Athletes are probably only second to actors in terms of self-involved idiocy, but Grant Hackett's statement about not boycotting Bejing has got be one of the stupidest things to come out of a sportsman's mouth in a long, long time. He says that boycotting the Olympics is not the answer. He doesn't say why, or what an alternative would be. I imagine it would be something along the lines of "if you boycott the olympics, I won't get any TV time and therefore won't get the lucrative endorsements that allow me to live my vacuous, selfish life." He seems to think it's more important to focus on a bunch of people running, jumping, swimming and throwing shit than the illegal occupation and violent suppression of another country not to mention endemic humans rights violations.However it doesn't stop there. Rather than wishing Tibet was freed, or that China stopped shooting people, he says, "hopefully that issue (Tibet) does die down a little bit." That issue?! Yes, let's hope that people stop all that silly talk about the killing of over 30 people so they can watch a bunch of pampered, self-indulgent poorly educated narcissists do pointless SHIT over and over again without feeling guilty. What a goddamn fucking joke. Boycott this Olympics, and boycott the Australian team.
Cue this shirt:
4 comments:
Oh well said, Ross. Well said.
While I agree that Grant lacked any degree of clarity in his statement, I share the view that an Olympic boycott is not the right way to address this issue. I fail to see what this would achieve - aside from disadvantaging the athletes, who spend 3 years and 50 weeks preparing for their moment to perform in front of the biggest audience in the world. The human rights violations being publicised in Tibet are terrible - but at the end of the day, this is a political issue and should be handled as such. As far as I'm concerned, if we take a course of action that chiefly impacts upon a group of people that have made no negative contribution toward the issue being protested about, that is wrong - and 2 wrongs don't make a right.
Unfortunately an event like the Olympics cannot be dissociated from politics. To do so is disingenuous and smacks of the same selfishness of the Australian cricketers rebel tour of South Africa in the 80s. Yes, the sportsmen work hard, but let's not forget they're on a taxpayer funded ride at the AIS where they pay no HECS. People doing medicine work just as hard and contribute far more than running and jumping and swimming.
To call a boycott 'wrong' amounts to moral cowardice. Fortunately China does care about its international reputation and so the athletes are in a unique position to draw attention to the illegal, violent invasion of Tibet AND the astounding level of humans rights violations in China itself. I guess in these days where nobody takes responsibility for the things they do, it seems a strange idea for people to take responsibility for things they should do. In fact it makes these athletes the worst kind of cowards: those who are in the position to do something but choose not to for personal gain. This burying your head in the sand, not-my-problem attitude shows the moral turpitude of the modern sports person. I am embarrassed and ashamed to be represented by people of this ilk.
If you truly believe sports boycotting is wrong, perhaps you should read about the Wallabies' boycott of the South African rugby tour in 1971. Those players had more moral fibre in their little fingers than this entire Australian Olympic team.
IT SEEMS STRANGE TO ME THAT AN ATHLETE IS ALOUD TO TAKE THE " I DNT HAVE AN OPINION" STANCE! EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE AN OPINION. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT DURING THE MEDAL CEREMONIES SOME BRAVE ATHLETES WILL SHOW HOW THEY FEEL IN FRONT OF THE WORLD!
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