China Olympic Games the death penalty
Nov 16th, 2009 by Campbell Kwok
This video is about how China’s government suppressed the population prior to and during the Olympics to enhance the country’s image. It is made by Amnesty International. There were many other issues not just the suppression of people’s voices. This includes the taking away of land to build venues without compensation, and slums were covered up and people were displaced. Furthermore, people were locked away without trials, executed, and silenced. In the video, Amnesty international has talked about how the first step to better human rights is the taking some of crimes out of executable crimes. When people wants to find out about statistics on the number of executions for example, the government hides it. The government controls the traffic of the internet and that silences people’s voices largely, especially in this age of technology. People feel helpless when they want their voices to be heard, but have no outlet. When they do voice their opinions and suffering, they run the fear of being caught and locked up or executed.
I think this video relates to our class especially on the silencing of voices. The subaltern has their voice silenced by many factors. In this video, people are actually silenced by their government which is supposed to be looking out for their interests. These people don’t really have other options when trying to voice their opinion as the government can control activities of organizations in China. However, with the increasing integration of China into the world market and so on, China has to be more sensitive to human rights issue, and that I hope should help resolve some of these problems.
8 Responses to “China Olympic Games the death penalty”
It is interesting to look at this video and compare it to what is going on in Vancouver right now in the preparation for the Winter Olympics. While I wouldn’t compare the Canadian to the Chinese government, there are many parallels in their actions in preparation for the games, though often less overt. Just as the CCP repressed dissenting voices, so too has BC banned anti-olympic signage. While people may not have been forcibly removed from their homes without compensation in Vancouver, rising inner-city rental and housing prices have forced many people out of their homes just as effectively. Also on the issue of covering up of slums, and on this I can only speak anecdotally, but I have heard that the police have been forcing homeless people into areas such as East Hastings to keep them from tarnishing the image of Vancouver for olympic visitors. All that said I think it is important to recognize and be thankful for the differences and I don’t mean to trivialize the situation in China where dissidents face the threat of being ‘dissapeared’, tortured or executed.
Taking off from Joe’s post, I think its interesting how public dissent is going to be controlled in Vancouver during the Olympics and the comparisons to the Beijing ’08. Its funny how China was pressured to ease some of their harsh restrictions (such as on some internet sites temporarily) and how the Olympic body is proposing specific protest sites in Vancouver that runs counter to some of our constitutional rights (i.e. limiting rights). This seems to point out to me that these actions are about the aesthetics of the games to onlookers and not so much the moral reasons championed. In other words, the facade of human rights for ratings in China but in Vancouver human rights can be boxed in for a better aesthetic (albeit their are some legitimate security concerns as well).
Concerning the homeless people in Vancouver, they have been forced for decades to move from neighbourhood to neighbourhood (street prostitutes have also had to undergo this which has put them at greater risk) so I don’t believe this is directly related but is how Vancouver decides to ignore these marginalized people. The recent movement out of the Victory Square area to east of cambie street downtown I think happened 4-5 years ago.
Concerning the video:
Looking back at China’s rhetoric concerning their attempts to improve human rights shows that not much has changed because of the Olympic international spotlight. I doubt that any real change will occur in the near future, at least not from external sources. Obama is currently in China trying to strengthen trade and has largely ignored the issue of human rights other than a risky sentence or two about China and the Dalai Lama. Furthermore, Harper is visiting China next week and is also primarily there to strengthen trade agreements. I doubt he will say anything meaningful about the issue and will probably just try to form a warmer relationship after the last few years of this: (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/28/harper-china-india028.html) which didn’t seem to change China’s stance on human rights and only hurt relations between the two countries. Since developed western countries want to increase China’s role in the capitalist system the issue of human rights in reality may be ending up on the sidelines within the international government realm because they can’t see any real progress being made (I could be wrong, hopefully).
The only meaningful change I can see happening will have to occur within China and human rights will have to become a large enough concern for mainstream Chinese rather than be limited to a small minority and regionalized interest groups (Tibetans, Uyghurs, etc.)
WOW i really liked your comment Ben. What are the “legitimate security concerns” you mentioned?
I was thinking along the lines of potential terrorist activities, similar to what occurred in Munich which is a possibility like at any world event. Our winter Olympics, if I’m getting my facts right, is the most expensive in terms of security then any previous winter Olympics. I know they’re concerned but I wonder if they’re going a little overboard with the spending in this area (est. 900 million).
I found this video especially relevant as it highlights the measures that China and other countries take to suppress the Subaltern Voice. Furthermore, it also highlights the IOC (especially the Olympics) as another BIG D Development Institution in which help spread the Western Industrialized Development projects. This video is especially relevant as the countries in which the games have been awarded recently are places which a majority of Westerners view as being “underdeveloped” or in need of help from Western nations (Sao Paul Brazil, Sochi Russia)
All interesting comments, thanks.
I went to a talk last week by a UBC law professor called “know your rights during the Olympics.” I was surprised that was I took away was that it is important to know your rights, but best not try to defend them too much to police, security, etc because you will likely get into more trouble. Now, I am eternally grateful to be in such a peaceful country as Canada but more and more I am learning how our society is not perfect.
After watching this video I thought: it’s a scary world out there. It’s hard for me to imagine those stories becoming realities.
In one of my other geography classes we were discussing the privatization and militarization of space in L.A and how this relates to Vancouver in general as well as in regards to the upcoming Olympics. While it may not be as bad as China it would appear that a lot of fear and paranoia has been instilled in the general public, which has led to the dissolution of human rights and an increase in police power. I don’t know if anybody else has noticed these advertisements on buses with, for example, one side showing a cartoon cut out through a door with the words report the weird to the magazines, and the other side with a sketchy looking man and the words report the suspicious to the police… Anyways these ads coincide with the upcoming Olympics and this paranoia that with the Olympics comes trouble. As a result many people, such as protesters, are being detained under this banner of protection, fear as well as safety (although many would argue it is due to bad publicity). As mentioned in one of the comments above, a new law has been enacted that allows police to force homeless people into shelters, when it gets ‘too cold’. Any other person walking on the street when it’s ‘too cold’ are not forced inside. I think this also shows how the dissolution of human rights first affects those who are poor, marginalized and racialized. While some people are complaining about these violations of rights, many seem content or understanding due to this increase in fear and paranoia.
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