This will be short and sweet. At least one other diarist has called for a boycott of watching the Beijing Summer Olympics on TV. To that I say Right On!
But, there's also another way to show your displeasure with China being selected to host these games.. More below the fold..
As a condition of hosting the Olympic Games, China promised to improve it's record of human rights abuses. It also promised to do more to respect Democracy and freedom of religion.
Not only did China break those promises, but in preparation for the games they have trampled the rights of over 1.5 million of it's citizens to sanitize Beijing and put on a front for the world.
According to Human Rights Watch:
The run-up to the Beijing Olympics has been marred by a well-documented surge in violations of the rights of free expression and association, as well as media freedom. In addition, abuses of migrant construction workers who were pivotal to Beijing’s infrastructure improvements have increased, as have evictions of Beijing residents whose homes were demolished to make way for that infrastructure.
Please read the article at that link to fully understand the breadth of China's abuses.
Complicit in these human rights abuses is the NBC network and all of the corporate sponsors who have failed to hold China to it's promises of reform.
Every corporate sponsor who did not pull out when they witnessed what was happening in the run up to these Olympics is responsible for enabling the oppressive regime in China to continue it's abuses.
So, what can we do?
Beginning tonight:
Do not watch any Olympic Games on TV
Do not purchase any products by companies on the following list:
Official List of Olympic Sponsors
Some major corporations on that list are:
Coca-Cola
McDonald’s
Snickers
General Electric
Kodak
Panasonic
Samsung
Visa
Johnson & Johnson
Adidas
UPS
Budweiser
Visit the corporate sponsor sites and let them know you will be boycotting their products as a result of them sponsoring the Olympics and turning a blind eye to teh abuses of the Chinese government.
If you can find a contact address for the International Olympic Committee, contact them and let them know how you feel. I cannot find one in a quick search of their home page.
Well, this turned out to be longer than I thought it would be! Please rec this and please get the word out to all of your family and friends to BOYCOTT!