Spielberg snubs Chinese Olympics

[eddyabs]

Good on ya Steve!!

Spielberg snubs China over Darfur

Hopefully this will have a domino effect, other 'contributors' will follow suite, and we will perhaps see China being forced to acknowledge its terrible Human Rights record.

Apparently Mia Farrow had pressed Mr. Spielberg to end his involvement as artistic adviser to the Beijing Olympics.

Farrows response.

Just the fact that probably the most famous person (with the most media wattage) involved in the 2008 Olympics, has taken this stand and finally shone a light on that niggling question mark over the moral integrity of these forthcoming games, surely means that others will follow suit?

Thoughts??

 

[dong20]

Good on ya Steve!!

Spielberg snubs China over Darfur

Hopefully this will have a domino effect, other 'contributors' will follow suite, and we will perhaps see China being forced to acknowledge its terrible Human Rights record.

Thoughts??

I'm not sure Mr. Speilberg will be a major factor in Chinese political manoeuvring right now. If they did publicly acknowledge their record, they would lose face and of course that's going to happen - especially over a stand by a US movie mogul given the current low ebb in the tide of US-Sino relations.

Nevertheless, I applaud the stand and hope others follow - starting with those athletes under threat of exclusion if they don't sign gag orders.

 

[Drifterwood]

The pursuit of Oil is the root of all evil.

So it would seem.

 

[andysmith]

Good on ya Steve!!

Spielberg snubs China over Darfur

Hopefully this will have a domino effect, other 'contributors' will follow suite, and we will perhaps see China being forced to acknowledge its terrible Human Rights record.

Apparently Mia Farrow had pressed Mr. Spielberg to end his involvement as artistic adviser to the Beijing Olympics.

Farrows response.

Just the fact that probably the most famous person (with the most media wattage) involved in the 2008 Olympics, has taken this stand and finally shone a light on that niggling question mark over the moral integrity of these forthcoming games, surely means that others will follow suit?

Thoughts??

A lot of innocent people have lost thier home becuase of the olympics,

the sports people should refuse to go over and we should all refuse to watch

 

[B_Nick4444]

Chinese military ascendancy! japanese funding banana republics' dolphin kills & whaling! Canadian seal hunts to sell seal fur & body parts to asians!

Globalism at its best!

 

[dong20]

BEIJING (Reuters) - China voiced its disappointment on Thursday over movie director Steven Spielberg's decision to quit his Beijing Olympics role because of China's policies in Sudan and said the Games would be a success regardless.

"We express regret," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news conference. "All preparation work for the Beijing Olympics is proceeding smoothly. The Chinese people are willing to work with artists from around the world with wisdom and talent and the Olympic Games will be a success."

...

"Western exploitation of the Olympics to pressure China immediately provoked much disgust among ordinary Chinese people," said the Global Times, a current affairs tabloid run by the Communist Party's People's Daily.
"The vast majority of Chinese people have expressed bafflement and outrage at the Western pressure. In their view, it's absolutely absurd to place the Darfur issue, so many thousands of miles away, on the head of China."

"NOT IN OLYMPIC SPIRIT"

Liu said Chinese companies operating in Sudan were playing a constructive role, making donations to help reconstruction and engaging in development work such as digging wells.

Beijing's Olympic organising committee said the government was making "unremitting efforts" to resolve the Darfur crisis.

"Linking the Darfur issue to the Olympic Games will not help to resolve this issue and is not in line with the Olympic spirit that separates sports from politics," the committee said in a statement.

I think that's code for, "We couldn't care less what you say or do..."

China "regrets" Spielberg's Darfur decision - Yahoo! News UK

 

[MASSIVEPKGO_CHUCK]

Spielberg always has been a crusader for human rights- I think it reached it's fruition right after Schindler's List.
And he's justified in his actions if he chooses to do so.

 

[titan1968]

I still can't believe that China was chosen to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Who did the Chinese (government) pay or who did they sleep with to get them? Forget Darfur, Burma, Tibet, Falun Gong, Tinnamen, etc. The Chinese way: smile, pretend all is well and act outraged or baffled when reminded that all is not well. Enough with the theatrics! :censored:

I for one will boycott those games and the sponsors (even the Canadian ones). I applaud Spielberg for snubbing them.

