Beijing Olympics: Should the West shut up in the face of China's human rights abuses?

The Associated Press

Sports fans won't be the only ones watching the world's athletes in Beijing this summer.

Featured Topic | Posted 40 weeks 4 days ago

Beijing Olympics: Should the West shut up in the face of China's human rights abuses?

Human rights advocates won't be celebrating the summer Olympics in Beijing. China censors the press, cracks down on dissent, and supports genocidal regimes. But the Olympics is supposed to be about setting aside differences, not "wallowing" in politics. Besides, an effort to boycott the Beijing games never got anywhere. Now British Olympic officials are requiring athletes to sign a contract promising not to speak out about China's abusive behavior or face being banned from Beijing. Have Western governments lost their nerve? Should Human rights issues affect whether countries participate in the Olympic games? Is it too late to confront China on its human rights record

Ben likes: Not blogging Beijing

Roger L. Simon/Pajamas Media

From this moment on, I will not write about the Beijing Olympics unless the subject at hand is censorship and repression in China. And -- unless the Chinese government changes its policies -- when the Olympics do come, I will not blog about them at all. I will take the opportunity to write as often as I can about the lack of Freedom of Speech on the Chinese Internet and on the suppression of bloggers and journalists in that country.

Joel likes: China falls short

Erin Mazursky/Huffington Post

Let us lay to rest the argument that we should dispel politics from the Olympics. Politics underlie host governments' motivations, with China nothing less than the norm. If we allow the international community simply to accept the Beijing Games as the Chinese present it, we will concede a great, undeserving misperception. For, the true realization of "One World, One Dream" means the promotion of the human condition -- whether Chinese, Burmese, Sudanese, or American. And, in this event, China falls short of even the bronze medal.