Guest guest Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 Dear all, Was wondering how best we can network across the world and send out a strong signal to Beijing to safeguard the rights of the animals there and not to take harsh measures like mass culling or dogs and cats. More than one hundred Tibetan exiles living in Dharamshala have been barred by the police from marching to Tibet to protest against China hosting the Olympics. In Kathmandu, 1000 Tibetan exiles clashed with the police during their march to the Chinese Embassy. The Dalai Lama has approved of China hosting the games, saying that it will help pressurise China on its human rights record. Now where does ANIMAL WELFARE/ ANIMAL RIGHTS stand ?? Are we to remain as a bunch of soft spoken, soft hearted organizations and individuals who believe in just petitions, humble request letters alone, or do we have that in us to go a step further from conference rooms and seminars into the streets like other campaigners have been doing. Maybe we should stage road shows/ street plays/ protest march outside Chinese embassies in the similar way that these human rights guys have been doing for decades. Also we can put up a website or a link which has records and data of the ongoing protests worldwide. The animals of asia have the support of the entire world, all they need now is a united strong VOICE, and let us not loose this opportunity. Need more inputs. Azam -- United against elephant polo http://www.stopelephantpolo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 Great ideas! I think an international website on concerns regarding China and animal welfare is long overdue....perhaps a group of concerned organisations (Peta, Animals Asia, IFAW) could take the lead or support smaller groups to do the job? Apart from putting pressure on China (though embassies) the Olympic Committee should be pressurised too! This is definitely the time to show China that an increasing number of citizens is concerned not only about its human rights but also its animal rights! Lucia Animal Nepal At 11:39 AM 3/11/2008 +0530, you wrote: >Dear all, > >Was wondering how best we can network across the world and send out a strong >signal to Beijing to safeguard the rights of the animals there and not to >take harsh measures like mass culling or dogs and cats. > >More than one hundred Tibetan exiles living in Dharamshala have been barred >by the police from marching to Tibet to protest against China hosting the >Olympics. > >In Kathmandu, 1000 Tibetan exiles clashed with the police during their march >to the Chinese Embassy. > >The Dalai Lama has approved of China hosting the games, saying that it will >help pressurise China on its human rights record. > >Now where does ANIMAL WELFARE/ ANIMAL RIGHTS stand ?? > >Are we to remain as a bunch of soft spoken, soft hearted organizations and >individuals who believe in just petitions, humble request letters alone, or >do we have that in us to go a step further from conference rooms and >seminars into the streets like other campaigners have been doing. > >Maybe we should stage road shows/ street plays/ protest march outside >Chinese embassies in the similar way that these human rights guys have been >doing for decades. > >Also we can put up a website or a link which has records and data of the >ongoing protests worldwide. > >The animals of asia have the support of the entire world, all they need now >is a united strong VOICE, and let us not loose this opportunity. > >Need more inputs. > >Azam > >-- >United against elephant polo ><http://www.stopelephantpolo.com>http://www.stopelephantpolo.com > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 >Apart from putting pressure on China (though embassies) the Olympic >Committee should be pressurised too! A quick look back at the history of protest activities focused on the Olympics will reveal many failures, in many causes, and so few successes that one must wonder why people continue to repeat the old mistakes. The first series of monumental failures of which I have personal recollection involved the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. Dozens of Mexican activists were murdered by police, possibly hundreds, during pre-Olympic protests. The world took extraordinarily little notice. By the time the actual Olympics started, the Mexican activist community was already depleted and intimidated, and although protests were staged, they attracted almost none of the international media notice that the organizers had hoped for. None of their objectives were achieved. Also at the Mexico City Olympics, relay sprinters John Carlos and Tommy Smith staged their famous " Black Power " protest on the medal stand. The other two medalists on the stand were Ronnie Ray Smith and Lee Evans, who was my track coach for a while in 1970. I interviewed Evans about the " Black Power " protest in 1971. Even Evans had difficulty articulating just what his friends and teammates meant to say, and explained that it was more a gesture than a statement, which is why he didn't join it. He certainly shared the views and frustrations that motivated Carlos and Smith, but he didn't see the protest accomplishing anything to advance change, & sure enough, it didn't. The next Olympics was in Munich in 1972. A young woman I knew fairly well wangled a press pass and was there as a correspondent when a group of Palestinian guerillas massacred a number of athletes. She thought someone was just setting off firecrackers in the Olympic Village. Thirty-six years later, it is fairly obvious that the killings in no way advanced the Palestinian cause. Neither were most of the press on the scene able to report much of anything about what motivated the attackers, because they didn't have a clue. Like everyone else, they were trying to stay out of the gunfire, once they realized it was gunfire. Then came the Montreal Olympics. The focal protest issue there was the quest for Quebec independence. The Quebec independence cause peaked about five years later, & has been waning ever since. The U.S. and Soviet Union exchanged boycotts of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Does anyone remember why? I thought not. Even the U.S. forgot why, did essentially the same thing the Russians did, & is now bunkered into some of the very same sites in Afghanistan. Animal issues first surfaced in Olympic protest in 1988. That's when IFAW & others tried to boycott South Korea into banning dog-eating. I guess we all know how that turned out. Despite the monumental failure in 1988, many of the same people promoted a similar boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament a few years ago. Same result. Some progress has been made in Korea, but all the boycotts really did was help the dog meat industry to hide behind the flag. 1992 brought the boycott of the Barcelona Olympics to protest against bullfighting. Indeed bullfighting has ended in Barcelona--half a generation later, through the efforts of local activists learning the tactics of political organization at the grassroots level to influence the outcome of city council elections. All sorts of folks protested all sorts of things at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Nobody got shot, nobody