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I can’t help but feel that China must be seeming rather surreal to many of her citizens these days. With the upcoming Olympics around the corner, rampant industrialization replete with huge human and environmental costs and nearly constant news of human rights issues - one has to feel for the people there. Are human rights more important than the games, or should the games be used as a springboard for the international court of opinion?

Recently a Chinese dissident, Hu Jia, was just arrested for allegedly subverting the power of the state as he was dragged away from his “Freedom City” apartment on December 27th. It is amazing to me that in the 21st Century people are still being subdued for speaking their mind. What is more amazing is that Chinese officials have not done a better job of finding more politically correct resolutions to these issues.

According to a story in the New York Times, all of dissidents and even potential troublemakers are being systematically silenced before the August games begin. Teng Biao, a legal expert there summarized the situation so: “This is a coordinated cleansing campaign to silence all new troublemakers and potential troublemakers before the Olympic Games.“ According to the NYT‘s article over 50 such dissidents and they have silenced over 2500 Web sites.

Why Are They Dissidents?
In this particular case, Hu evidently came to the aid of another dissident who was petitioning for more human rights rather than an Olympic Games. Hu attempted to help Yang Chunlin fight for regress over farmer‘s lands that had been confiscated for Olympic Games uses. The battle cry for these folks quickly became “We want human rights - not an Olympic Games.” Yang was arrested last summer on similar charges to those levied on Hu. So, I guess disagreeing with your land being taken is considered troublemaking in China, what is new?

The World And Human Rights
I remember President Jimmy Carter stopping the U.S. Olympic Team from competing in the Moscow Olympics after soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan. I did not approve of that action because of the wasted efforts of all those magnificent athletes and too because th action had no effect on the overall outcome. I am not so sure this is the case today and in this situation.

While the war in Afghanistan had a dramatic effect on the people there and the world at large for years, China‘s emergence as perhaps the world‘s leader in so many areas will have a much more profound effect in the years to come. If the world allows a rather unchecked policy to take shape inside such a powerful, diverse and critical country, then this world will have to deal with it on a scale few can imagine.

Remedy
As in everything, as system of checks and balances must be set in place and the only area where action like this can effectively be carried out is that of the world communities policies regarding these games. Change can only be affected where the parties desiring change act upon the subject at its focal point - and that is the upcoming Olympics in Beijing. Whether or not the world has the stomach for it remains to be seen, I only wish the world has held the U.S. more in check as we spread unsustainable growth around the globe.

Photo courtesy - The New York Times