April 10, 2008 ... Out of Deutschland. Concerned about how the Chinese are mishandling the unrest in Tibet, pressure groups in America and elsewhere are clamouring for various boycotts vis-à-vis the 2008 Olympics to be inflicted upon the Chinese, as a way to make the Chinese take another course of action. To that end, Chancellor Angela Merkel--America's go-to-guy in the EU--is not attending the opening ceremony, nor might President Nikolas Sarkozy. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is skipping the opening ceremony, but intends to attend the closing ceremony. And President George W. Bush is undecided, but will most probably attend.
As with most other instances of demanding government intervention, there is actually no need for this demand to be made. In this particular instance, the answer for maximum impact is quite simple, and involves no violence or appeals to a higher authority than oneself. This is because there is no compulsion by way of a Strength Through Joy Commission*, for example, for anyone to attend the 2008 Olympics, and very few people will actually be attending due to other commitments on their time, or insufficient funds with which to travel and stay in China for the duration. The Olympics have long ago ceased to be an amateur event. In 1948, for example, when the Olympics was held in London, England, the athletes were expected to bring their own sandwiches and pay for their lodgings and travel. Today, however, the Olympics have become a professional event with a global reach which depends for its survival on sponsorship and broadcasting rights. And this is the key to maximising any impact. For the vast majority of people all that is necessary is to flip the channel and go watch something else. That's all it takes for your displeasure to be effective. * In response to the swamping of Washington DC by Young German Professionals, Germany's Green Party has announced the establishment of a Washington DC chapter. The working language will be German. Kraft durch Freude. Ja. :-) |
