Genocide Bad; China Helping

The NY Times Magazine details the surprisingly successful effort to link the Beijing Olympics to China's support of the Sudanese government and the genocide in Darfur.  Part of the effort has been to create among American sponsors the sensation that they are entering a minefield; a snippet and a suggestion:

Savitt next asked for advice to give Ben Cohen for his jihad against the Olympic mascots. “Tell him to keep his message short,” Ward said. “The message here isn’t hard: Genocide bad; China helping.”

Looking over a list of Olympic sponsors, Ward advised Savitt to streamline her targets: “Choose two or even one company and hammer it. Everyone had sweatshops but it took that woman” — referring to Kathy Lee Gifford — “to make it real. McDonald’s is a phenomenal target; they are so retail. Johnson & Johnson is less of a brand and therefore less useful. Same goes with General Electric.”

“O.K.,” Savitt said. “But then we have to give up on my crazy bumper-sticker idea. She jumped to a white board and wrote “(GE)nocide.” She looked at Ward and deadpanned, “The only problem is G.E. isn’t actually responsible for any genocide”

“That’s an issue,” Ward said with a smile.

McGenocide.

Comments

[Sweetie]

A free McGenocide toy in every Happy Comrade Meal!

Tianamen Tanks for Boys and a Geneflecting Dalai for girls!

[kim]

You don't get it. Genocide good. Seven billion is unsustainable with carbon capped.
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[clarice]

It's a bit late, this campaign--Why not simply boycott products made in China--or is that(targetting the perp and not your own country and its companies) too complicated for pinheads?

[Porchlight]

surprisingly successful effort to link the Beijing Olympics to China's support of the Sudanese government and the genocide in Darfur.

I find this odd. China is horrific enough to its own citizens, why the need to stress the link to Sudan? I guess Darfur is "sexier" b/c Hollywood has indicated it's paying attention.

[clarice]

Well, that's a good point, too. Throw in TIbet which is keeping Angela Merkel who I like more and more from attending the Olympics.

Punish China if you wish, but don't hurt the athletes or the sponsors because the time to complain was when Bejing was given the venue and there was plenty reason to oppose that decision even without Darfur.

[cathyf]

Why not simply boycott products made in China

Well that's happening anyway... I'm certainly pretty leery about putting any Chinese-made product into my body. Toothpaste, cough syrup, heparin, what have you. (Note to self: Do not gnaw on MacBook!)

[clarice]

Well, that's small potatoes compared to all the household goods and products made in China that we buy and use--every toaster, knife, etc..

[MayBee]

One problem is that it suited the left to point out that throughout Europe, the US was more distrusted than China. They didn't want to do anything to destroy that narrative as long as it hurt Bush. Suddenly, though, they are waking up to realize that coddling that perception has benefited China and its genocide-supporting, citizen-mistreating ways.

The athletes should be left alone to enjoy the games. How the reporters will deal with it are another thing entirely. David Bloom would have snuck off to meet with a dissident's wife. Will someone do that during the summer games?

[Soylent Red]

Seven billion is unsustainable with carbon capped.

Al Gore smiles upon you.

Seriously though...

Ever wonder why the Chinese are so cavalier with human life? Consider why we used to be so cavalier with buffalo. Plenty more where that came from.

So what's the problem if Little Johnny eats some lead paint off his Power Ranger? You can always make more. Even better if it's Little Susie.

The crush of humanity that is China has screwed up the way they think. I used to think it was just evil, now I think it is evil men playing upon a general societal attitude.

[Porchlight]

It would be nearly impossible to boycott all Chinese-made goods. It would be like boycotting plastics. Good luck.

I think boycotts are pretty lame anyway, unless it's an extremely localized entity that's being protested. Has any large-scale boycott ever worked?

[clarice]

All right--The German athletes are considering marching in the opening ceremonies in orange bathrobes, to remind viewers of the saffron robed Tibetan monks who are being slaughtered. Sounds like a plan.

Everything to humiliate the Chinese leaders.

[dymphna]

She jumped to a white board and wrote “(GE)nocide.” She looked at Ward and deadpanned, “The only problem is G.E. isn’t actually responsible for any genocide”...

Ah, but it is. Despite the Indian government's ban on the sale of ultrasound machines to private doctors, GE continues to sneak them into the country anyway. Thus, Indian parents-to-be can check with private physicians to see if the fetus is male (good) or female(dead)...

No one knows how many female fetuses and infants are disposed of in India, but that's why Indian men have taken to renting out their wives to single men who have no hope of marrying because of the woman shortage. And this dearth of women also explains why it's such an ordeal for a young, or not-so-young, female to walk in the city by herself. After a few blocks she is full of bruises and red marks from desperate men, hungry for at least a touch of female flesh. A fellow can dream, can't he?

I don't know if the Chinese use GE ultrasound machines to further their population decreases. However I did read an estimate of 65,000,000 Chinese abortions or infanticides since the one child law came into effect Some of them are voluntary, some not.

China has an excess of 20,000,000 men in its young adult cohort right now. This can only grow with time. What do you do with all that excess energy and testorterone?? Maybe the term "cannon fodder" will come back into use.

China and India will no doubt duke it out some time in this century.

Thanks, GE, for playing your part on the world stage...