Are You Dave?

While I don’t have Olympic Fever this year (you should have seen me 4 years ago, I was gonzo for Michael Phelps) it turns out I’ve got some stuff to say about it. (Hey, this is a blog, aren’t I supposed to be topical and stuff?)

I keep hearing that people are “boycotting” the Olympics. I feel that boycotting the event is a moronic, insipid and ultimately meaningless form of protest against China. You’re turning off your TV? Oooh, that’s got ‘em quaking in Shanghai. 

It would be a lot more meaningful if everyone boycotted, say, the millions of toys, clothing and appliances that come from China. Or better yet, write your congressperson and demand that your government take action (I’m pretty confident that the folks who are boycotting the Olympics are the folks who voted for Bill Clinton, who gave China “Most Favored Nation” status back in the wild-n-crazy ’90s). 

I’m thinking about a certain other Olympiad that took place in a questionable country: the Berlin games in Hitler’s Germany, where a young African-American runner named Jesse Owens won Olympic Gold in a shattering refutation of Hitler’s belief in the inferiority of non-whites. He became a folk hero, standing tall on the podium as the Fürher refused to acknowledge his presence.

Now we have a new crop of young (and not-so-young!) athletes in China, and suddenly we’re noticing that China has an outrageously bad human rights record, and we’re responding by turning off our TVs? Personally I think we should watch every event, every medal ceremony. The world’s next hero might be doing some warm-up stretches right now. 

Just a thought.

Oh, and Michael Phelps is still awesome.