Thu 17 Apr 2008
There’s less than 4 months until the Summer Olympic Games in China. These Olympics are overshadowed by human rights issues between China and Tibet. China considers Tibet as part of its’ country while Tibet says that they declared their independence way back in 1911. Throw in the issue of the Seventeen point agreement signed by the Tibetan Government in 1951 affirming Chinese sovereignty over Tibet and tempers flare. People are angry and the Olympics are stuck in a tug-of-war. Should we boycott the Olympic Games this year or should we set aside our differences for the Games? Should we protest a tiny flame traveling around the world or should we unite under the guise of peace?
I don’t fully understand protesting the flame? It’s just a tiny ball of fire that gives people joy as they prepare to watch the Olympics, a stunning display of human athleticism. The relay’s purpose is to spread the Olympic spirit as well as the message of peace and friendship, and also ignite the passion of the people around the world. It’s a flame that stands for so much, but it does not stand for the country in which the Olympics are held. That is where people’s passions have gone too far.
I’ve seen footage of protesters attacking smiling, torch-carrying people because they feel the torch is a pro-China symbol. In fact, a 14 year old girl in San Francisco decided not to carry the torch for fear of being attacked by demonstrators. Plus, the San Francisco route was changed all-together to avoid mobs. How sad is that? The opportunity to carry the Olympic torch is an honor that a select few are given. That 14 year old girl was denied that opportunity all because a group of people don’t know how to protest correctly.
Good protesters don’t lash out in violence. In this case, it defies what they are fighting for….human rights. If you’re pro-human rights, you’ve got to give people the opportunity to carry the flame. Good protesters would have a silent protest. They would also be protesting the office of the Olympic Selection Committee rather than the torch. The Committee is the entity that chose China to host the Games in the first place. True protesters would also be flying to China to protest at the Bird’s Nest or other Olympic sites.
The fact that people are protesting the Olympic torch shows that they don’t fully understand their cause. Protesting the Olympic torch is the same as protesting world unity during the games. It’s protesting each country that the torch has passed through. It’s protesting athletics. It’s protesting the causes for which the torchbearers are running, such as the cause of disabled athletes. So, if they’re so upset at one country, they need to discover a better way to unload their anger. Don’t touch the torch.