People are just afraid to criticize China, I think. Not only is their oppression of Tibet and their stance on internal human rights appalling, but so is their attitude that anybody who criticizes China is 'hurting their national feelings'

They're 5000 years old. It's time to Grow out of that.

What's terrifying is that we're all addicted to the China trough, so nobody is really free to criticize too much. Which is just how they want it.

I can understand the argument that boycotting won't change anything. Perhaps. The 1980 athlete boycotts were not terribly successful as a political protest.

However, I personally do not care to watch, and I hope that others who feel similarly will do the same and communicate same to their friends.

Light a single candle.

And another thing, the minute that their product leaves China and winds up on foreign shelves, their treatment of their workers ceases to be an 'internal affair'. Regardless of cost savings, the use of such products creates moral concerns.

True, America also has much to improve on in the area of labor conditions. Too Much to write about, even. While I do actually expend some political energy agitating for better labor conditions here, I'm still not going to watch the '08 games.

I'm not watching either.

I'm tempted, however, to break my Olympic embargo to see the US flag be carried by a Darfur Lost Boy. I betcha that pissed the Chinese government off.

We don't have cable. We won't be watching.

And I forgot to mention the Sudan. Even pissing them off is of limited value, since the gov't controlled media won't let anybody else see the pissing.

I know - what tempts me is that I'm curious how they will cut out that portion of the opening ceremonies.

I won't give in - I can read about it later.

i'm going to watch because i LOVE the olympics. i always have. i don't think my not watching it will change a thing, so why restrict myself from doing something i enjoy? i won't watch too much because i'll be on vacation for the most part, but if i have a chance, i will watch. in the end, it doesn't matter who hosts it because it is about the athletes. yes, the chinese government is horrible, and yes, they have committed HUGE human rights violations, but really, the olympics are about sport.

I'm not watching either. Not for any political reasons...I'm just not that into the Olympics.

I'm with you man!

I'll be watching here and there, because it's not fair to the athletes who've poured their hearts and souls into it. it's not their fault the country taht sucked the most got picked.

I will, as I watch, be constantly fighting back an urge to hock big lugies, what with all that pollution just visibly hanging in the air. Those poor competitors! I can't believe the people were offended when the bicyling team showed up in the airport with facemasks on. Protecting themselves! Politeness be damned.

HBD - that's why I did not support an actual boycott. There is no reason why our, or any, athletes should be punished for what I think is a huge mistake on the part of the IOC.

I'm way too into the Olympics to skip out on them - I've been watching the games religiously since 1984. As disappointing as the Chinese government has been, I'm with Andromeda here - it is now about the athletes. They write the real stories - not the Chinese govt.

Besides the Olympics, and perhaps the World Cup, are the only times when I feel like humanity has a shred of hope and MIGHT actually pull it together to work its differences out.

I'll be watching, I'm too much of a sports freak not to, and my watching it has no impact whatsoever on conditions in Darfur or Lhasa. I'll deal with those issues in my own way by supporting causes and speaking out about it. What is so amazing about the Olympics has nothing to do with who is hosting it. It has to do with the hundreds of athletes who dedicate their lives to engaging in sports as glamorous as the 100 meter run and as obscure as archery.

My sister said something really interesting last night. She adopted a daughter from China four years ago, and she is growing concerned that her daughter is starting to absorb a lot of the negativism about China and, hence Chinese people, from the media. She's young, so the subtleties of the "criticize the Chinese government, not the people" thing are lost on her.

I'll be watching, although I may have to tivo the opening ceremonies. I love the Olympics and feel similarly to shreddd.

I agree with Andromeda, were now at the point when the Games begin it's about the athletes not the host country.

i wanted to watch the opening ceremony cos i'm fascinated by china. I could care less about sport though, so i'm not gonna watch the events. Except perhaps the swimming, so when everyone around me is talking about it (which they will, i promise you) i will have a clue what they're discussing, and won't look like a freak. If I DON'T watch the swimming, they might report me to the feds. :(

i might watch the martial arts. cos that does interest me. quite a bit.

I'm a Winter Olympics fan. The summer games don't do much for me, so I won't be watching.

"Not only is their oppression of Tibet and their stance on internal human rights appalling, but so is their attitude that anybody who criticizes China is 'hurting their national feelings'."

Freedom fries, anyone? ;)

I don't watch the Olympics because I'm just not into it. I'm more of an X-Games kind of gal.

My multi-tasking skillz only go so far...if I can remember to turn on the TV, I will probably watch the Olympics. The Chinese government has been in the business of oppression for so long, I doubt my non-viewing of a sporting event would faze them overmuch. However, I can totally get behind someone feeling like they personally have to do SOMETHING. It's awful hearing about the stuff that the government does, and that you as a private citizen can do nearly nothing about it. Donating to charities is just not as satisfying somehow.

As for the Olympics themselves, I usually enjoy watching some sports - I avoid most professional American sports because I'm completely disgusted with the fact that someone who throws a ball for a living makes more than a public school teacher.

