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Do you know anything about the Tibet/China issue?

I don't bother watching the news. 0.058823529411765 5.9% [ 3 ]
Don't know, don't care. 0.03921568627451 3.9% [ 2 ]
I've heard a little about it. 0.41176470588235 41.2% [ 21 ]
I've read a little on the subject. 0.15686274509804 15.7% [ 8 ]
I'm well versed on the subject. 0.13725490196078 13.7% [ 7 ]
I know everything there is to know about the issue. 0.058823529411765 5.9% [ 3 ]
Plain old don't care. 0.13725490196078 13.7% [ 7 ]
Total Votes:[ 51 ]
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Lately, I've been hearing about Tibet protesters trying to sabotage the Olmpic Torch runs across the world. They've also been urging people to boycott the Olympic in Beijing.

What I would like to know is, what do they think this is going to accomplish? The Olympics have nothing to do with China's policies, it's merely the next place to hold them. It's not like China's going to suddenly go "Whoops, sorry guys, didn't realize that we've been oppressing you, but we see it now! Please, PLEASE come to our Olympics!". China is really not going to care in the slightest if some people don't go to the Olympics. If China hasn't caved under random pressure from other countries, or people, why does ANYONE think that China's going to suddenly cave under threats of people not going to their Olympics, or knocking their torch runners down?

Another thing. Why does China think that the Dalai Lama is actually planning all this?
Quote:
China accuses supporters of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, of orchestrating the violence and planning future attacks by "suicide squads.'' The Dalai Lama has denied any links to the violence and urged an independent inquiry into the unrest, something China has repeatedly ruled out. source


Marjora Carter decided to use running the Torch basically as a soap box. Should this have been allowed? Were the guards being overly cruel to her, or were they just trying to keep the peace?


Discuss:
What would boycotting the Olympics in Beijing actually accomplish for Tibet?
Does anyone actually think that boycotting the Olympics in Beijing will 'Free Tibet'?
Could the Dalai Lama actually be planning all these violent protests? If so, why would he suddenly start doing so after years of pushing peaceful protests?
What do you think of what Ms. Carter decided to do while running with the torch in San Fransisco?
Do you think that something terrible is going to happen when China runs the torch through Tibet?
What do the Olympics actually have to do with the Tiber/China issue?

If you actually stripped one of these protesters, I wonder how many of their clothes would be made in China?

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The fact is America believes that the Olympics actually holds significant value to China. That is why we are trying to boycott it. We believe it will make China decide to change their policies. What we don't know is that China does not give a damn about what America thinks, otherwise they would have given up communism. Also if America breaks off relations with China then we lose all of the resources that China provides us (except the lead filled toys lol).

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If it weren't for the fact that China is an economic partner or the US, we wouldn't go there either.

However, since they are, we sort of have to go because of our dependant economy on foreign goods.

If only the US had enough will power to be self sufficiant again. . .

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The Moscow Olympics were boycotted by a great many countries back in the '80s in responce to Russia's attempted occupation of Afghanistan. It didn't do a thing though, the Ruskies kept killing those Taleban regardless.

Until Rambo came along, of course.

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Black_Witch113
If it weren't for the fact that China is an economic partner or the US, we wouldn't go there either.

However, since they are, we sort of have to go because of our dependant economy on foreign goods.

If only the US had enough will power to be self sufficiant again. . .


Is it will power that's involved, or is it because they just don't have all the necessary resources to sustain their population within the United States boundaries?

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Well let's look back in history.

I believe back in the 80s, the united states and other countries boycotting soviet union by not going to the Olympics in moscow.

And like stuch said, it didn't help the cause.

So boycotting the olympics isn't going to change much. But it would be a waste for the chinese. I saw pictures of the Beijing stadium, it's beautiful.

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miyo_esparanza
Another thing. Why does China think that the Dalai Lama is actually planning all this?
Quote:
China accuses supporters of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, of orchestrating the violence and planning future attacks by "suicide squads.'' The Dalai Lama has denied any links to the violence and urged an independent inquiry into the unrest, something China has repeatedly ruled out. source


Because people do one thing and say another all the time. Just because he says it, it doesn't mean it's true.

However, I don't really think the Dalai Lama is telling the lameass yuppie activists in my area or anywhere else to kill anyone.

