The Olympics in China

 

So the Olympics are here again.  I'm usually wildly enthusiastic about watching the games.  And that's both Winter and Summer.  I am glued to the TV for all the events.  Last night I watched women's hockey between Finland and Canada.  I mean, when would I ever do that except the Olympics?  

The pageantry is stupendous, the performances run from routine to world record breaking, the athletes are for the most part hugely admirable, and the venues are impressive.  To watch these mostly kids achieving a life long goal is heartwarming.  My view is that just being there and competing is probably the experience of a lifetime for most of them.  Of course, there a few that go to multiple Olympics and maybe it becomes somewhat routine, but I think for most of them they are wide-eyed and just want to take it all in.  For me it's not about the medals and I sort of disdain the medal count, but I have to admit to getting somewhat misty eyed when an American ascends the medal stand and the Star Spangled Banner is played.  In other words, when it comes to the Olympics, I'm all in.  All the time.

Having said that, I'm conflicted about these games.  China is definitely an oppressive police state that is on the move.  There is no doubt that they are our major competitors in the world and a confrontation is coming.  I'm not going to predict how it will unfold, but it's coming.   If you think that China is going to let Taiwan exist indefinitely, you're living in a dream world.  And that's not even to address the disputed island in the South China Sea for starters.  They are preparing for a major confrontation.  It doesn't take too much research to verify that.  Taiwan is doing some things to prepare, but not enough.  Not nearly enough.  And we are not moving aggressively to support our allies and prepare for what is coming.  I won't get into the idiocy of our national security priorities here, but it's going to be ugly and the outcome is by no means certain.  Typically the media has been all over the place depending on their politics.  I don't think they really care about national security but human rights abuses get their attention.  That is a story that they can get their teeth into.  Some have been very critical and some have covered it lightly and some have ignored it.  But the reality is that Chinas record of human rights abuses, their underhanded business practices and their overt goal to expand their Communist propaganda around the world is pretty atrocious.  If you doubt that latter statement Google the "belt and road initiative".   

In full disclosure, wife and I visited China as tourists several years ago.  I had never been able to visit during my working life because of my security clearances, but I'd always wanted to see the "Middle Kingdom".  It was a fascinating trip that allowed for a glimpse of a culture and civilization so unknown to most Westerners.  And while it was educational and enlightening trip, we definitely saw the oppressive police state.  No matter how much they tried to gloss it over or deny it, it was always there.  And it was scary.  Suffice to say that I have no desire to return.

Having the Olympics there reminds me of the 1936 games in Berlin.  Looking back, that gave Hitler a huge propaganda platform, no matter the exploits of Jesse Owens.  I bet anyone who had a hand in the decision to go to Berlin regrets that decision.  At least I hope they do.  How about China?  Here's how Jim Geraghty over at National Review puts it:

Everyone with a role in these Olympic Games wants to avert their eyes, pretend everything is normal, and act like China is just another host country. Beijing thinks it is about to enjoy the benefits of a two-week propaganda festival broadcast to television screens and web browsers all around the world. And you’re unlikely to see or hear too much lambasting of the crimes and scandals of the Chinese regime in a lot of other mainstream news institutions. ABC is owned by Disney, NBC is owned by Comcast, CBS is part of Viacom, the Washington Post is owned by Amazon, Bloomberg is owned by . . . Bloomberg. All of these giant companies want continued access to the Chinese market, and the overwhelming majority of the leaders of these giant companies want to avoid antagonizing the Chinese government.

 James Quinn in the same magazine details the abuses:

• Starting in 2020, Beijing has all but eliminated Hong Kong’s autonomy and democracy with its imposition of a new national-security law. Effectively, the party criminalized any speech it deems to be dangerous — and claimed the ability to prosecute offenders anywhere in the world.
• Key pro-democracy figures were imprisoned or forced into exile, and the city’s authorities shuttered independent sources of news, most prominently Apple Daily.
• Campaigns against Christians, Falun Gong adherents, and other religious minorities in China continued apace, and in 2020, the party initiated a new effort in Inner Mongolia to assimilate ethnic Mongolians into Han nationalist identity, prohibiting schools there from using the Mongolian language.
• But the proximate cause of Western outrage over the Games is the genocide of Uyghurs.  A wealth of evidence amassed by researchers, journalists, and victims has over the past five years revealed that the Chinese government, in a campaign ordered by Xi, is working to eliminate that ethnic minority group.

The selection of a host country for the Olympics is a big deal.  A country that wants to be considered usually has to spend millions of dollars in the campaign and billions in constructing the venues.  It's about prestige, sports, tourism and above all else money.  If I'm guessing, I bet the Chinese bought the selection.  The International Olympic Committee isn't known as the most ethical body in the world and I could see a lot of nods and winks and ignoring some of the seedier sides of the culture in the selection.  I'm also would not be surprised if a fair amount of threat and bribery went into it.  But what do I know?  What's done is done.  All I'll say is that there are a lot of countries around the world that want to and could host the Olympics.  Picking one of the world's biggest oppressive, Communist police states probably isn't a good idea.  Here's hoping they won't repeat it.

I watched the opening ceremonies last night and two things struck me.  First is that NBC had a surprising amount of critical commentary about China.  Their analysis, while not harsh, did bring out many of the issues.  Second, they miked up the USA flag-bearer as he walked in.  He is on the Curling team who competed and won the gold medal last time.  And he was over the top amazed to be there.  To be a part of the Olympic Games was clearly a lifetime highlight and the fact that it was in an oppressive police state was secondary.  

So I see these opportunities for the athletes and its difficult, at least for me, to not come down on the side of rooting for the athletes.  It's a bit like the Super Bowl post I put up a few days ago.  I'm disgusted by the hypocrisy of the NFL and the half time performers, but I will watch the game.  I'm not going to let those assholes deprive me of watching a potentially great football game.  And I'm going to watch the Olympics in China.  It's not some statement of support of the oppressive police state.  It's not a sellout to the corporate world.  It's not that I don't think a reckoning is coming.  I'm just not willing to let those assholes deprive me of watching the Olympics.  Simple as that.