disappeared, & nobody remembers any of the causes that were espoused. Some folks from PETA went naked rather than wear fur, & since nobody wears fur in midsummer in Atlanta anyway, they were apparently mistaken for Scandinavian tourists. Various folks tried to organize a boycott of the 2000 Olympics in Australia to protest against shooting kangaroos & brumbies. That had no visible effect at all, except possibly for discouraging Australia from proposing kangaroo & brumby shooting as possible Olympic sports. In 2004 a big boycott of the Athens Olympics was supposed to bring Greek animal control up to contemporary European standards. Before 2004, some Greek municipalities poisoned street dogs in the middle of the night, some dumped them in other towns many miles away, and some incarcerated them in canine concentration camps to starve to death. What do they do now? Yup, you got it. Come we now to Beijing. First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail? There are actually several obvious reasons. One is that government efforts to suppress protest are never more intense. Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover doesn't leave much time for covering anything else. Still another is that the crowds attending the Olympics are preoccupied with other things. Yet another is that so many people are trying to promote causes during the Olympics that it is very difficult to make one cause the focal issue that everyone remembers, even if you shoot a lot of people & take hostages, or go naked, & probably even if you do both. And one of the biggest reasons is that the people responsible for whatever is being protested know very well that if they can wait out the Olympics, everyone will go home and forget about whatever the cause was as soon as the Olympics are over. Focusing protest on the Olympics, or any major event, is exactly the opposite of building a strong grassroots movement, as the anti-bullfighting folks have in Barcelona. Sustained commitment is what makes change, not short-term spasms of protest that exhaust resources and burn out activists. What the upcoming Beijing Olympics offer is an unparalleled opportunity for local Beijing pro-animal organizations to attract the interest and support of visitors, which they can best do if sympathetic visitors come, if animal advocates can table and distribute literature with relative freedom, and if outsiders can refrain from attempting to turn the Olympics into a confrontation that results in the Chinese government trying to keep animal advocates and visitors from having the high-volume but low-key contact that they need to have to help build a cause with enduring strength after the Olympics are over. -- Merritt Clifton Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE P.O. Box 960 Clinton, WA 98236 Telephone: 360-579-2505 Fax: 360-579-2575 E-mail: anmlpepl Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide, founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations. We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year; for free sample, send address.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 *> Come we now to Beijing. First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail?<* Accepted that movements do fail at times. And I believe most of us are aware that no matter how hard we protest or voice we may not be successful. Having said that we succeed because we know we can fail anytime. we are aware of that possibility, you me and others. That others include the Tibetan refugees as well. *> Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover doesn't leave much time for covering anything else<* News Media does not mean just the sports journos and the photographers. It also includes those looking out for hard news. Sports is just a section. The rest (that includes the Chinese media and the world agencies and media giants) are always on the hunt for of beat reports, political stories etc. Olympics happening does not stop all that news from trickling in and getting published. Olympics has not yet started and you can see that the media headlines and television channels are full of protest reports by the Tibetan people that is being staged all over the world. This is a news link of a protest in your country, USA: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8b506\ 0e33b9624e7a7f590202bf74f7 and this is a news link of a protest in my country, India: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_protest\ _Olympics/articleshow/2853935.cms So my friend if these events are being covered by the news media, so long before the Olympics begins, I fail to understand why animal rights protests will find itself in trash. The Big question that we must be asking ourselves is that do we have it in us?? And if we do, who leads from the front? Azam I am ready for failure, and Also in many casesucceed because we know we can fail. On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 1:58 PM, Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl wrote: > >Apart from putting pressure on China (though embassies) the Olympic > >Committee should be pressurised too! > > A quick look back at the history of protest activities > focused on the Olympics will reveal many failures, in many causes, > and so few successes that one must wonder why people continue to > repeat the old mistakes. > > The first series of monumental failures of which I have > personal recollection involved the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. > Dozens of Mexican activists were murdered by police, possibly > hundreds, during pre-Olympic protests. The world took > extraordinarily little notice. By the time the actual Olympics > started, the Mexican activist community was already depleted and > intimidated, and although protests were staged, they attracted > almost none of the international media notice that the organizers had > hoped for. None of their objectives were achieved. > > Also at the Mexico City Olympics, relay sprinters John > Carlos and Tommy Smith staged their famous " Black Power " protest on > the medal stand. The other two medalists on the stand were Ronnie > Ray Smith and Lee Evans, who was my track coach for a while in 1970. > > I interviewed Evans about the " Black Power " protest in 1971. > Even Evans had difficulty articulating just what his friends and > teammates meant to say, and explained that it was more a gesture > than a statement, which is why he didn't join it. He certainly > shared the views and frustrations that motivated Carlos and Smith, > but he didn't see the protest accomplishing anything to advance > change, & sure enough, it didn't. > > The next Olympics was in Munich in 1972. A young woman I > knew fairly well wangled a press pass and was there as a > correspondent when a group of Palestinian guerillas massacred a > number of athletes. She thought someone was just setting off > firecrackers in the Olympic Village. Thirty-six years later, it is > fairly obvious that the killings in no way advanced the Palestinian > cause. Neither were most of the press on the scene able to report > much of anything about what motivated the attackers, because they > didn't have a clue. Like everyone else, they were trying to stay > out of the gunfire, once