Stuch
The Moscow Olympics were boycotted by a great many countries back in the '80s in responce to Russia's attempted occupation of Afghanistan. It didn't do a thing though, the Ruskies kept killing those Taleban regardless.


Funny how that came back to bite us in the a**.

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Stuch
The Moscow Olympics were boycotted by a great many countries back in the '80s in responce to Russia's attempted occupation of Afghanistan. It didn't do a thing though, the Ruskies kept killing those Taleban regardless.


Do you have a source for this?

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miyo_esparanza
Stuch
The Moscow Olympics were boycotted by a great many countries back in the '80s in responce to Russia's attempted occupation of Afghanistan. It didn't do a thing though, the Ruskies kept killing those Taleban regardless.


Do you have a source for this?


Uh, those are both well-known facts.

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luckyninja II
miyo_esparanza
Stuch
The Moscow Olympics were boycotted by a great many countries back in the '80s in responce to Russia's attempted occupation of Afghanistan. It didn't do a thing though, the Ruskies kept killing those Taleban regardless.


Do you have a source for this?


Uh, those are both well-known facts.


I wasn't asking in a dis-believing way, just in a 'I'd like to put this in the OP, do you have a source I could link up there?" kinda way.

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China holding the Olympics has the same impact for them as it did for Germany back around World War II. It's a sense of prestige, the world saying "Okay, we accept you as one of us!" And the protesters are saying, "NO! You don't deserve it!" Back in the 1930s, Spain actually hosted Faux-Olympics in their country just to tell Germany, "No, we don't support your actions and treatment of your citizens, so we're going to hold this just to say that we don't agree with you."

In short, people are holding back the Prestige to say that they don't agree with China on _____ issue (usually Tibet or Darfur)

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I thought that what Ms. Carter did was a little.. pretentious? rude? unnecessary. She has an opinion, but the Olympics are a symbol of international Unity and the running of the torch probably was not the best time to tell everyone about her political beliefs. I also wonder how she feels she is so closely connected with the people of Tibet. I'm sure they appreciated what she did though biggrin .
I think to say that she acted "disgracefully" source is a little harsh. It was a little out of line but what's done is done and I don't think she injured anyone on what she did.

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eklu
China holding the Olympics has the same impact for them as it did for Germany back around World War II. It's a sense of prestige, the world saying "Okay, we accept you as one of us!" And the protesters are saying, "NO! You don't deserve it!" Back in the 1930s, Spain actually hosted Faux-Olympics in their country just to tell Germany, "No, we don't support your actions and treatment of your citizens, so we're going to hold this just to say that we don't agree with you."

In short, people are holding back the Prestige to say that they don't agree with China on _____ issue (usually Tibet or Darfur)


So a country has to do everything we agree with, or they're not allowed in our club? Seems a little harsh to me.

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miyo_esparanza
luckyninja II
miyo_esparanza
Stuch
The Moscow Olympics were boycotted by a great many countries back in the '80s in responce to Russia's attempted occupation of Afghanistan. It didn't do a thing though, the Ruskies kept killing those Taleban regardless.


Do you have a source for this?


Uh, those are both well-known facts.


I wasn't asking in a dis-believing way, just in a 'I'd like to put this in the OP, do you have a source I could link up there?" kinda way.


Oh, sorry.

Read about it here.

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miyo_esparanza
eklu
China holding the Olympics has the same impact for them as it did for Germany back around World War II. It's a sense of prestige, the world saying "Okay, we accept you as one of us!" And the protesters are saying, "NO! You don't deserve it!" Back in the 1930s, Spain actually hosted Faux-Olympics in their country just to tell Germany, "No, we don't support your actions and treatment of your citizens, so we're going to hold this just to say that we don't agree with you."

In short, people are holding back the Prestige to say that they don't agree with China on _____ issue (usually Tibet or Darfur)


So a country has to do everything we agree with, or they're not allowed in our club? Seems a little harsh to me.

Its not that they need to do everything like the U.S.A.; its that they need to show basic human rights, which China has a terrible track record of executing, even among their own people. Its a difficult issue for what the Olympics represents, which is a coming together of nations as equals, which seems hard to support when the event is being held in a nation that is currently suppressing another. The Olympics is also an event that, for the given nation who lobbies hard enough (its not like its a raffle, its debated), provides a huge amount of wealth to the given nation's economy. These coupled together give the sense that not only are we willing to overlook the atrocities in Tibet, we also will financially reward them for this behavior.
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