sorry to push a major headline

By tuck 16 Jul 2001

this china and the olympics thing… i don’t understand what the big deal is. in fact, i’m pretty confused by it.

<p>it seems like china itself should not be so concerned about the olympics being held there.  doesn&#8217;t The Party consider the rest of the world a bad influence on its people anyway?  why would they seek out the approval of a world they are at odds with?  economic reasons only? that&#8217;s selling out.  what kind of message does it send to the chinese citizens?  people whose minds they are attempting to control&#8230;</p>

<p>also, since The Party hates free speech and dissemination of knowledge and even today covers up events and happenings that it fears the world would look down upon&#8230; why the hell would they want 10,000 reporters over there?  is it possible that while the olympics occur they will stop killing their handicapped and stop beating the crap out of peaceful protesters and stop sending members of peaceful religious sects to concentration camps?  seems like a good time for brave frustrated citizens to share with the world what life is like there&#8230; what&#8217;s the government going to do, beat a citizen in the street in front of <span class="caps">BBC</span>/CBS/FOX news reporters while he tries to explain how government agents entered his home and killed his handicapped brother in front of him? </p>

<p>also a good time for pulizer-hopefuls to probe.</p>

<p>fukc.  man.. actually&#8230; what a perfect time for student protests&#8230; with 10,000 reporters there, and china trying to improve its image, there should be protests and if the government runs them over with tanks again, there could be no denial-  more cameras and satellite links than at any other period of time anywhere else in the world.  what would happen? hmm./</p>

<p>what would happen if a competing athlete one day wore an ever-popular &#8220;Free Tibet&#8221; shirt&#8230;   or if there were peaceful protests by visitors who were there for the games&#8230; what would the government do?  on a normal day, arrest and beat and deport. (or beat, arrest, deport)  but the games, and the crowd, and the cameras&#8230; not normal days. i&#8217;m excitedly curious.</p>