Protesting and boycotting are first off, two entirely different subjects. As Appplebaum said, boycotts have helped solve many different things. Yet, is there a need to for the Olympics?

Okay so they are being held in Beijing in the Summer 2008, big deal. Yes, I am aware of the current situation in Tibet, or the foreign ways of the Chinese government. Foreign. To us. As Americans, we take for granted our rights as citizens, and when "the norm" isn't seen elsewhere, or is foreign to us, now it's wrong? Have you ever stopped to think about how they (Chinese, Tibetins, etc.) view our culture or accept as their norm? We now want to boycott the Olympics because their ways aren't ours?

This is part of our problem, for too long now, we have been trying to impose our ways on many other cultures: our way is apparently always better. Did you ever stop to think that its their culture, their religion, their own way of living? Who are we to say whether that it is right, wrong, or indifferent? There are some things I believe aren't right in some other cultures, but if that's the way they want to live, go ahead. Look at the mess we have gotten into overseas. Hello??

We have it good here in the U.S. When our rights start to be violated or threatened by another country, that's when concern should start to set in. As for the Beijing Olympics 2008, for the short amount of time that they're held, it shouldn't be a problem.

And for the athletes, let them have their moment; after all the time, focus and energy they put into their career, they deserve the Olympic Games.

Boycott? Come on now.

You say we shouldn't be concerned until we are personally threatened, Im sure the innocent people being thrown in prison for simply speaking their mind really appreciate that sentiment.

If you consider in America, someone needs a permit in order to create a protest. There, they can protest as long as they do not disrupt the surrounding neighbourhood.

The Tibetans did no such thing. They marches down the streets attacking Chinese in Tibet. They threw bricks and stones at stores owned by the Chinese. They used weapons such as bats and metal sticks to attack people.

Now, even in America, would you not throw them in jail?

Yes, I can see all of these points, they are well taken. I'm talking about the Games themselves though, China may not be the country for everyone, but neither was any other place for that matter, it all depends what perspective is taken. Do you think other countries were happy about coming here, or to any of the other games? The Olympic locations all could've been protested in some way. This is far beyond what the Olympics are all about.

The problem with this response is that it does not take the context of the situation into consideration. One cannot take the actions of one group of demonstrators and use it as a generalized premise about the character of all the other protesters in China. The actions of these Tibetan demonstrators may or may not have been justified, but they are regrettable in that they can be used by people uneducated about the general political climate in China to justify the reaction of the Chinese government. The point of a boycott would not be to support radical, violent protest. The point would be to protest the continuous and relentless suppression of even minor free speech and various other civil and human rights on the part of the Chinese government that has resulted in many human rights violations and a climate of oppression that may make violent demonstration inevitable. Many countries that normally compete in the Olympics are adamant about these rights, and to participate in the Olympics would be to behave as if there is nothing rotten in the state of China - a supposition that has been proven rather unreliable. However, though it would likely be in the best interest of Chinese citizens to push their government towards change, it is unlikely that a boycott or any kind of similar action will be pursued by the US. It is just not in the economic interests of the US to boycott one of its primary trading partners in an event that would undoubtedly be a huge stimulus to its economy, and the US record on "caring about human rights" has not been stellar in the past couple of years (see US stances on "torture," "rendition," and "the Geneva Convention"). Boycott? Desirable, perhaps, but highly unlikely.

danielle2734, you write that "China may not be the country for everyone" as if the Chinese people have a real choice in where they live and could pack up and leave if they're not happy with their country and government, but the fact is that most of them are too poor to do so and live under a repressive government. Eastern culture is indeed often misunderstood and dismissed by many Westerners, and I'm not saying whether or not the Olympics should be boycotted. However, human rights are not a matter of "perspective," and a government that kills, imprisons, and otherwise oppresses its people is deeply flawed, I don't care who you are or where you live. Your fluffy cultural relativism doesn't fly when there are basic standards of human decency that ought to apply everywhere.

So we, the Unites States of America, should kick ourselves in the ass.

What do you mean Action? If you're saying the U.S. government oppresses its people, I agree it's not perfect, but I would also argue, quite convincingly I think, that its failings and abuses pale in comparison to those of China's. There's no comparison.

Yes the government is deeply flawed, and human rights/decency is deserved everywhere, but we all know that this cannot easily be solved. And boycotting/protesting the Olympics, yes, may have some impact, however it isn't going to solve their flawed government. If it is a wake up call you think the Chinese government needs to treat their people better, then a way other than protesting the Olympic Games should be taken.

To all these Tibetans who are not happy with China, they should thank god (or the Dala Lama) that they are not an native American Indian. If they were, they wouldn’t have a prayer. You know why you don’t see any native Indian’s protesting? Cause there isn’t enough of them left to protest, and all you whities know who did the crime. That’s what the Chinese did wrong, they didn’t kill enough of them 60 years ago, they actually let them flee.

Here is what the Chinese government should do to these Tibetans: Kill all of them. OK, that’s hard to do, so 90% will be sufficient. Put the rest 10% on some barren land called reservation for 200 years, make sure they are treated as sub humans during that time. After 200 years, allow them to open Casinos, without having to pay income tax.

Oh, don’t forget to make a few movies after 200 years, call it “Dancing with the Yak”, to pay tribute to their heritage.

All of you whities who are all for protesting this rights abuse, or that government is Commi, you have no leg to stand on . The Chinese should learn something from the Americans, they should kill all of these Tibetans like you did with the North America Indians, or how the Spanish Conquistadors treated those in South America.

How convenient that not many of you whities protested (not to mention boycott) the Barcelona, Atlanta or Sydney Olympic? Is it because your bleeding Christian heart really gives a sh*t about some monks getting abused in China? Is the treatment of these monks so much worse than how you treated (and continue to do so) the native Indians, the blacks or the aboriginal? Are you going to boycott London Olympic, or did you forget all the atrocities committed by the British? You don’t see this much coverage in the media on these abuses, yet somehow this former slave owner and CIA operative (Dala Lama) became the champion of human rights. I don’t see any of you morons supporting the freedom and independence of people in Basque, Ireland or Scotland. What a joke.

I fully agreed to the way Danielle 2734 says. Every region, every country, every race, every religion and every family have their ways of doing things. Why other countries have to say what they like and what they dont like about another country such as china for this instance? The proverb says, look at what is in your wallet before you comment about another person wallet? I suggest those who are so negative about china should visit china to see it yourselve and after your visit you may change your perception toward china. For your info, below is my personal experience and knowledge about china. 1. I visited china in 1999 and 2000. My chinese friends openly criticised the communist government in Beijing and no one get into trouble. 2. Thousand of overseas chinese having property in china owned by their ancester not known to our generation has been returned to them by the chinese authorities. 3. Our relatives shop in guangdong is so run down and no money to rebuild. The government build the whole block for them and pay back by an affordable monthly installment. Before they build it, it worth RMB200k and now it worth something like RMB4.0m. There are many more good things about china that many dont know. It is natural for people to talk bad things than good. So who say china is not good? Regards