they realized it was gunfire. > > Then came the Montreal Olympics. The focal protest issue > there was the quest for Quebec independence. The Quebec independence > cause peaked about five years later, & has been waning ever since. > > The U.S. and Soviet Union exchanged boycotts of the 1980 > Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Does anyone > remember why? I thought not. Even the U.S. forgot why, did > essentially the same thing the Russians did, & is now bunkered into > some of the very same sites in Afghanistan. > > Animal issues first surfaced in Olympic protest in 1988. > That's when IFAW & others tried to boycott South Korea into banning > dog-eating. I guess we all know how that turned out. Despite the > monumental failure in 1988, many of the same people promoted a > similar boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament a few years ago. > Same result. Some progress has been made in Korea, but all the > boycotts really did was help the dog meat industry to hide behind the > flag. > > 1992 brought the boycott of the Barcelona Olympics to protest > against bullfighting. Indeed bullfighting has ended in > Barcelona--half a generation later, through the efforts of local > activists learning the tactics of political organization at the > grassroots level to influence the outcome of city council elections. > > All sorts of folks protested all sorts of things at the 1996 > Olympics in Atlanta. Nobody got shot, nobody disappeared, & nobody > remembers any of the causes that were espoused. Some folks from PETA > went naked rather than wear fur, & since nobody wears fur in > midsummer in Atlanta anyway, they were apparently mistaken for > Scandinavian tourists. > > Various folks tried to organize a boycott of the 2000 > Olympics in Australia to protest against shooting kangaroos & > brumbies. That had no visible effect at all, except possibly for > discouraging Australia from proposing kangaroo & brumby shooting as > possible Olympic sports. > > In 2004 a big boycott of the Athens Olympics was supposed to > bring Greek animal control up to contemporary European standards. > Before 2004, some Greek municipalities poisoned street dogs in the > middle of the night, some dumped them in other towns many miles > away, and some incarcerated them in canine concentration camps to > starve to death. What do they do now? Yup, you got it. > > Come we now to Beijing. > > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail? > > There are actually several obvious reasons. > > One is that government efforts to suppress protest are never > more intense. > > Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else. > > Still another is that the crowds attending the Olympics are > preoccupied with other things. > > Yet another is that so many people are trying to promote > causes during the Olympics that it is very difficult to make one > cause the focal issue that everyone remembers, even if you shoot a > lot of people & take hostages, or go naked, & probably even if you > do both. > > And one of the biggest reasons is that the people responsible > for whatever is being protested know very well that if they can wait > out the Olympics, everyone will go home and forget about whatever > the cause was as soon as the Olympics are over. > > Focusing protest on the Olympics, or any major event, is > exactly the opposite of building a strong grassroots movement, as > the anti-bullfighting folks have in Barcelona. Sustained commitment > is what makes change, not short-term spasms of protest that exhaust > resources and burn out activists. > > What the upcoming Beijing Olympics offer is an unparalleled > opportunity for local Beijing pro-animal organizations to attract the > interest and support of visitors, which they can best do if > sympathetic visitors come, if animal advocates can table and > distribute literature with relative freedom, and if outsiders can > refrain from attempting to turn the Olympics into a confrontation > that results in the Chinese government trying to keep animal > advocates and visitors from having the high-volume but low-key > contact that they need to have to help build a cause with enduring > strength after the Olympics are over. > > -- > Merritt Clifton > Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE > P.O. Box 960 > Clinton, WA 98236 > > Telephone: 360-579-2505 > Fax: 360-579-2575 > E-mail: anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org > > [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing > original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide, > founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the > decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations. > We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year; > for free sample, send address.] > > -- United against elephant polo http://www.stopelephantpolo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 To add to what u say Azam, in protesting a true wrong, there really is no failure. ³Nothing² is never the result of this activity. I learned this long ago when I staged a lone protest against the Central American War - that was when Ollie North was trading guns for cocaine and then selling it in Cali. I dressed up in my Vietnam fatigues and stood with a sign outside a CU football championship game in Boulder Colorado. The sign read ³War Sucks.² I tried to get my friends to join, but it was a holiday and everyone had other things to do. So I stood there in silent protest and was spat on and called lots of names, and then a big dog came over and hung out for a while. Whether or not that act was a failure or success was not the issue. It did get a few people and one dog thinking. Well, maybe the dog thought more, as I had brought lunch and shared it with him. People have been needlessly blowing the crap out of each other for as long as I have been alive, so I suspect they may go on needlessly killing other species as well for a very long time to come. But regardless, we all have a voice, imagination, and a heart so we might as well put them to good use. Good luck! Jigs Www.animalnepal.org AZAM SIDDIQUI <azam24x7 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:16:15 +0530 Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl Cc: <aapn > Re: The Olympics, China, animal welfare and Us. *> Come we now to Beijing. First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail?