from other peoples lives, the benefit to the majority of the population has to be dramatic and clear in order to even justify considering it.
So the next time you propose banning violent video games, think about how you'd react if I proposed banning automobiles in cities, which cause more environmental damage and kill more people than anything else I can think of. I live in Toronto and drive a new car, do you play video games?
by A*A*R*O*N
Reader Comments (7)
How does "boycotting" the Olympics fix anything at all? Do anything at all? "I'm not going to watch the Olympics because China is evil and THAT'LL SHOW 'EM."
It's ridiculous. 1 less viewer (who most likely has absolutely no impact on ratings) is going to have zero impact. If they REALLY want to boycott it, they should really work their asses off to get into a position of power to change things. You need to work with the system, not try to change it. Protests really don't do much, in my opinion.
Also, I'm going to send you a blog post a friend of mine wrote I think you might find interesting. Keep a lookout!
Exactly. Be pro-change, not anti-whatever. Protesting just gives whatever you're protesting more attention and power.
i commend your laconic reply.
Thanks for comments everybody.
I guess my point is that it's one thing to protest China while ensuring that none of the products you purchase are in any way connected with any repressive regime (not just China). But no one does that.
It's just very poor form to call for someone else to give up their life long dreams on principle, while you financially support the very thing you are asking them to take a stand against.
I don’t support a boycott, but the Games are a chance, while the world is watching, to press China for change.
Without change China will carry on executing more of its citizens than any other country in the world, it will continue censoring the media and the Internet and it will continue locking up and torturing those who try to stand up for their rights and the rights of others.
What happened to the promises China made in its bid for the Olympic Games? Who will hold them to account?
Liu Jingmin, vice-president of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee said, in April 2001: “By allowing Beijing to host the Games you will help in the development of human rights.”
Isn’t political. To stand up for human rights is to stand up for the values enshrined in the Olympic Charter.
http://www.uncensor.com.au
I completely agree that the only possibility for change comes out of engagement, not isolation.
But also, I'd point out that people focus on China because it's such a large target, but it's by no means the only one, or even the worst offender.
There are huge, and potentially larger, censoring concerns in countries like Myanmar, North Korea, Belarus, Eritrea, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Political and social repression is also a large problem in these countries.
But people don't care because those countries are fairly isolated from the international community.
Perhaps if we held the 2012 Olympics in Minsk rather than London we'd be able to affect some change there as well.
Oh and thanks for the comment. It's great to get criticism or commentary on what I write.
The whole point of me taking these stances is to garner some debate, that's the way I learn more about these things.