Here's the thing, by watching the Olympics, I would be aiding in the selling of advertising space and money making that not just benefits the Chinese Government, but also the Olympic Committee, which in turn reminds them that they lose nothing for deciding to send the games to China in the first place.

Does it suck for the athletes that the Olympic Committee made this decision - yes. But frankly, somebody else's quest for a sports trophy is far less significant to me,in the grand scheme of things, than assisting in giving more resources to China to use in the horrifying brutality with which they murder and oppress so many people.

We buy things that are made in China. I'm not sure how we could avoid it. Not buying Chinese made items would be a far more effective boycott than not watching the Olympics, in my mind.

I am also biased, however, because some of my former students are there participating and I am way too proud and hopeful for them to not watch them.

See, I can't wrap my head around the argument "...aiding in the selling of advertising space and money making..." The money has already changed hands. Regardless of what you watch over the next couple of weeks NBC, and all of the international networks that cover the Olympics, have already given the IOC billions of dollars to broadcast the Olympics and have made even more by selling advertising. You seeing a commercial for Visa or Coke, honestly, in the grand scheme of things amounts to nothing. The number of people that would have to be involved to make these kind of "boycotts" work is staggering. A couple of million people would have to turn off their tv (which was probably made in China), not just change the channel, and attempt to do *something* that doesn't "support" anything that has a tie back to China. If it makes you feel better, hey, go for it, but don't think that China will change because you don't watch.

Sorry for the rant, but these kind of "boycotts" drive me crazy. It's like the stupid emails I get about not buying gas on a specific day to bring the price of gas down. Uh, that doesn't work, people will just buy their gas the day before or the day after.

I like the swimming and the gymnastics. And the opening ceremony, so that's what I may be watching. It's true, the athletes work way too hard to not support them. I don't support the war in Iraq, but that doesn't mean that I've boycotted helping the soldiers by sending supplies and care packages.

I'm not watching because the Olympics bore me and I object to the fact that on CBC they make room for the Olympics by stopping Coronation Street for the duration.

I am also against these games for political reasons, and don't think China should have gotten them in the first place.

Super-Papa - I know that my not watching the Olympics will change absolutely nothing. I actually really like the Olympics, so I'll read about the events and such. I was just so miffed that China got the games and I kept bitching about it, so I decided not to watch them. My decision is politically motivated, but it's distinctly personal. It's not really a statement of any kind.

Of course, as I type, I'm drinking a Coke with the Beijing 2008 logo emblazoned across it as I pack a million things in my home that were made in China. :)

In general, boycotts make me kinda nuts. I got so tired of people telling me not to buy gas from Valero because it's a Venezuelan company. Great - but all of the employees at my local Valero who could be laid off if sales dipped too far aren't Venezuelan. They're my neighbors.

SP - worldwide, I expect there will be more than a few million people who refuse to watch.

Nobody can do a damn thing about the fact that China is hosting the Olympics. But what I can do is my part to not give reason to justify that decision. And living with an ad man, I clearly understand a thing or two about ad buys, return on those ads and how it can help to not add to the sweeps month ratings for the Olympics by not watching.

It's all about the number of viewers and the return on those investments for the ad bucks. If the ratings are up, the ad buyers see their investments in sponsoring the Olympics (that's the part where the Chinese government profitted) as a wise investment. They aren't likely to care in the future if the Olympic Committee chooses another brutal, murderous, oppressive nation as host - and they won't put any preassure on them to not.

I'm a firm believer that one woman cannot save the world, and I don't really care if everybody thinks I'm nuts and doesn't want to join me. I just personally cannot morally tolerate the thought of being a part of it.

Trust me, I'm difficult to live with - and I recognize this. My poor husband has to deal with this shit all of the time. Hell I even had to tell him that he was welcome to put whatever tires he wants to on his car, but I'll be damned if I'll ever set foot in it or allow our children to set foot in it if that car is riding on Bridgestone/Firestone tires.

I love the Olympics. I love the pagentry. I love the stories. I love the flags. I LOVE it when a little country wins their first medal.

I look for "made in America" and buy it when I can.

I think I'm doing the right thing by watching but have a good time not watching it if it floats your boat.

Nothing better to do tonight than to sit down with LGB and watch the opening ceremonies.

Damn...impressive!

yeah, DaD and i had this discussion last night. Every second item in our house was made in china, and those that weren't were made in Thailand, Vietnam or Taiwan. Or occasionally Japan. I'm sure on an average week we send more of our money there than we would ever 'save' by boycotting the olympics.

Normally i boycot the Olympics because i hate sports.

In this case, I am watching the olympics specifically because it's China. This is more interesting to me, than Sydney2000 was. (And far less embarassing.)

I know this thread died down a couple of days ago, but I had originally stated that I didn't think a 'boycott' of the Olympics and the Opening Ceremonies was going to be a big deal in the US or world wide. I just saw an article that 30+ million people in the US watched (second only to the Atlanta Olympics).

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0549273/