<* Accepted that movements do fail at times. And I believe most of us are aware that no matter how hard we protest or voice we may not be successful. Having said that we succeed because we know we can fail anytime. we are aware of that possibility, you me and others. That others include the Tibetan refugees as well. *> Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover doesn't leave much time for covering anything else<* News Media does not mean just the sports journos and the photographers. It also includes those looking out for hard news. Sports is just a section. The rest (that includes the Chinese media and the world agencies and media giants) are always on the hunt for of beat reports, political stories etc. Olympics happening does not stop all that news from trickling in and getting published. Olympics has not yet started and you can see that the media headlines and television channels are full of protest reports by the Tibetan people that is being staged all over the world. This is a news link of a protest in your country, USA: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8 b5060e33b9624e7a7f590202bf74f7 and this is a news link of a protest in my country, India: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_pro test_Olympics/articleshow/2853935.cms So my friend if these events are being covered by the news media, so long before the Olympics begins, I fail to understand why animal rights protests will find itself in trash. The Big question that we must be asking ourselves is that do we have it in us?? And if we do, who leads from the front? Azam I am ready for failure, and Also in many casesucceed because we know we can fail. On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 1:58 PM, Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > wrote: > >Apart from putting pressure on China (though embassies) the Olympic > >Committee should be pressurised too! > > A quick look back at the history of protest activities > focused on the Olympics will reveal many failures, in many causes, > and so few successes that one must wonder why people continue to > repeat the old mistakes. > > The first series of monumental failures of which I have > personal recollection involved the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. > Dozens of Mexican activists were murdered by police, possibly > hundreds, during pre-Olympic protests. The world took > extraordinarily little notice. By the time the actual Olympics > started, the Mexican activist community was already depleted and > intimidated, and although protests were staged, they attracted > almost none of the international media notice that the organizers had > hoped for. None of their objectives were achieved. > > Also at the Mexico City Olympics, relay sprinters John > Carlos and Tommy Smith staged their famous " Black Power " protest on > the medal stand. The other two medalists on the stand were Ronnie > Ray Smith and Lee Evans, who was my track coach for a while in 1970. > > I interviewed Evans about the " Black Power " protest in 1971. > Even Evans had difficulty articulating just what his friends and > teammates meant to say, and explained that it was more a gesture > than a statement, which is why he didn't join it. He certainly > shared the views and frustrations that motivated Carlos and Smith, > but he didn't see the protest accomplishing anything to advance > change, & sure enough, it didn't. > > The next Olympics was in Munich in 1972. A young woman I > knew fairly well wangled a press pass and was there as a > correspondent when a group of Palestinian guerillas massacred a > number of athletes. She thought someone was just setting off > firecrackers in the Olympic Village. Thirty-six years later, it is > fairly obvious that the killings in no way advanced the Palestinian > cause. Neither were most of the press on the scene able to report > much of anything about what motivated the attackers, because they > didn't have a clue. Like everyone else, they were trying to stay > out of the gunfire, once they realized it was gunfire. > > Then came the Montreal Olympics. The focal protest issue > there was the quest for Quebec independence. The Quebec independence > cause peaked about five years later, & has been waning ever since. > > The U.S. and Soviet Union exchanged boycotts of the 1980 > Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Does anyone > remember why? I thought not. Even the U.S. forgot why, did > essentially the same thing the Russians did, & is now bunkered into > some of the very same sites in Afghanistan. > > Animal issues first surfaced in Olympic protest in 1988. > That's when IFAW & others tried to boycott South Korea into banning > dog-eating. I guess we all know how that turned out. Despite the > monumental failure in 1988, many of the same people promoted a > similar boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament a few years ago. > Same result. Some progress has been made in Korea, but all the > boycotts really did was help the dog meat industry to hide behind the > flag. > > 1992 brought the boycott of the Barcelona Olympics to protest > against bullfighting. Indeed bullfighting has ended in > Barcelona--half a generation later, through the efforts of local > activists learning the tactics of political organization at the > grassroots level to influence the outcome of city council elections. > > All sorts of folks protested all sorts of things at the 1996 > Olympics in Atlanta. Nobody got shot, nobody disappeared, & nobody > remembers any of the causes that were espoused. Some folks from PETA > went naked rather than wear fur, & since nobody wears fur in > midsummer in Atlanta anyway, they were apparently mistaken for > Scandinavian tourists. > > Various folks tried to organize a boycott of the 2000 > Olympics in Australia to protest against shooting kangaroos & > brumbies. That had no visible effect at all, except possibly for > discouraging Australia from proposing kangaroo & brumby shooting as > possible Olympic sports. > > In 2004 a big boycott of the Athens Olympics was supposed to > bring Greek animal control up to contemporary European standards. > Before 2004, some Greek municipalities poisoned street dogs in the > middle of the night, some dumped them in other towns many miles > away, and some incarcerated them in canine concentration camps to > starve to death. What do they do now? Yup, you got it. > > Come we now to Beijing. > > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail? > > There are actually several obvious reasons. > > One is that government efforts to suppress protest are never > more intense. > > Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else. > > Still another is that the crowds attending the Olympics are > preoccupied with other things. > > Yet another is that so many people are trying to promote > causes during the Olympics that it is very difficult to make one > cause the focal issue that everyone remembers, even if you shoot a > lot of people & take hostages, or go naked, & probably even if you > do both. > > And one of the biggest reasons is that the people responsible > for whatever is being protested know very well that if they can wait > out the Olympics, everyone will go home and forget about whatever > the cause was as soon as the Olympics are over. > > Focusing protest on the Olympics, or any major event, is > exactly the opposite of building a strong grassroots movement, as > the anti-bullfighting folks have in Barcelona. Sustained commitment > is what makes change, not short-term spasms of protest that exhaust > resources and burn out activists. > > What the upcoming Beijing Olympics offer is an unparalleled > opportunity for local Beijing pro-animal organizations to attract the > interest and support of visitors, which they can best do if > sympathetic visitors come, if animal advocates can table and > distribute literature with relative freedom, and if outsiders can > refrain from attempting to turn the Olympics into a confrontation > that results in the Chinese government trying to keep