Bother - I can't watch these videos. They take ages to download and then I get a second and then they download for ages again and give me another second and then I give up! What does it do? I feel quite passionately confused and helpless about the Olympics. The more I learn about China now the more I wish we were all boycotting them but I expect I'm a minority view.
steph, sorry about your internet problems. the video has sophisticated oriental music playing in the background and towards the end, two background lights go out, the music stops and the chains/loops fall into a pile of rubble. it's supposed to be symbolic kind of commentary on the brokeness of beijing and how the olympics kind of hide all of the crap in the shadows. i'm still not sure if i will protest or not. being an athlete myself, i think it kind of unfair to not support all athletes who've worked so hard to get to the olympics. it's not really their fault beijing has done and is doing what it's doing. but then again, they could maybe make a difference by boycotting, who knows. again, i'm torn on the matter...
Ah - the video sounds right on the mark. I know what you mean about being torn. I have been an athlete (but had to give up competition due to an injury) and still love to swim run and bike ... I have a close friend who swam in the last Olympics and she is still actively involved this time - but I sort of feel cowardly and powerless. My loyalties should lie with human rights and I know that boycotting/protesting can make a difference even if not immediately. My own country boycotted South Africa during apartheid, denying them the pleasure of playing rugby in our country (Sth Africa and NZ were the top two teams in the world so they wanted to play us). We also withdrew our support in buying their export goods and other things. Later Nelson Mandala said we had helped to bring down the apartheid government.
It seems that China wants so desperately to host these games that the rest of the world could have forced them to change by withholding that privilege. I just don't know how and that's why I'm a helpless coward. I just feel so sick about the whole thing I can't face watching anything which isn't going to help anybody.
Bother - I can't watch these videos. They take ages to download and then I get a second and then they download for ages again and give me another second and then I give up! What does it do? I feel quite passionately confused and helpless about the Olympics. The more I learn about China now the more I wish we were all boycotting them but I expect I'm a minority view.
ReplyDeletesteph,
ReplyDeletesorry about your internet problems. the video has sophisticated oriental music playing in the background and towards the end, two background lights go out, the music stops and the chains/loops fall into a pile of rubble. it's supposed to be symbolic kind of commentary on the brokeness of beijing and how the olympics kind of hide all of the crap in the shadows. i'm still not sure if i will protest or not. being an athlete myself, i think it kind of unfair to not support all athletes who've worked so hard to get to the olympics. it's not really their fault beijing has done and is doing what it's doing. but then again, they could maybe make a difference by boycotting, who knows. again, i'm torn on the matter...
Ah - the video sounds right on the mark. I know what you mean about being torn. I have been an athlete (but had to give up competition due to an injury) and still love to swim run and bike ... I have a close friend who swam in the last Olympics and she is still actively involved this time - but I sort of feel cowardly and powerless. My loyalties should lie with human rights and I know that boycotting/protesting can make a difference even if not immediately. My own country boycotted South Africa during apartheid, denying them the pleasure of playing rugby in our country (Sth Africa and NZ were the top two teams in the world so they wanted to play us). We also withdrew our support in buying their export goods and other things. Later Nelson Mandala said we had helped to bring down the apartheid government.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that China wants so desperately to host these games that the rest of the world could have forced them to change by withholding that privilege. I just don't know how and that's why I'm a helpless coward. I just feel so sick about the whole thing I can't face watching anything which isn't going to help anybody.
steph,
ReplyDeletei appreciate your thoughts and comments here, they're quite challenging.