Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Olympics
The constant protest and demonstrations against the Olympics Torch Relay and the Olympicss is of concern to everyone. There are a few theories and possible reasons behind all these fiascos. Lets examine some issues and some possible reasons why there are people constantly protesting and disrupting the torch relay and calling for the boycott the Olympics.
1. China is a success story. The protesters were bombarded with western media such as TV and newspapers, which are prejudiced against China’s success. From suffering poverty and hunger to exporting of food and technology, from hand building of The Great Wall to launching of rockets into space, from riding bicycle to driving motorcars, whatever you can think of, it is impossible to call it a success. Look around your home and it is not difficult to find many items made in China. Some sections of people of the western world may be not be happy about the rise of this nation to the world stage. The Tibetan issue comes handy as an excuse to vent their frustration.
2. Issues with Tibet: The protesters say that Tibetans are a different people, have different language and with different culture. Hence they must be independent from China. If this argument is valid, why not free Hawaii, or Alaska, or Acheh or Jaffna or Kurdish? They are different peoples with different cultures too. The argument that because Tibetans are a different people, so they must have independent is not a valid reason. They say Tibetans are treated poorly. The people in China are made up of more than 50 tribes, including the Tibetans tribe and the majority Han Chinese. Many tourists travel to various parts of China, including Tibet, to experience the cultures of the minority tribes. China has made great effort in preserving the cultures of the minority tribes. You can find 500 monks in just one temple. How many priests can you find in a church? Tibetans are also not subject to the strict China one-child policy, meaning Tibetans can have many children.
3. History of Tibet: China and Tibet has long historical tie. In the 7th century, the Tibetans were all nomadic people living in the wild, at most at tents without religion. The Chinese Princess Wencheng married the Tibetans King Songtson Gambo in the year 634 and introduced agriculture, poultry farming, printing and other technologies to Tibet. Above all, Buddhism was introduced and practiced until now. The Jhongkang Temple and the Potala Palace, both famous tourist attractions in Lhasa, Tibet, were built by the Chinese engineers and trades person during the 7th centuries. Tibetans has gained a lot in terms of knowledge and technology due to the influence of China. See the following link. It makes good bedtime story too.
http://www.wku.edu/~yuanh/China/tales/princesswencheng_b.htm
4. Opportunity for the Ordinary Chinese People: The majority of China 1.3 billion is still poor and suffering. The Olympics is an opportunity for the Chinese people to get together to improve their contacts with the rest of the world and to improve their livelihood. By disrupting the Olympics, we will be doing a great disservice to the 1.3 billion ordinary Chinese people in China and suppressing their wishes of to open up to the world through the Olympics. To deny them of this opportunity is to do a great disservice to human right.
5. Progressive Reform: In welcoming the Olympics, 200 millions Chinese are learning English. More westerners will visit China and influence Chinese people and its Government as well on some good western way of life and the western democratic ideas. China is progressively opening up. The Beijing Olympics is a golden opportunity to further open up China. Those who are against the Beijing Olympics may not be aware that by doing so they are helping to kill this opportunity.
There are many other reasons why some people want to disrupt the Olympics. Whatever we do, I believe it is counter productive to boycott the Olympics or to injure the spirit of the Olympics Game. We should look into ourself and think we can help to make China or any country more progressive.I believe that it is wrong to take the moral high ground and condemn others for what we do not like or for what we do not know fully.
1. China is a success story. The protesters were bombarded with western media such as TV and newspapers, which are prejudiced against China’s success. From suffering poverty and hunger to exporting of food and technology, from hand building of The Great Wall to launching of rockets into space, from riding bicycle to driving motorcars, whatever you can think of, it is impossible to call it a success. Look around your home and it is not difficult to find many items made in China. Some sections of people of the western world may be not be happy about the rise of this nation to the world stage. The Tibetan issue comes handy as an excuse to vent their frustration.
2. Issues with Tibet: The protesters say that Tibetans are a different people, have different language and with different culture. Hence they must be independent from China. If this argument is valid, why not free Hawaii, or Alaska, or Acheh or Jaffna or Kurdish? They are different peoples with different cultures too. The argument that because Tibetans are a different people, so they must have independent is not a valid reason. They say Tibetans are treated poorly. The people in China are made up of more than 50 tribes, including the Tibetans tribe and the majority Han Chinese. Many tourists travel to various parts of China, including Tibet, to experience the cultures of the minority tribes. China has made great effort in preserving the cultures of the minority tribes. You can find 500 monks in just one temple. How many priests can you find in a church? Tibetans are also not subject to the strict China one-child policy, meaning Tibetans can have many children.
3. History of Tibet: China and Tibet has long historical tie. In the 7th century, the Tibetans were all nomadic people living in the wild, at most at tents without religion. The Chinese Princess Wencheng married the Tibetans King Songtson Gambo in the year 634 and introduced agriculture, poultry farming, printing and other technologies to Tibet. Above all, Buddhism was introduced and practiced until now. The Jhongkang Temple and the Potala Palace, both famous tourist attractions in Lhasa, Tibet, were built by the Chinese engineers and trades person during the 7th centuries. Tibetans has gained a lot in terms of knowledge and technology due to the influence of China. See the following link. It makes good bedtime story too.
http://www.wku.edu/~yuanh/China/tales/princesswencheng_b.htm
4. Opportunity for the Ordinary Chinese People: The majority of China 1.3 billion is still poor and suffering. The Olympics is an opportunity for the Chinese people to get together to improve their contacts with the rest of the world and to improve their livelihood. By disrupting the Olympics, we will be doing a great disservice to the 1.3 billion ordinary Chinese people in China and suppressing their wishes of to open up to the world through the Olympics. To deny them of this opportunity is to do a great disservice to human right.
5. Progressive Reform: In welcoming the Olympics, 200 millions Chinese are learning English. More westerners will visit China and influence Chinese people and its Government as well on some good western way of life and the western democratic ideas. China is progressively opening up. The Beijing Olympics is a golden opportunity to further open up China. Those who are against the Beijing Olympics may not be aware that by doing so they are helping to kill this opportunity.
There are many other reasons why some people want to disrupt the Olympics. Whatever we do, I believe it is counter productive to boycott the Olympics or to injure the spirit of the Olympics Game. We should look into ourself and think we can help to make China or any country more progressive.I believe that it is wrong to take the moral high ground and condemn others for what we do not like or for what we do not know fully.