animal > advocates and visitors from having the high-volume but low-key > contact that they need to have to help build a cause with enduring > strength after the Olympics are over. > > -- > Merritt Clifton > Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE > P.O. Box 960 > Clinton, WA 98236 > > Telephone: 360-579-2505 > Fax: 360-579-2575 > E-mail: anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org > > [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing > original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide, > founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the > decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations. > We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year; > for free sample, send address.] > > -- United against elephant polo http://www.stopelephantpolo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Hello everyone, there is an enormous movement within China. Not only the " soft spoken " organisations working quietly behind the scenes with central government and local authorities, but more still working vocally and increasingly more effectively as the gradual shift of the past couple of years gains momentum. Any aggressive pressure surrounding the Olympics from within will quickly see a backlash from millions across the country who are fiercely proud of this event and would be appalled with any negative leverage which tries to end or damage something which they have supported for years. As Merritt says, international protests would likely backfire too - worldwide criticism of dog eating during the World Cup in Korea saw a backlash from local students who objected to being told what to do in their own country - and slaughtered and ate yet more dogs in protest at " interfering imperialists abroad " . A salient example of considering the risks of offending those already, and potentially, on side. True the Olympics can be a platform, but in China one to be used wisely enhancing and supporting the " green " message of this year's Beijing Games. No harm in contacting journalists covering the Olympics - they are currently looking for " fillers " ...stories of interest for use between the Games themselves. Jill Jill Robinson MBE Founder & CEO Animals Asia Foundation ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE! Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food " http://www.animalsasia.org Herojig wrote: > > To add to what u say Azam, in protesting a true wrong, there really is no > failure. ³Nothing² is never the result of this activity. I learned this > long ago when I staged a lone protest against the Central American War - > that was when Ollie North was trading guns for cocaine and then selling it > in Cali. I dressed up in my Vietnam fatigues and stood with a sign outside > a CU football championship game in Boulder Colorado. The sign read ³War > Sucks.² I tried to get my friends to join, but it was a holiday and > everyone > had other things to do. So I stood there in silent protest and was spat on > and called lots of names, and then a big dog came over and hung out for a > while. Whether or not that act was a failure or success was not the issue. > It did get a few people and one dog thinking. Well, maybe the dog thought > more, as I had brought lunch and shared it with him. > > People have been needlessly blowing the crap out of each other for as long > as I have been alive, so I suspect they may go on needlessly killing other > species as well for a very long time to come. But regardless, we all > have a > voice, imagination, and a heart so we might as well put them to good use. > Good luck! > Jigs > Www.animalnepal.org > > AZAM SIDDIQUI <azam24x7 <azam24x7%40gmail.com>> > Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:16:15 +0530 > Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com>> > Cc: <aapn <aapn%40>> > Re: The Olympics, China, animal welfare and Us. > > *> Come we now to Beijing. > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail?<* > > Accepted that movements do fail at times. And I believe most of us are > aware > that no matter how hard we protest or voice we may not be successful. > Having said that we succeed because we know we can fail anytime. we are > aware of that possibility, you me and others. That others include the > Tibetan refugees as well. > > *> Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else<* > > News Media does not mean just the sports journos and the photographers. It > also includes those looking out for hard news. > Sports is just a section. The rest (that includes the Chinese media > and the > world agencies and media giants) are always on the hunt for of beat > reports, > political stories etc. Olympics happening does not stop all that news from > trickling in and getting published. > Olympics has not yet started and you can see that the media headlines and > television channels are full of protest reports by the Tibetan people that > is being staged all over the world. > > This is a news link of a protest in your country, USA: > > http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8 > <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8> > b5060e33b9624e7a7f590202bf74f7 > > and this is a news link of a protest in my country, India: > > http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_pro > <http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_pro> > test_Olympics/articleshow/2853935.cms > > So my friend if these events are being covered by the news media, so long > before the Olympics begins, I fail to understand why animal rights > protests > will find itself in trash. > > The Big question that we must be asking ourselves is that do we have it in > us?? > And if we do, who leads from the front? > > Azam > > I am ready for failure, and > > Also in many casesucceed because we know we can fail. > > On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 1:58 PM, Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > wrote: > > > >Apart from putting pressure on China (though embassies) the Olympic > > >Committee should be pressurised too! > > > > A quick look back at the history of protest activities > > focused on the Olympics will reveal many failures, in many causes, > > and so few successes that one must wonder why people continue to > > repeat the old mistakes. > > > > The first series of monumental failures of which I have > > personal recollection involved the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. > > Dozens of Mexican activists were murdered by police, possibly > > hundreds, during pre-Olympic protests. The world took > > extraordinarily little notice. By the time the actual Olympics > > started, the Mexican activist community was already depleted and > > intimidated, and although protests were staged, they attracted > > almost none of the international media notice that the organizers had > > hoped for. None of their objectives were achieved. > > > > Also at the Mexico City Olympics, relay sprinters John > > Carlos and Tommy Smith staged their famous " Black Power " protest on > > the medal stand. The other two medalists on the stand were Ronnie > > Ray Smith and Lee Evans, who was my track coach for a while in 1970. > > > > I interviewed Evans about the " Black Power " protest in 1971. > > Even Evans had difficulty articulating just what his friends and > > teammates meant to say, and explained that it was more a gesture > > than a statement, which is why he didn't join it. He certainly > > shared the views and frustrations that motivated Carlos and Smith, > > but he didn't see the protest accomplishing anything to advance > > change, & sure enough, it didn't. > > > > The next Olympics was in Munich in 1972. A young woman I > > knew fairly well wangled a press pass and was there as a > > correspondent when a group of Palestinian guerillas massacred a > > number of athletes. She thought someone was just setting off > > firecrackers in the Olympic Village. Thirty-six years later, it is > > fairly obvious that the killings in no way advanced the Palestinian > > cause. Neither were most of the press on the scene able to report > > much of anything about what motivated the attackers, because they > > didn't have a clue. Like everyone else, they were trying to stay > > out of the gunfire, once they realized it was gunfire. > > > > Then came the Montreal Olympics. The focal protest issue > > there was the quest for Quebec independence. The Quebec independence > > cause peaked about five years later, & has been waning ever since. > > > > The U.S. and Soviet Union exchanged boycotts of the 1980 > > Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Does anyone > > remember why? I thought not. Even the U.S. forgot why, did > > essentially the same thing the Russians did, & is now bunkered into > > some of the very same sites in Afghanistan. > > > > Animal issues first surfaced in Olympic protest in 1988. > > That's when IFAW & others tried to boycott South Korea into banning > > dog-eating. I guess we all know how that turned out. Despite the > > monumental failure in 1988, many of the same people promoted a > > similar boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament a few years ago. > > Same result. Some progress has been made in Korea, but all the > > boycotts really did was help the dog meat industry to hide behind the > > flag. > > > > 1992 brought the boycott of the Barcelona Olympics to protest > > against bullfighting. Indeed bullfighting has ended in > > Barcelona--half a generation later, through the efforts of local > > activists learning the tactics of political organization at the > > grassroots level to influence the outcome of city council elections. > > > > All sorts of folks protested all sorts of things at the 1996 > > Olympics in Atlanta. Nobody got shot, nobody disappeared, & nobody > > remembers any of the causes that were espoused. Some folks from PETA > > went naked rather than wear fur, & since nobody wears fur in > > midsummer in Atlanta anyway, they were apparently mistaken for > > Scandinavian tourists. > > > > Various folks tried to organize a boycott of the 2000 > > Olympics in Australia to protest against shooting kangaroos & > > brumbies. That had no visible effect at all, except possibly for > > discouraging Australia from proposing kangaroo & brumby shooting as > > possible Olympic sports. > > > > In 2004 a big boycott of the Athens Olympics was supposed to > > bring Greek animal control up to contemporary European standards. > > Before 2004, some Greek municipalities poisoned street dogs in the > > middle of the night, some dumped them in other towns many miles > > away, and some incarcerated them in canine concentration camps to > > starve to death. What do they do now? Yup, you got it. > > > > Come we now to Beijing. > > > > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail? > > > > There are actually several obvious reasons. > > > > One is that government efforts to suppress protest are never > > more intense. > > > > Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics > > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & > > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover > > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else. > > > > Still another is that the crowds attending the Olympics are > > preoccupied with other things. > > > > Yet another is that so many people are trying to promote > > causes during the Olympics that it is very difficult to make one > > cause the focal issue that everyone remembers, even if you shoot a > > lot of people & take hostages, or go naked, & probably even if you > > do both. > > > > And one of the biggest reasons is that the people responsible > > for whatever is being protested know very well that if they can wait > > out the Olympics, everyone will go home and forget about whatever > > the cause was as soon as the Olympics are over. > > > > Focusing protest on the Olympics, or any major event, is > > exactly the opposite of building a strong grassroots movement, as > > the anti-bullfighting folks have in Barcelona. Sustained commitment > > is what makes change, not short-term spasms of protest that exhaust > > resources and burn out activists. > > > > What the upcoming Beijing Olympics offer is an unparalleled > > opportunity for local Beijing pro-animal organizations to attract the > > interest and support of visitors, which they can best do if > > sympathetic visitors come, if animal advocates can table and > > distribute literature with relative freedom, and if outsiders can > > refrain from attempting to turn the Olympics into a confrontation > > that results in the Chinese government trying to keep animal > > advocates and visitors from having the high-volume but low-key > > contact that they need to have to help build a cause with enduring > > strength after the Olympics are over. > > > > -- > > Merritt Clifton > > Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE > > P.O. Box 960 > > Clinton, WA 98236 > > > > Telephone: 360-579-2505 > > Fax: 360-579-2575 > > E-mail: anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org > > > > [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing > > original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide, > > founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the > > decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations. > > We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year; > > for free sample, send address.] > > > > > > -- > United against elephant polo > http://www.stopelephantpolo.com <http://www.stopelephantpolo.com> > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Jill, Thank you so much for your very clarifying message! Sharon Sharon St. Joan Editor International Community Bird and Wildlife Writer Best Friends Network http://network.bestfriends.org/international sharonsj (435) 644-2001 x 204 > > > Hello everyone, there is an enormous movement within China. Not only > the " soft spoken " organisations working quietly behind the scenes with > central government and local authorities, but more still working vocally > and increasingly more effectively as the gradual shift of the past > couple of years gains momentum. > > Any aggressive pressure surrounding the Olympics from within will > quickly see a backlash from millions across the country who are fiercely > proud of this event and would be appalled with any negative leverage > which tries to end or damage something which they have supported