I decided to combine my usual Thoughtful Thursday with a Thursday Thirteen, which a lot of dogs do around the 'Verse. It's all about the Olympics, which just ended this past week. Some of you may know-- I boycotted watching the Beijing Olympics (go Paw-lympics!), and my family is trying to boycott things made in China (yeah, that's pretty hard to do nowadays). Why do we do that, you ask? Well, here are 13 reasons:
1. Atrocious human rights record. This could be Thirteen Things in and of itself, and would include forced abortions, torture, legal abuses, censorship, etc.Some of them are reasons why going in; some of them are vindications after the fact. Now of course this is unusual for me, speaking out against my country of origin and everything. But shouldn't someone speak out? As usual with my Thoughtful Thursdays, I hope it makes everyone think!
2. Religious suppression and persecution
3. Occupation and marginalization of Tibet
4. Poor working conditions in factories
5. Pollution due to industrialization
6. Poor mental health services
7. Support (at least implicitly) for genocide in Darfur
8. Rehearsal conditions for opening ceremonies
9. Diverted resources from poor districts for Olympics
10. Faked fireworks
11. Lip-synch girl
12. Possibly forged birth certificates of athletes
13. "Silver = shame" coaching
PAW-S: Just to avoid any upset humans or dogs, it's important to note that these are just the reasons why my family and I boycott, not reasons that everyone else should accept and reasons why those who don't are "bad doggies." Everyone should make their own choices based on their own convictions.
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