Sunday, February 10, 2008
The British kowtow to the Commies
The English made the Chinese kowtow for the better part of a century, so perhaps some payback is in order. Still, this is not very dignified for the fountainhead of modern democracy:
British athletes will be banned from competing in this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing if they criticise China's totalitarian regime.
The gagging order has been imposed by the British Olympic Association. Competitors who break the rule will not travel to the games or, if they are already in China, will be put on the next plane home.
It means sportsmen and women will be unable to raise concerns about China's human rights record or its occupation of Tibet.
Critics accused the BOA of bowing to political pressure and said that the move raised the spectre of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which passed off without protest and were hailed as a propaganda coup for the Nazi regime.
The reaction is in contrast to other countries, including the United States and Australia, where athletes will be free to speak out about China should they wish to do so. The Prince of Wales will not attend the Beijing games because of concerns over human rights.
China's human rights record is not one of my pet causes, so on the substance I cannot work myself up into a high dudgeon. As a matter of principle, though, I respectfully request that the British man up.
10 Comments:
By 
, at
Sun Feb 10, 11:40:00 AM:
england doesn't exist anymore, all that's left is the uk. a very sad end to a once proud (but now pitiful) people. with such unmanly behavior, why bother sending a british team at all.
By , at
Sun Feb 10, 11:52:00 AM:
"The Prince of Wales will not attend the Beijing games because of concerns over human rights."
I suppose the right to free expression doesn't count as such in Britain.
By 
Christopher Chambers, at
Sun Feb 10, 03:33:00 PM:
Ha! You want the brits to "man up" (wow black slanng as certainly permeated even the whitebread wingnut world)! When since as ANYTHING counter to China been of any concern to you. Frankly the Brits should boycott--as we all should--to shake these smug bastards. A member of the Bush Administration even tipped the Commies off that the Maryland Legislature was considering a ban on the sale of any Chinese products containing lead (as a supposedly avowed "states rights" fanatic, you should have NO problem supporting this public health concern, right? hehehehe).
By the way, do you think Obama's courting Tim Kaine of Va. as a potential running mate?
By , at
Sun Feb 10, 04:51:00 PM:
""man up" (wow black slanng as certainly permeated even the whitebread wingnut world)"
Is this like your previous claim that "okay" was originally black slang? i.e. a total fabrication?
Just curious.
By Unknown, at
Sun Feb 10, 10:16:00 PM:
I am not surprised. The Great Britain has not been a country to stand up for democracy, freedom, or human rights of other people. It appeased Hitler before WWII and it was the first major country to recognize the Communist China. What BOC does now is just another reflection of this lack of principle in the name of pragmatism.
By , at
Mon Feb 11, 11:13:00 AM:
"...permeated even the whitebread wingnut world" - Christopher
FOUL!!!!!
No fair!! You, being black, get to use the term "whitebread world", but if I -- or Don Imus -- use the term "blackbread world", that would be the heinous crime of racism! No fair!
Actually, I think I heard the line "man up" in some Western a while back. Besides, why would you think such a tough, John Wayne-ish expression would be black in origin, given that they've been the exact opposite of 'manning up' over the past 200 years? You think playing the 'victim' role is "manning up"?
No, when it comes to black slang, I think your pinnacle of achievement was making "bad" mean "good". What greater heights could a race achieve?
You must be quite proud.
_____________________________________
So, TH, let me see if I've got this straight:
"I respectfully request that the British man up."
In other words, you want the Olympics to become just another political soap box, is that correct?
You're eager to see athletes expressing their views on human injustice, the loss of civil liberties, the horrors of war and the perils of global warming?
You anticipate these noble athletes changing the world for the better as they tear down the walls between tyrannical nations and ensure a better future for us all?
With pride you expect that the outrage raised by bloggers such as yourself, Glenn Reynolds, Ace of Spades, Maggie's Farm, et al, will open the door to a more open, honest Olympics so that the next time it comes to our shores, it can be used by the media to "heal our nation's ills" as the athletes discuss one political or social problem after another?
Granted, you didn't write much commentary, so some of this may be conjecture, but have I got the general gist of it correct?
And I quickly note that you're in excellent company. Ace's commenters are, almost to a person, solidly behind you and he on this. Freedom of speech! That's what it's all about, right?
Right?
By Fabio, at
Mon Feb 11, 03:13:00 PM:
Speaking for myself, I think that atlethes as such shouldn't spend much time discussing politics in public - especially if they don't have anything worthwhile to say.
However, putting an official gag on them is quite a different matter. A man can decide - and even should - not to use use a certain right in determinate circumstances, but there is no choice if said right is denied beforehand.
At least, the Italian Olympic Association said that its athletes will reatain their right to free speech.
By , at
Tue Feb 12, 12:28:00 AM:
The dragon is making a pussycat out of the lion
By jj mollo, at
Fri Feb 15, 05:33:00 PM:
Self-censorship. It's a side-effect of the desire to be kind and avoid a fuss (very English), but it's definitely the enemy of free speech. It reminds me of the Danish cartoon controversy. Only a few French magazines and Harpers had the nerve, at first anyway, to reprint all the images.
The antidote is to overreact. Every brit worth his salt should now say something nasty about the Chinese government ... very publicly. Let's see if the BOA will ban them all. It's not going to happen, though, because athletes at this level have invested way too much to "throw it away" with an irrelevant group-centered political action. These people wouldn't be where they are without having a pretty strong streak of selfishness. It gives you a little respect for what the Black Power dudes did in Mexico City. Course, they were Americans, and, besides, they had already won.
Speaking up is hard to do.
By , at
Fri Feb 29, 08:36:00 PM:
I've got a feeling that "I'll tell you after the closing ceremonies" might become a common line from British Olympic athletes. It is quite clear who still has their balls, and who has been castrated.