for years. > > As Merritt says, international protests would likely backfire too - > worldwide criticism of dog eating during the World Cup in Korea saw a > backlash from local students who objected to being told what to do in > their own country - and slaughtered and ate yet more dogs in protest at > " interfering imperialists abroad " . A salient example of considering > the risks of offending those already, and potentially, on side. > > True the Olympics can be a platform, but in China one to be used wisely > enhancing and supporting the " green " message of this year's Beijing > Games. No harm in contacting journalists covering the Olympics - they > are currently looking for " fillers " ...stories of interest for use > between the Games themselves. Jill > > Jill Robinson MBE > Founder & CEO > Animals Asia Foundation > > ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE! > Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food " > http://www.animalsasia.org > > Herojig wrote: >> > >> > To add to what u say Azam, in protesting a true wrong, there really is no >> > failure. ³Nothing² is never the result of this activity. I learned this >> > long ago when I staged a lone protest against the Central American War - >> > that was when Ollie North was trading guns for cocaine and then selling it >> > in Cali. I dressed up in my Vietnam fatigues and stood with a sign outside >> > a CU football championship game in Boulder Colorado. The sign read ³War >> > Sucks.² I tried to get my friends to join, but it was a holiday and >> > everyone >> > had other things to do. So I stood there in silent protest and was spat on >> > and called lots of names, and then a big dog came over and hung out for a >> > while. Whether or not that act was a failure or success was not the issue. >> > It did get a few people and one dog thinking. Well, maybe the dog thought >> > more, as I had brought lunch and shared it with him. >> > >> > People have been needlessly blowing the crap out of each other for as long >> > as I have been alive, so I suspect they may go on needlessly killing other >> > species as well for a very long time to come. But regardless, we all >> > have a >> > voice, imagination, and a heart so we might as well put them to good use. >> > Good luck! >> > Jigs >> > Www.animalnepal.org >> > >> > AZAM SIDDIQUI <azam24x7 <azam24x7%40gmail.com> >> <azam24x7%40gmail.com>> >> > Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:16:15 +0530 >> > Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> >> <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com>> >> > Cc: <aapn <aapn%40> >> <aapn%40>> >> > Re: The Olympics, China, animal welfare and Us. >> > >> > *> Come we now to Beijing. >> > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail?<* >> > >> > Accepted that movements do fail at times. And I believe most of us are >> > aware >> > that no matter how hard we protest or voice we may not be successful. >> > Having said that we succeed because we know we can fail anytime. we are >> > aware of that possibility, you me and others. That others include the >> > Tibetan refugees as well. >> > >> > *> Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics >> > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & >> > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover >> > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else<* >> > >> > News Media does not mean just the sports journos and the photographers. It >> > also includes those looking out for hard news. >> > Sports is just a section. The rest (that includes the Chinese media >> > and the >> > world agencies and media giants) are always on the hunt for of beat >> > reports, >> > political stories etc. Olympics happening does not stop all that news from >> > trickling in and getting published. >> > Olympics has not yet started and you can see that the media headlines and >> > television channels are full of protest reports by the Tibetan people that >> > is being staged all over the world. >> > >> > This is a news link of a protest in your country, USA: >> > >> > >> http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8 >> > >> <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8> >> > b5060e33b9624e7a7f590202bf74f7 >> > >> > and this is a news link of a protest in my country, India: >> > >> > >> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_pro >> > >> <http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_pro> >> > test_Olympics/articleshow/2853935.cms >> > >> > So my friend if these events are being covered by the news media, so long >> > before the Olympics begins, I fail to understand why animal rights >> > protests >> > will find itself in trash. >> > >> > The Big question that we must be asking ourselves is that do we have it in >> > us?? >> > And if we do, who leads from the front? >> > >> > Azam >> > >> > I am ready for failure, and >> > >> > Also in many casesucceed because we know we can fail. >> > >> > On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 1:58 PM, Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl >> <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> >> > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> >> > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > >> > wrote: >> > >>>> > > >Apart from putting pressure on China (though embassies) the Olympic >>>> > > >Committee should be pressurised too! >>> > > >>> > > A quick look back at the history of protest activities >>> > > focused on the Olympics will reveal many failures, in many causes, >>> > > and so few successes that one must wonder why people continue to >>> > > repeat the old mistakes. >>> > > >>> > > The first series of monumental failures of which I have >>> > > personal recollection involved the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. >>> > > Dozens of Mexican activists were murdered by police, possibly >>> > > hundreds, during pre-Olympic protests. The world took >>> > > extraordinarily little notice. By the time the actual Olympics >>> > > started, the Mexican activist community was already depleted and >>> > > intimidated, and although protests were staged, they attracted >>> > > almost none of the international media notice that the organizers had >>> > > hoped for. None of their objectives were achieved. >>> > > >>> > > Also at the Mexico City Olympics, relay sprinters John >>> > > Carlos and Tommy Smith staged their famous " Black Power " protest on >>> > > the medal stand. The other two medalists on the stand were Ronnie >>> > > Ray Smith and Lee Evans, who was my track coach for a while in 1970. >>> > > >>> > > I interviewed Evans about the " Black Power " protest in 1971. >>> > > Even Evans had difficulty articulating just what his friends and >>> > > teammates meant to say, and explained that it was more a gesture >>> > > than a statement, which is why he didn't join it. He certainly >>> > > shared the views and frustrations that motivated Carlos and Smith, >>> > > but he didn't see the protest accomplishing anything to advance >>> > > change, & sure enough, it didn't. >>> > > >>> > > The next Olympics was in Munich in 1972. A young woman I >>> > > knew fairly well wangled a press pass and was there as a >>> > > correspondent when a