Beijing Olympics, One World, One Dream

Scary

~BT

McCommunism

Naomi Klein offers her poignant view of China in an interview with Paul Jay from the Real News:

A hybrid of some of the worst elements of authoritarian communism—mass surveillance of the population, total lack of civil liberties, lack of a free press, lack of democratic rights, authoritarian central planning, all harnessed not to advance the goals of social justice, even in name, although there may be some lip service still paid to that, but to advance the goals of global capitalism. So it is Stalinism meets global capitalism.

Klein has also authored a recent article in the Huffington Post describing China's "Police State 2.0":

The goal of all this central planning and spying is not to celebrate the glories of Communism, regardless of what China's governing party calls itself. It is to create the ultimate consumer cocoon for Visa cards, Adidas sneakers, China Mobile cell phones, McDonald's happy meals, Tsingtao beer, and UPS delivery -- to name just a few of the official Olympic sponsors. But the hottest new market of all is the surveillance itself. Unlike the police states of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, China has built a Police State 2.0, an entirely for-profit affair that is the latest frontier for the global Disaster Capitalism Complex.

I am a huge fan of Naomi Klein and reading all of this has reminded me to finally start reading Klein's latest book The Shock Doctrine, which has been sitting on my desk for the last few months.

Klein's insights are far from anything you will see in the traditional media's Olympic coverage. For example, in today's Globe and Mail - The Revolution Below:

Even in the political sphere, there is expanded leeway. China now leads the world in the number of Internet users – 250 million – and cellphone subscribers – more than 550 million people, who send tens of billions of short messages a day. Despite censorship, they use these new tools to push for more rights and openness, and to challenge the authorities with rising success.

The government still interferes, still rounds up severe critics, and has made life harder for foreign reporters since the Tibetan crisis in March. But China's progress since 2001 has been largely along the positive trajectory of the past three decades.

The Chinese enjoy more freedom than at any time in recent history. Ordinary Chinese people enthusiastically support the Beijing Olympics, contrary to many critics who label the Games as a government propaganda showcase.

It will be exciting to watch the democratizing force that expanded access to technology and information will have on Chinese society. Regardless of that potential, we need to remind ourselves of the political machine behind the scenes who are orchestrating an incredibly scripted and sanitized show for the world.

Christie Blatchford has a great column in the Globe and Mail:

It cannot be considered unmannerly to note that as good as the show was, as smashing as the facilities are and as super-successful as the Games themselves probably will be, it all happened like this not only because of Chinese ingenuity, but also because the government could bulldoze homes when it needed land, put up walls whether or not they were wanted, dislocate folks at whim, spend like a drunken sailor, issue marching orders even about street-spitting and chest-baring and lock up, detain or 're-educate' anyone who dared whisper the mildest complaint.

As even Confucius said, in one of several quotations prominently displayed on screens at the ceremony, "The most valuable use of the rifles is to achieve harmony." Maybe he meant hegemony.

~BT

Olympic Cartoons

~BT

Olympics on the Mind

I've been watching Olympic coverage on four different channels: CBC, RDI (Radio-Canada), NBC and CBC Newsworld. CBC's online streaming and on demand video is pretty good so far although it only works with Internet Explorer :(

The opening ceremonies were orchestrated flawlessly and quite amazing to watch. So far the coverage on NBC has been much better than CBC. The NBC commentators are more knowledgeable and their explanations and analysis during the opening ceremonies put MacLean, Mansbridge and the CBC to shame.

The men's cycling road race has been my favorite because of the amazing aerial shots of Beijing and the surrounding area. Michael Phelps set a new Olympic record in a preliminary heat and battle for medals has started with China having 2 gold and the US with 3 medals total.

I have also been reading a lot of coverage online. Here are some of the best:

• Jetson Green reviews the many green buildings built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

• Chris Bowers at Openleft.com: China and the March of Nations

Before the ceremonies, I was generally of the view that, because of its environmental degradation, internal human right's and worker's right's abuses, it should not have been awarded the Olympics games. However, watching the march of nations, it became clear to me why hosting the Olympics was so important to China, and why there really isn't a good argument to deny them these games.

• CalgaryGrit discusses the lesser known "Political Olympics"

• The Real News: Naomi Klein on China and the Olympics “Security, central planning, surveillance state is an ideal cocoon for global capitalism.”

Almost all the coverage I have watched or read has talked about the air pollution problem in Beijing. What I would love to see happen is for environmental issues to gain prominence and attention after seeing these glaring pollution problems.

What have you been noticing? Let me know of any good blogs covering the Olympics from Beijing?

~BT