It's not like he's the reigning world record holder in the pole vault or anything, but Steven Spielberg's refusal to take part in the Beijing Olympics is admirable.
Steven Spielberg has decided not to participate in this summer's Beijing Olympic Games as an artistic adviser, citing China's lack of progress in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.---
"I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual," Spielberg said. "At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies but doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur."
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"Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more to end the continuing suffering there," Spielberg said in his statement. "China's economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change."
More imagery like this would be welcome too.
UPDATE 2/13: I'm trying to give Spielberg credit where it is due, but I did see and hear the point well made today by both Laura Ingraham and James Taranto that the Chinese regime's support for the government of Sudan is, as Ingraham said, the cherry on top of the human rights violation sundae for the PRC, yet it took this one politically correct cause to squeeze a condemnation of the Chinese out of Spielberg. From the brutal persecution and imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens without charge or trial for practicing an exercise and meditation regimen, to harvesting human organs from executed prisoners for sale to foreigners (and the strong evidence of considerable overlap between those two groups), there are plenty of reasons to take a principled stand against the miserable human rights record of the PRC without looking beyond its own borders. Point made, I guess.
Posted by dan at February 12, 2008 11:32 PM