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August 13, 2008

Calling All Guilty Olympics Watchers - Free Tibet!

Posted by Adrienne Maree Brown at 10:47PM

 

Free Tibet while watching the Olympics!

I need to be writing more...here's what's on my mind:

Everyone keeps sheepishly admitting to me that they are watching the olympics, and I have to tell them: it's ok.

This is one of the fundamental challenges of being a radical person in a very entertaining, mainstream world. The Olympics serve a very specific function -- we get to see people distantly like ourselves pull off superhuman acts, strung throughout with stories of individual triumph over daunting challenges. You cry, jaw dropped in wonder. The full potential of muscles is remarkable.

And yet, the Olympics are happening in China, and the Chinese government has been using this as an opportunity to clean up its repressive public image. Those repressed by the chinese government have to use this opportunity too.

I have had the honor of following and supporting the amazing campaign that the Students for a Free Tibet have been running to highlight the abuses of the chinese government against the tibetan people. It's a breathtaking, intelligent and nuanced campaign that just won't stop.

So here are a few things you can do to assuage your guilt, if you just can't stop watching Phelps kick international swimming ass:

1. It costs a lot to run a huge international campaign that includes mindblowing actions. Support the actions, the legal support, the travel and the amazing work -- donate to the Students for a Free Tibet at StudentsForaFreeTibet.org/donate or send a check made to:"Students for a Free Tibet" to:

602 E. 14th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10009 USA.

2. Watch the actions happening all over the world, which are as breathtaking as the olympics themselves, at ft08.tv.

3. If you're watching with other people, slip in the stories about the brilliant campaign to raise international awareness and understanding about the plight of repressed people in Tibet, innovated by Tibetan organizers working with international allies. they've done actions on mount everest, the great wall in china, the golden gate bridge, tienanmen square and the olympic stadium. The goal is political freedom for the tibetan people, and this is a rare opportunity for them to gain international attention for their plight.

Go ahead, watch the Olympics, cheer, but don't leave the Tibetans hanging at this moment, support their work too.

much love!

amb

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Saif Rahman

Posted by: SRahman on Aug 14, 2008 1:48 PM

Adrienne - you are brilliant and amazing, and I got nothing but love for you - but I do have to add one thing to your great post.

Just like many in this country - I also hate the Olympics. But I can't help but to watch. There are a million things wrong with the Olympics - one of them being that they happen to be in China (though I would challenge anyone to find a country with a spotless record).

As a progressive - I know I'm a hypocrite for watching. But not just because of the reasons you laid out, or for the plenty of other reasons(nationalism, patriarchy, corporatism, etc), but rather because when the Olympics are here in the U.S. (1996 and 2002) - I didn't do jack. Most of us didn't do jack. Why is it easier for us to protest China than the country we live in?

And I'm sure when the Olympics come back to the U.S. - we will not have nearly the same reaction that we have right now with China - though our human rights record is on par (if not worse) than China's.

If we are to be serious radicals - then we must look ourselves in the mirror and not just lecture China on their wrong doings. We have way more influence over our own Government - than China's. Yes, I support independence movements everywhere (and even if they happen to also be in US interests - such as Tibet), but I do believe it should be a common moral principle that you act and react to whatever you have the most influence and control over - such as the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, the support of the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel . These are U.S. abuses and therefore these are our challenges.

So lets watch the Olympics this time around. And as Adrienne rightly said - we should support SFT and Tibetans' fight for freedom. Thats unquestionable.

But if we are serious about changing the world, and if we really want guilt free watching, we must look ourselves in the mirror - and raise some hell next time they are here in the U.S.
 
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its SFT, not u.s. love!

Posted by: Adrienne on Aug 15, 2008 3:20 PM

hey i just have to add a thought - a free tibet is actually not viewed as great for modern u.s., which is why the media have been very reluctant to tell this story. if you only see china as communist and the u.s. as thinking in 1950s mode, sure...but i think the lesson from this century is that our economic relationship with a communist country is fine as long as its a communist-capitalist hybrid, profit is our national motivator more than even ideology at this point.

the reason the free tibet work is going well is because students for a free tibet were able to train and plan for this moment for a long time and are running a highly strategic, supported, perfectly timed campaign. to understand this, consider the civil rights success of rosa parks while many other protests and movements from that time are lost to history...it wasn't because america was ready for black woman power or felt her bus revolution served their interest. its because there are moments when nonviolent action is able to escalate their tactics, burst through the digital and economic divide and create accountability to human rights by inspiring folks towards a new vision.

im a huge fan of accountability on u.s. soil, and i'm sure folks were doing action when the olympics were here, but its about combining the political moment, the media opportunity where international pressure can be exerted, the cause, the actual impacted community being ready to escalate their tactics, all of those things must combine.

that said, let's add it to the list! combat repression at home, as its coming down on us all with wiretapping, media consolidation and patriot act detritus. the struggle is everywhere, the vision is everywhere, the beauty of evolving is it doesn't happen in one place at a time.

with love - amb
 
 

 
Adrienne Maree Brown is the executive director of The Ruckus Society and an advisory board member of WireTap. A co-founder of the League of Young Voters, Adrienne is obsessed with learning and developing models for action, community strength and movement building.