A lot of innocent people have lost thier home becuase of the olympics,

the sports people should refuse to go over and we should all refuse to watch

 

[B_Nick4444]

I applaud Spielberg for snubbing them.

:beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug::beerchug:

 

[kalipygian]

In the spirit of even handedness, if they were being held in the US, I would encourage boycotting to protest Bush's illegal war.

 

[B_Nick4444]

In the spirit of even handedness, if they were being held in the US, I would encourage boycotting to protest Bush's illegal war.

no comparison

 

[simcha]

Also, in order to compete in Beijing all contestants must agree to not complain about anything they see in China to the outside world while they are at the games.

So, the Chinese autocracy gets to rule over all participants in the Olympic Games.

Personally, I think that we Americans should pull out of the Beijing Olympics because they want to violate our freedom of speech. We should do it out of principal.

Screw the Chinese Government!

The Chinese people are nice but their government is evil.

At least we'll restore our government once the Shrub is gone...

 

[Drifterwood]

Personally, I think that we Americans should pull out of the Beijing Olympics...

Do you have any clean Athletes left? :tongue:

 

[dong20]

no comparison

Really, how so?

 

[B_Nick4444]

Really, how so?

do you see George Bush censoring this forum?

do you see the rest of the internet being censored?

compare and contrast Tibet and Iraq!

do you see/hear Chinese discussing exit strategies from Tibet?

do you see Americans being chased around and having their organs surgically removed to be sold?

do you see Americans being shot for their loud mouths?

do you see Americans being surrounded by tanks as in Tianeman Square?

 

[dong20]

do you see George Bush censoring this forum?

Indirectly, yes. Citizen's online activity being monitored and such like, absolutely. Censorship need not be overt.

do you see the rest of the internet being censored?

See above.

compare and contrast Tibet and Iraq!

In a sentence. While occurring on different continents, they were both Illegal occupations based on strategic interests and for domestic political appeasement.

do you see/hear Chinese discussing exit strategies from Tibet?

The US didn't had one when it went in, it doesn't yet have a coherent one five years later. What's your point?

do you see Americans being chased around and having their organs surgically removed to be sold?

Not to my knowledge.

do you see Americans being shot for their loud mouths?

Well, I see them being killed almost every day merely for being American. Is that close enough?

do you see Americans being surrounded by tanks as in Tianeman Square?

I've seen seen far worse in Iraq.

Many of your arguments are not even on point. You're going to have to do better than this.:biggrin1:

 

[B_Nick4444]

Many of your arguments are not even on point. You're going to have to do better than this.:biggrin1:

precisely my reaction to ....

 

[kalipygian]

The offenses of the government of the PRC against civil rights are greater than those of the US government, that does not mean that those of the US government should be allowed to pass.

The PRC should get out of Tibet and the US should get out of Iraq.

I would not go to the straight Olympics in any case, they are still extremely homophobic, and a bit fascist.

 

[dong20]

precisely my reaction to ....

You said there was no comparison to China's illegal military actions and their tacit support in a number of arenas and those of the US in Iraq (and by inference, Afghanistan). I believe there is.

Consider China and Tibet with America and Iraq - The question of Americans being surrounded is a basis for comparison issue how? - neither was a domestic action.

What has having a 'loud mouth' got to do with either?

What has censorship got to do with either?

What has organ harvesting got to do with either.

Do you see a theme developing here?

Anyway, as I said I support Spielberg and others but as I also said I doubt it will cut much, if any ice with the Chinese.

This is in pretty much the same way international condemnation of human rights abuses by the US at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib failed to force the US to do more than a little PR, a potential show trial.

 

[B_Nick4444]

no ... listing of different issues, different aspects/instances of Chinese repression all pointing to no honoring/recognition of rights of living beings... organ harvesting from political prisoners, executions for political expression cannot be matched by anyone, unless you reach back into fascist Germany & japan.... the example of Chinese tanks surrounding Chinese, you responded to by reference to Iraq (!?!?) when have you ever seen Washington ordering the subjugation of Americans gathered in protest by tanks and heavy equipment? Iraq will eventually be Iraq again, can anyone say the same thing about Tibet?

I could go on and on ... there is no dearth of outrages committed by Beijing, and given China's increasing military might, the future looks even bleaker