China bars former American Olympic Gold Medalist.

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: techs

Originally posted by: sunzt

Originally posted by: techs
Why is America even trading with this murderous, barbarous, slimey, disgusting, (fill in blank) gang of thugs who are keeping 1.2 billion people as slaves?

Wow, they must be pretty happy slaves....

Read

... political change, however gradual and inconsistent, has made China a significantly more open place for average people than it was a generation ago. ...

Pew Global Attitudes Project this spring and issued last month found that an astounding 86 percent of Chinese said they were content with their country?s direction, double the percentage who said the same thing in 2002. Only 23 percent of Americans polled in the survey said they were satisfied with their country?s direction.

Happy? In China?..... does.... not.... compute...... I though they were all in forced labor camps being whipped to work 28 hour days.

Wow. First off you believe a poll taken in a Communist dictatorship?
Second, without a free press no poll is valid.
Third, I bet a poll in Nazis Germany in 1939 showed a 99 percent approval rating.
Fourth, anyone who would believe such a poll, would probably believe the poll of American slaves taken in the South in 1860. Overwhelmingly approving thier slavery.

You have a point about polls; they are somewhat meaningless without a free press, but on the other hand this one may not be. Many Chinese may be happy with where they are going in part because of a lack of free press. From what I gather, a lot of North Koreans honestly do believe their country is great and truly in their heart love Dear Leader.

I watched "China Rising" on tv yesterday or the day before and one girl who was a star pupil, very smart wants to be in the communist party. I felt bad for her because I'm sure she's very clever but has used that intellect over her years on the planet to foment a biased loyalty and love to something that doesn't deserve it. I'm sure she find such a condescending view shallow and unfair, but too bad I am not a commie pig!

What was I saying? hmm...

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: neodyn55
How do the China apologists, the ones who whine that the games shouldn't be 'political' explain this one?

B/c this guy was going to promote his political views.

 

[sunzt]

Originally posted by: techs

Originally posted by: sunzt

Originally posted by: techs
Why is America even trading with this murderous, barbarous, slimey, disgusting, (fill in blank) gang of thugs who are keeping 1.2 billion people as slaves?

Wow, they must be pretty happy slaves....

Read

... political change, however gradual and inconsistent, has made China a significantly more open place for average people than it was a generation ago. ...

Pew Global Attitudes Project this spring and issued last month found that an astounding 86 percent of Chinese said they were content with their country?s direction, double the percentage who said the same thing in 2002. Only 23 percent of Americans polled in the survey said they were satisfied with their country?s direction.

Happy? In China?..... does.... not.... compute...... I though they were all in forced labor camps being whipped to work 28 hour days.

Wow. First off you believe a poll taken in a Communist dictatorship?
Second, without a free press no poll is valid.
Third, I bet a poll in Nazis Germany in 1939 showed a 99 percent approval rating.
Fourth, anyone who would believe such a poll, would probably believe the poll of American slaves taken in the South in 1860. Overwhelmingly approving thier slavery.

Very convenient, denying anything taken from inside China as invalid. So we will never know what they really think? Even if you go into China and ask everyone face to face would you still refuse to believe it? Have you even experienced China, got to know the locals, or even formed any opinion outside of western news clips that talk about Tibet, human rights, or evil communism? I bet a poll in Nazi Germany in 1939 will show that you are 99 percent full of sh*t.

I guess Pews only wants to show how great the Chinese government is by releasing the poll since they must be in cahoots with them. I mean why else would they be allowed inside in China to poll. I guess you believe the US part then? But the Chinese part is invalid... hmmm

Would you believe it if it said only 23% of Chinese people approved? I bet you would and would claim that it is the truth.

Polls are not always accurate, but you can tell what the general consensus is if it is overwhelmingly one-sided as the case is here. From this poll we can tell that Americans are not happy with their direction, and Chinese people are.

If you don't believe me... go and ask them for yourself.... oh wait they must all be brainwashed Chinese apologists being paid by the government, dang how... inconvenient.

 

[Drift3r]

Originally posted by: magomago

Originally posted by: Fern
So we've got a former Olympic athlete who wants to use the Olympics to promote his personal political agenda (not that it's a bad one).

And the Chinese deny him entrance for their own political agenda (trouble-free Olympics).

Pot meet kettle?

I find some irony here, and do not like the games politicized.

I find myself unable to symphathize.

Fern

You realize though that politicization of the events is part of olympic history?

Germany in 1936, Mexico City and black Power in 1968, Israeli Palestinian conflicts appearing in 1972 Munich, America boycotting Olympics in Russia in 1980 and then the payback boycott in 1984. Umm....the Olympics have ALWAYS been politicized. and those are what i quickly thought without delving into actual links and read the details.

All your examples are examples of people/nations forcing their political agendas into a event which was/is not meant to be politicized. Olympics were not and never have been an event for voicing political views. This goes beyond the scope/mandate of the games and the event itself. If the Olympics were truly meant to be means to voice political views and as a means to demand change then no nation would compete in these games ever period.

Would people be okay with anti-Iraq War protesters interrupting or upstaging the Olympics had they been held here in the US?? Somehow I doubt it and somehow I think those folks protesting would be on "NO FLY" lists ASAP. At the very least they'd be forced to protest many miles away from the main event out of sight and out of mind with about a zillion police officers in riot gear as was seen during our previous presidential election.

PS - As for your 1968 Mexico example go read what some folks in the US thought about that raised fist at the time.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot...mpics-mexico-city.html

While the protest seems relatively tame by today's standards, the actions of Smith and Carlos were met with such outrage that they were suspended from their national team and banned from the Olympic Village, the athletes' home during the games.

A lot of people thought that political statements had no place in the supposedly apolitical Olympic Games. Those that opposed the protest cried out that the actions were militant and disgraced Americans. Supporters, on the other hand, were moved by the duo's actions and praised them for their bravery. The protest had lingering effects for both men, the most serious of which were death threats against them and their families.