Posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on August 13, 2008, at 16:53:56
In reply to Re: Any thoughts about the Open Ceremony of the Ol, posted by Dinah on August 11, 2008, at 18:35:58
(I am not making fun of you guys, I just thought that was a perfect subject line...as we will see..:)
I certainly don't think boycotting anything from China will make much of a difference either. Now, if we really want to get to the nitty-gritty of foreign policy, IMHO, the West loves China because the corrupt Chinese government allows their people to be used, exploited, etc...by Western corporations and industry. Hence, the Chinese government gets all the paybacks from Western industry, and China is now the biggest sweatshop in the world!
Now, let's do a little comparative policy here. Look at the West's attitude towards Cuba. I know, Cuba is not any leader in human rights, but they have one of the highest literacy rates in the world, and even if their healthcare is ancient (thanks in part to those lovely blockades and such) at least all of their people get treated. But, yes, Cuba still has it's own dark side, and here is the latest on Human Rights in Cuba, as reported by Amnesty International on their website at www.amnesty.org
Cuba-----"At least 69 prisoners of conscience remained imprisoned for their political opinions. Political dissidents, independent journalists and human rights activists continued to be harassed, intimidated and detained, some without charge or trial. Cubans continued to feel the negative impact of the US embargo."
No, that is not freedom or democracy. But, let's go back to our comparative analysis and check-up on some other countries. Like, China for example....
China------"Thousands of people who pursued their faith outside officially sanctioned churches were subjected to harassment and many to detention and imprisonment. Thousands of people were sentenced to death or executed. Migrants from rural areas were deprived of basic rights. Severe repression of Uighurs in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region continued, and freedom of expression and religion continued to be severely restricted in Tibet and among Tibetans elsewhere."
Ummm..I see a little bit of a difference between the two countries. Like, 69 imprisoned in Cuba, and 1000's sentenced to death or executed in China. Whooaa. Do you think maybe some of these Western leaders need a little human-geography, or political science lesson? How about Math?
So, China now has plenty of Pepsi and IPod's. Regardless, millions of Chinese live in poverty and child labour exploitation is a 'career prospect' for every newborn. There are some 'haves', and a LOT of 'have nots'. And there is no way the 'haves' are *ever* going to want to share their loot. This is a result of decades of Western policy of 'looking the other way' while corporations did their dirty business in China, and the result ended up in a Wal-Mart. Hand-made by an 8 year old little girl. But, hey, they got Pepsi!
Jay
poster:Jay_Bravest_Face
thread:845465
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20080728/msgs/845980.html