Beyond The “Genocide Olympics”
Business Article Summary
The Economist
Beyond the “genocide Olympics”
As the Olympic Games fast approach and the controversy over summer games rage on due to the ongoing crisis in Tibet, China’s approach to the Darfur situation and the mass displacement of millions of Beijing residents, many questions are being asked by world citizens about the companies that choose to sponsor the games. As it has been seen in the past few months, demonstrators and protesters have made their voices clear that the motto, “One World, One Dream” is severely being violated by the Chinese government and that the companies still choosing to participate in advertisements are supporting the actions the Chinese people are taking. In the article in the Economist, companies are described as having two possible choices; continuing the advertisement of their products throughout the games thus meaning for many they are supporting the “genocide Olympics”, or risk enraging the Chinese government and people, a billion strong customers, by criticizing the human atrocities.
Human rights activists believe that the continued sponsorship of the games goes against everything that companies stand for and that all of the work the continued sponsors- Coco Cola, General Electric, McDonalds and others have done in terms of relief efforts in the troubled countries is being wiped away. Profits, no doubt, will be great for these businesses, and the activists believe that these companies are letting dollar signs outweigh the human cost. Their silence in these issues is viewed as extremely passive and rather than making a statement, they are supporting the government.
A new framework for relations between businesses, activists, and governments is being proposed in the UN that would outline companies’ responsibilities to third world countries and especially the war torn areas they are trying to help aid. The hope is that there will be a better...
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