Olympic Flame of Suffering, an opinion article analysis
For this Multimodal Composition Assignment, I chose to discuss an article from NPR titled Opinion: Olympic Flame of Suffering written by Scott Simon and posted on the 30th of January 2021. I chose this specific opinion piece because I find it to be an important topic especially in the current day; the discussion of if a country deserves to hold something as cherished as the Olympics at this time in history. In this assignment, I will discuss why I completely agree with Simon on why I do not think China should hold the Winter Olympics in 2022.
First, I do not desire to see the International Olympics Committee of today viewed in the same manner as their predecessors after the decision made in 1936 when they chose to have the Olympics in Germany. I do however believe it is a fairly comparable situation considering it was well known beforehand what Germany was doing to the Jewish people. For instance, Dachau, the first concentration camp ever built, opened three years before the Berlin Olympics. We know about the Uighur Camps the Chinese government has set up and its grievous mistreatment of the countries that surround it. I agree with Scott that a country that does not treat its surrounding nations with respect has no business holding a competition made to preserve and promote respect and understanding between nations all across the globe.
Scott’s use of a quote from Yaqiu Wang from Human Rights Watch also brings up a fascinating point about how the use of the Olympics to create positive fundamental change is a fantasy. This has been clear throughout the history of the games. The Berlin Olympics did not topple Hitler’s Regime, it gave him a platform to continue his hateful rhetoric that the Aryan race is superior to all others even though Jesse Owens brought home 4 Gold Medals. The 2008 Beijing Olympics also did not bring about a positive fundamental change in the 13 years since. This another reason why Scott and I believe that there would be little to no point in China hosting the games when several other countries would be far better suited because they treat all people with respect and do not imprison their citizens for having diverse beliefs.
Finally, we still are not sure how long this pandemic will last. Even if it were to end before the games, I do not think holding it in the virus’s country of origin is appropriate. They should be held accountable for withholding information to the world about the rapid human to human transmission. The U.S. is still in a state where nobody can enter or leave because of the pandemic, so I do not believe an Olympics Games will be viable before 2022. It is going to take a long time before there is enough vaccine to disperse throughout all the countries in the world. An Olympic game where multiple countries would not be able to attend would defeat the entire purpose, especially a country like the U.S. which has continued to have a huge presence in the Olympics since its revival.
Beijing should not be given to honor to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Not only have they shown a flagrant disregard for human rights, but there are so many other countries that are far more deserving of the honor and whose economy would benefit after the devastation of 2020. The 2022 Olympics would also not be very viable considering the current circumstances around the Global Pandemic in which we are living. The Olympics are a symbol of love and respect between countries all across the globe, and I do not think a country that does not even care about its citizens should hold a competition for people all across the globe.
Works Cited:
Chappell, Bill. “Pompeo Accuses China Of Genocide Against Muslim Uighurs In Xinjiang.” NPR, NPR, 19 Jan. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/01/19/958468971/pompeo-accuses-china-of-genocide-against-muslim-uighurs-in-xinjiang.
Charumilind, Sarun, et al. “When Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End?” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 2 Feb. 2021, www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/when-will-the-covid-19-pandemic-end#.
Simon, Scott. “Opinion: Olympic Flame Of Suffering.” NPR, NPR, 30 Jan. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/01/30/962304598/opinion-olympic-flame-of-suffering.