While the ideal of the Olympics is that nations come together in the spirit of athletic competition, the reality is that they are highly political events. As those of us who were around in the Cold War remember, the United States and the Soviet Union would battle over gold medals in order to show which nation had the better ideology. There was also the famous boycott of the Olympics when the USSR invaded Afghanistan and the Soviet retaliation four years later. Further, athletes have made political gestures during the games as well.
This year, the main political concern is about China’s human rights record and its behavior on the national stage. Some think that the Olympics would be an ideal opportunity for protesters to strike a blow against China. Naturally, China is gearing up to crack down on any dissent or protests. But, of course, they probably cannot stop all attempts at political expression. However, the question arises about whether people should use the Olympics as a stage to protest against China.
On one hand, there seem to be good moral grounds for such protests. After all, China has acted in various ways comparable to the bad behavior of most other nations: enacting oppressive laws, interfering with the internal affairs of other countries, violating human rights, and so on. Immoral behavior should, of course, be countered. One way to do this is to protest bad behavior in the hopes that it will change.
Of course, mere protests do not lead to change.They can, however, inspire the process of change. For example, people spoke out against slavery in the United States and eventually slavery was outlawed. As another example, people protested about the fact that women did not have the right to vote in the United States and eventually that right was granted. Perhaps the same could happen in the case of China: the protests will lead to moral improvements.
On the other hand, there is the concern that such protests might have an undesirable effect on China’s behavior. While criticizing bad behavior can lead to that behavior stopping, sometimes such criticism can reinforce such behavior. In the case of China, the upcoming Olympics are a chance for the country to show that it is a great power and ready to be a full participant in the world community. If the Olympics go well, then China might be willing to open up more and might start on the slow journey towards changing her behavior to be more pleasing to the liberal countries of the world. However, if China believes that her party is being ruined and that she is being humiliated, then she might move strongly back onto her more recent path of bad behavior.
China is an ancient country with a rich heritage, profound philosophies (Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and others), and an embedded tradition of the importance of morality in government (although that tradition has been ignored for quite some time). China also has a vast population and a seemingly strong economy. As such, China could be a great country and a good country. While we should not give China a free pass, we should be understanding of the reality of the situation and be sensitive to China’s concerns.
In light of this, my view is that while people have a right to protest, restraint should be exercised. China should be given her moment to shine and then a chance to live up to that moment for years to come.