U.S. media has exaggerated need to boycott Olympics

There has been a lot of talk about China lately, especially in regard to the upcoming 2008… There has been a lot of talk about China lately, especially in regard to the upcoming 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Most of the criticism stems from China’s apparent lack of involvement in Sudan, as well as its over-involvement in Tibet. I am not here to advocate China’s actions, but I would like to offer a second opinion, one I think many publications have failed to address in light of such a serious media accusation.

The first issue I would like to present is that of China’s failure to intervene in the Darfur genocide. In the April 8 issue of The Pitt News, the opinion of Democratic State Rep. Mike Doyle was brought to the fore. According to the article, Doyle expressed his view that China’s economic ties to the Sudanese government put the nation in the unique position to interfere with the Sudanese matters of state, something that China has not yet done. According to Doyle, it is the United States’ responsibility to boycott the Olympic Games in order to pressure China into pressuring Sudan to change its policies.

Doyle even goes as far as to compare the Chinese government to that of Iran, a country that, to my knowledge, poses a much more tangible threat to the United States than China. He states that, “When you deal with governments like Iran [and China], history has shown us that these multiple kinds of requests [concerning the “long list of demands” he wishes could be sent to China], they’re never successful.”

The inherent insensitivity in a statement like this, which only serves to reinforce the United States’ own self-concept as the proverbial high horse in today’s world, is both offensive and hypocritical. What gives the United States the right to be the dominant global policeman in modern society? Is it our strong economic standing or our great democratic ideals?

It can’t be disputed that the United States has been the biggest benefactor of financial and humanitarian aid to Darfur, but this hasn’t ended the civil conflict, and it’s doubtful that China’s involvement will bring about a swift conclusion. Instead of putting the responsibility on China, U.S. politicians should be doing more to educate their citizens about the Darfur genocide, as well as providing more effective assistance that will result in actual progress.

This brings me to another point. Before the United States turns its critical eye on the actions of China, especially concerning human rights in Tibet, it is crucial for us to focus our judgment inward. Who is criticizing us for perpetuating an ongoing war that has resulted in thousands of deaths against a nation that has since lost its dictator and poses no chance of using weapons of mass destruction against the United States?

When was the last time we thought about our actions at Abu Ghraib, as well as potentially countless unreported war crimes against innocent civilians and even our own citizens (wrongful imprisonment of suspected terrorists, torture of supposed “war criminals,” suspension of basic human rights, etc.)? What are we doing to fix the unbelievably low rates of access to adequate education and health care in this country? Are we justified?

On another note, I can’t stress enough how much of a role the media has played in shaping the public opinion on this foreign affair. It’s clear to me the world has taken a stance of U.S. vs. China, all at the urging of the biased media. The news has adopted an extremely partisan viewpoint, one that gleefully casts China as the Goliath of our times.

One particular quote taken from an article from The Asian Pacific Post on April 9 lays claim to the fact that “China is a bully.” It can’t be argued that a statement like this is impartial.

History has shown us that it isn’t China that’s the bully; it’s the United States. Simply look at the trouble we’ve caused in South America, the Middle East and Asia in the past century – not to mention the imperialism and racism of the past. Perhaps China’s actions have not been without blame, especially concerning the silencing of human rights activists on the mainland and in Tibet, but the media has only served to blow the situation grossly out of proportion.

Has Tibet, the country that should be most offended by China’s choices, called for a boycott on the Olympics? The answer is clearly no. It’s an action Americans have undertaken ourselves because we feel the need to interfere with a cultural situation that we presume to understand.

It’s time for us to form our own opinions or at least see the picture from both sides. Again, I do not wish to dismiss the magnitude of the Chinese government’s decisions or the opinions of those who support the boycott. I only urge readers to do their own research and not rely on the beliefs of others. It’s our social responsibility, as well as the media’s, to provide accurate, balanced and unbiased viewpoints. Instead of Free Tibet, let’s Free America. We are the ones who really need it.

E-mail Jen at jwl17@pitt.edu.