Is Watching The Olympics Morally Acceptable?

Or understanding the horrific treatment of the Uyghurs and the complications of world politics

You may be unfamiliar with the term Uyghurs, and may be even less familiar with the torture many are enduring at the hands of the Chinese government.

Don’t feel bad. I was unfamiliar as well, and even as I write this, I have to do a lot of digging to get a full and honest picture of what is happening.

After some research, I have learned that the Uyghurs are a group of about 12 million people living in what is known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China. This group of mostly Muslim people has, reportedly, been subjected to forced labor, torture and sterilization. Several countries, including the United States, have condemned China for these actions, claiming the country is intent on genocide.

China, meanwhile, defends its actions as prudent for combatting militant Islamism, and denies any suggestions of genocide.

So what’s really going on?

Unlike other forms of genocide, both past and present, China’s actions against the Uyghurs appear to be focused on eliminating this group by gradually reducing the number of children born to Uyghur families and forcing living Uyghurs to abandon their way of life. China is smart enough to know massive slaughter would draw greater intention and would be harder to hide from. This method of calculated, methodical ethnic cleansing is much harder to pinpoint.

It is also, let’s face it, not a trendy human rights story, which is why you will see very little about it on Tik Tok.

So, what about the Winter Olympics?

In a short while, the world’s most elite athletes will gather in Beijing for about two weeks of competition and celebration. Despite calls to boycott these events, they are proceeding as planned.

OK, yes, there are some countries who are engaging in a diplomatic boycott, but let’s be honest, that is probably more about saving face, than actually caring about the Uyghurs. We still want our shiny medals.

What about us, though, the average viewer? What if you love the Olympics? What if you know someone competing? What if your livelihood is in the field of sports journalism or broadcasting?

What is our moral responsibility when it comes to the Winter Olympics?

I am not sure if there is a way to answer this question.

If I told you not to watch the Olympics on some moral ground and to show solidarity with the Uyghurs, you could make the case that nearly, if not all, nations are engaged in some form of harmful behavior, and that China is just one of many fucked up countries that just so happens to be hosting the Olympics.

If we wanted to apply a morality yardstick to all sporting events, we would have trouble finding any that could withstand scrutiny.

Still, you may find the actions against the Uyghurs so egregious, that any endorsement of China would be abhorrent.

But, then, you would have to take a hard look at your life and come to terms that so much of what we all own is produced in China, financed by China, or otherwise connected to China.

In our globally connected world, China is right at the epicenter, and few of us can say it has no influence on our lives.

I am reminded of The Good Place, a brilliant comedic series, which dealt with the subject of morality and made us question what exactly is good and evil.

The show’s premise was that humans are rewarded throughout their lives for doing good deeds and punished for doing bad ones. However, as pointed out in the show, often the act of doing something good could mean engaging in many bad actions.

The example used is as follows:

Imagine you buy flowers for someone in the hospital, maybe even a stranger. This act of kindness would surely be rewarded. However, the flowers weren’t sustainably grown, and furthermore, those working the farm were paid an unfair wage.

Do all those horrible acts associated with the flowers negate the kindness associated with giving flowers in the first place?

Similarly, is watching the Olympics in a show of solidarity with your country, and to cheer on your favorite athletes tainted by the fact that the host country is engaging in human rights abuse?

I have no authority to make any moral judgements, and am not suggesting anyone skip the Olympics. For one, I don’t believe China cares if you’re watching or if the U.S. isn’t showing up with any leadership. Furthermore, I think this is a wonderful opportunity to bring attention to the Uyghur crisis that would not have happened if the Olympics were canceled.

No matter where you stand, I invite you to learn more about what is happening to the Uyghurs and take action in the form of signing a petition or donating toward the work human rights groups are engaged in.

I’ll see you all in The Bad Place.