Steven Spielberg, Mia Farrow, the ‘08 China Olympics, and the Sudan
This is one of the odder stories involving the Chinese Olympics, but it’s an archetype we will probably be seeing more of as the ‘08 Olympics approach. Sometimes, with all the charm of Chinglish, Yao Ming and Pandas, we forget that sometimes China isn’t exactly the best behaved nation. And sometimes we forget that Steven Spielberg is Jewish.
Mia Farrow never forgets. She has called for Spielberg to quit his job as artistic adviser for the ‘08 Olympics due to Sino-Sudanese oil trade.
As celebrities-cum-activists increasingly link the ongoing genocide with China’s patronage, some — most notably and vocally, the actress Mia Farrow — have accused Spielberg of complicity, by not using his prominence and position to pressure the Chinese government to change course.
“Is Mr. Spielberg, who in 1994 founded the Shoah Foundation to record the testimony of survivors of the holocaust, aware that China is bankrolling Darfur’s genocide?” Farrow and her son Ronan wrote in a March Wall Street Journal editorial.
In that same piece, “The Genocide Olympics,” Farrow compared Spielberg to the Nazi director Leni Riefenstahl whose film “Olympia” was a paean to the 1936 Berlin Games.
“Does Mr. Spielberg really want to go down in history as the Leni Riefenstahl of the Beijing Games,” Farrow wrote.
Because the pressure of Mia Farrow is unbearable, Spielberg wrote to Hu Jintao stating his concern and vaguely threatening to quit unless China does something, or says something. Or he might not do anything at all. Since China is generally not in the practice of changing their international policy based off celebrity opinion, I feel like China probably won’t be changing their mind. So, Spielberg will either quit and China will replace him with a non-union Mexican equivalent or quietly accept that he can’t change Chinese foreign policy.
It’s unlikely that Mia Farrow is going to stop with Spielberg. You see, the Olympics are supposed to be China’s coming out party as a cultural world power. Celebrities like big events. And celebrities like making bold but ultimately meaningless gestures, especially if it’s about global warming or Africa. So, yeah, this isn’t the last you’ve heard of this. Which, you know, isn’t probably a bad thing. Awareness is important, if only because it brings thing to people’s attention.
But I do find it sort of peculiar that China-directed angst will be focused on Darfur. China isn’t exactly a beacon of human rights. This isn’t the only problem that Amnesty International has with China. In fact, it’s a more of a problem that Amnesty International has with the Sudan than one with China. Anger at Darfur is reasonable and human, but projecting it towards China is a bit of a misdirection. Isolationist policies simply aren’t affective in dealing with nations with human rights policies. That’s why the US — and the world — haven’t ended their trade with China.
There really isn’t a right answer here. It’s a complicated, and boycotting the Olympics isn’t going to do anything except maybe make the boycotter seem like an uppity jerk around his or her friends. So, let’s just enjoy people running around in circles really fast next summer, deal?
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8 opinions for Steven Spielberg, Mia Farrow, the ‘08 China Olympics, and the Sudan
UN Approves Peacekeepers for Darfur | 8.1.07 « ENOUGH
Aug 1, 2007 at 9:42 am
[…] 4. Steven Spielberg, Mia Farrow, the ‘08 China Olympics, and the Sudan […]
cococ
Aug 1, 2007 at 1:45 pm
what the hell is there problem?steven stick with the movie making bussines ,dont try to be like you friend tom ,he try to be a doctor no,as for mia farrow what can one say find a job in a porn movie,you cheap,end up ina old home you old sag bag lol.do you have any thing real to do both of you,ah what about plestine,iraq or kasmeer.you hipocrates!
Matt
Aug 2, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Tim, I think cococ might have made the best comment ever on this website. I’m really excited about this.
AJK
Jan 31, 2008 at 7:02 am
I am not a Dejuiced regular, so I went to the hompage to understand better what this site is.
You say “Dejuiced! Sports News with No Boundaries”, so - looks like an obvious guess - your focus is sport. Ok.
Then, I see that Matt (previous opinion) is “excited” by cococ’s “best comment ever”…
Even worst, Mr. Bianchi’s article is a piece of rather well-informed, good analysis… Followed by one of the most senseless conclusion I’ve ever witnessed.
How can the author even speak of enormous tragedies, of the positiveness of increasing worldwide awareness (this means 1-he is not uninformed and 2-he can tell “good” from “bad”)… How can he just end up with “let’s just enjoy people running around in circles really fast next summer, deal?”???!!!
And, Matt… do you even know what sport is about? (hint: it is not “brainless thugs yelling at any 3rd-millennium-version of ancient romans gladiators”)
American people ARE NOT “the strong guys with no brains. For sure, they have no soul!”.
So, why the hell are you trying your best at demonstrating exactly that?
Albert Bianchi
Jan 31, 2008 at 12:17 pm
AJK,
Firstly, I’m pretty certain that Matt was joking about the comment, because neither him nor I could be sure what cococ was actually saying.
As regards to my conclusion, I’m mostly just sick of empy gestures made by celebrities about world issues. Anything to help resolve the crisis in Darfur would be great, I just think Steven Spielberg not helping the Olympics isn’t quite the solution. I just don’t think Steven Spielberg has too much pull in regards to Chinese foreign policy.
Anywho, my plea to enjoy fast people running in circles is sort of the point of sport, or at least this website. The world sucks, surely we can have some fun while grown men and women play games.
Matt
Feb 1, 2008 at 10:07 am
AJK, I think going from blog to blog trying to derive greater neabubgs from comments is going to leave you very frustrated. Especially when you take comments out of context.
You should become a regular at Dejuiced! because Al offers a very light-hearted look at a part of society that some people take too seriously.
I hope you come back and continue to read and comment.
Matt
Feb 1, 2008 at 10:08 am
by neabugs, I meant meanings
kyle
Feb 13, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I love the word neabugs. Not sure if it was deliberate but it is a great word.
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