Gay rights activists in
St. Petersburg nurse their wounds after being
attacked by opponents, as
riot police look on fondling their riot sticks.
Is brutality like this
cause enough for an Olympic boycott?
Sochi Boycott Call Reflects Lack of Western 'Humility' (Haunqiu, China)
Can Western critics of Russia's law against gay propaganda be called
'an arrogant mob' seeking to 'destroy global cultural diversity'? According to
this editorial from China's state-run Huanqiu, not any concern for
equality, but the West's dislike for 'Russian conservatism,' is behind calls
to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, scheduled for Feb. 7 - Feb. 23. The once and future Beijing imperialists
warn Westerners to be more humble, since, 'the glory of the West over the last
century comprises a brief moment in the evolution of human civilization.'
Gay rights activists are beset by riot police during a rally in St. Petersburg, July 29. Are Western calls for a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi a sign of humanity - or Western arrogance?
According
to news reports, German President Joachim Gauck will
not represent his country at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This
cancelation is understood as a response to Russia human rights violations and
persecution of opposition groups. Meanwhile, E.U. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said she would not attend the Games,
as have a number of Western artists and athletes, including pop superstar Lady
Gaga.
In
June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation against "gay
propaganda" which has reportedly resulted in public protests. This is said
to be the main trigger for Westerners calling for a boycott of the Sochi Winter
Games. However, there is a more deeply seated reason: at the bottom of their
hearts, Westerners dislike conservative forces in Russia, and is always looking
for a point of attack against it.
The
world is a very diverse place, and each country may have aspects to it that the
outside world finds unpleasant. Some countries proposed boycotting the 2008 Games
in China. Now Russia is hosting the Games and some Western people are again shouting
"boycott." Last year, however, the Games in London went off
swimmingly. This is a global political pattern. Despite its overall decline,
the West retains more overall influence seeks to use it to change the world culturally.
There
is nothing extraordinary about the law Putin signed. Even today, there are many
attitudes toward homosexuality in the West, which is typical of social issues. There,
the legalization of homosexuality is still a work in progress, and the use of the
issue by some as a way of attacking Russia is quite a leap.
The
forced politicization of social issues among countries may easily lead to
friction and even confrontation. The West is chock full of people who always
have a sense of moral superiority. In the eyes of non-Western countries, however,
they seem more like an arrogant mob, using brutality to promote their values and
destroy global cultural diversity.
The
politicization of social issues has become a means for "aristocratic"
Western nations to point fingers at non-Western ones. With such inequality in
the global community, it will be hard to achieve harmony when particular countries
deem themselves above the rest. Such is the reality of today's world.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Discrepancies
among countries is the norm. The Olympic Games, after over 100 years of progress,
is an extremely rare venue for nurturing friendship and tolerance. Many believe
that Olympics during the 1980s [1980 Summer Games in Moscow and 1988 Summer Games in Los Angeles], which saw boycotts
from the West and East, were mistaken victims of the Cold War. For this reason,
much of the world resolutely refuses to allow future Games to be similarly
politicized.
While
the West retains significant power, non-Western countries have become more
politically independent, and their contempt for Western influence has markedly
expanded. The old patterns of East-West power have been significantly shattered.
In
terms of social and economic development, the West remain in the lead, and
non-Western countries are generally willing to listen. In fact, many Western
concepts of human rights have spread around the world. It should not, however, turn
what is a natural propagation of agreed-upon values into the forced export of
political culture. In such a case, the cultural ecology of society would be
interrupted for the purposes of cultural imperialism, which will only create
tensions between countries and civilizations.
Accumulating
knowledge of political culture is a slow process, as is our understanding of what
progress looks like and what should be considered "universal." This
is precisely why the long-term maintenance of cultural diversity is so
important. From the perspective of history, the glory of the West over the last
century comprises a brief moment in the evolution of human civilization. The West
should maintain the necessary humility.