group of Palestinian guerillas massacred a >>> > > number of athletes. She thought someone was just setting off >>> > > firecrackers in the Olympic Village. Thirty-six years later, it is >>> > > fairly obvious that the killings in no way advanced the Palestinian >>> > > cause. Neither were most of the press on the scene able to report >>> > > much of anything about what motivated the attackers, because they >>> > > didn't have a clue. Like everyone else, they were trying to stay >>> > > out of the gunfire, once they realized it was gunfire. >>> > > >>> > > Then came the Montreal Olympics. The focal protest issue >>> > > there was the quest for Quebec independence. The Quebec independence >>> > > cause peaked about five years later, & has been waning ever since. >>> > > >>> > > The U.S. and Soviet Union exchanged boycotts of the 1980 >>> > > Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Does anyone >>> > > remember why? I thought not. Even the U.S. forgot why, did >>> > > essentially the same thing the Russians did, & is now bunkered into >>> > > some of the very same sites in Afghanistan. >>> > > >>> > > Animal issues first surfaced in Olympic protest in 1988. >>> > > That's when IFAW & others tried to boycott South Korea into banning >>> > > dog-eating. I guess we all know how that turned out. Despite the >>> > > monumental failure in 1988, many of the same people promoted a >>> > > similar boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament a few years ago. >>> > > Same result. Some progress has been made in Korea, but all the >>> > > boycotts really did was help the dog meat industry to hide behind the >>> > > flag. >>> > > >>> > > 1992 brought the boycott of the Barcelona Olympics to protest >>> > > against bullfighting. Indeed bullfighting has ended in >>> > > Barcelona--half a generation later, through the efforts of local >>> > > activists learning the tactics of political organization at the >>> > > grassroots level to influence the outcome of city council elections. >>> > > >>> > > All sorts of folks protested all sorts of things at the 1996 >>> > > Olympics in Atlanta. Nobody got shot, nobody disappeared, & nobody >>> > > remembers any of the causes that were espoused. Some folks from PETA >>> > > went naked rather than wear fur, & since nobody wears fur in >>> > > midsummer in Atlanta anyway, they were apparently mistaken for >>> > > Scandinavian tourists. >>> > > >>> > > Various folks tried to organize a boycott of the 2000 >>> > > Olympics in Australia to protest against shooting kangaroos & >>> > > brumbies. That had no visible effect at all, except possibly for >>> > > discouraging Australia from proposing kangaroo & brumby shooting as >>> > > possible Olympic sports. >>> > > >>> > > In 2004 a big boycott of the Athens Olympics was supposed to >>> > > bring Greek animal control up to contemporary European standards. >>> > > Before 2004, some Greek municipalities poisoned street dogs in the >>> > > middle of the night, some dumped them in other towns many miles >>> > > away, and some incarcerated them in canine concentration camps to >>> > > starve to death. What do they do now? Yup, you got it. >>> > > >>> > > Come we now to Beijing. >>> > > >>> > > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail? >>> > > >>> > > There are actually several obvious reasons. >>> > > >>> > > One is that government efforts to suppress protest are never >>> > > more intense. >>> > > >>> > > Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics >>> > > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & >>> > > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover >>> > > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else. >>> > > >>> > > Still another is that the crowds attending the Olympics are >>> > > preoccupied with other things. >>> > > >>> > > Yet another is that so many people are trying to promote >>> > > causes during the Olympics that it is very difficult to make one >>> > > cause the focal issue that everyone remembers, even if you shoot a >>> > > lot of people & take hostages, or go naked, & probably even if you >>> > > do both. >>> > > >>> > > And one of the biggest reasons is that the people responsible >>> > > for whatever is being protested know very well that if they can wait >>> > > out the Olympics, everyone will go home and forget about whatever >>> > > the cause was as soon as the Olympics are over. >>> > > >>> > > Focusing protest on the Olympics, or any major event, is >>> > > exactly the opposite of building a strong grassroots movement, as >>> > > the anti-bullfighting folks have in Barcelona. Sustained commitment >>> > > is what makes change, not short-term spasms of protest that exhaust >>> > > resources and burn out activists. >>> > > >>> > > What the upcoming Beijing Olympics offer is an unparalleled >>> > > opportunity for local Beijing pro-animal organizations to attract the >>> > > interest and support of visitors, which they can best do if >>> > > sympathetic visitors come, if animal advocates can table and >>> > > distribute literature with relative freedom, and if outsiders can >>> > > refrain from attempting to turn the Olympics into a confrontation >>> > > that results in the Chinese government trying to keep animal >>> > > advocates and visitors from having the high-volume but low-key >>> > > contact that they need to have to help build a cause with enduring >>> > > strength after the Olympics are over. >>> > > >>> > > -- >>> > > Merritt Clifton >>> > > Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Dear colleagues, Azam and Jigme exude commendable passion when they say that protests should be undertaken. Azam would know for there are so many protests regarding so many issues in his region.I agree with him and Jigme since protests form the bedrock of democracy. But Jill and Merritt Clifton have made valid points too, ie., some protests are more meaningful and effective than others. Let us hope that the Beijing Olympics spreads a peaceful message for man and animal alike. Regards, On 3/14/08, Jill Robinson <jrobinson wrote: > > Hello everyone, there is an enormous movement within China. Not only > the " soft spoken " organisations working quietly behind the scenes with > central government and local authorities, but more still working vocally > and increasingly more effectively as the gradual shift of the past > couple of years gains momentum. > > Any aggressive pressure surrounding the Olympics from within will > quickly see a backlash from millions across the country who are fiercely > proud of this event and would be appalled with any negative leverage > which tries to end or damage something which they have supported for > years. > > As Merritt says, international protests would likely backfire too - > worldwide criticism of dog eating during the World Cup in Korea saw a > backlash from local students who objected to being told what to do in > their own country - and slaughtered and ate yet more dogs in protest at > " interfering imperialists abroad " . A salient example of considering > the risks of offending those already, and potentially, on side. > > True the Olympics can be a platform, but in China one to be used wisely > enhancing and supporting the " green " message of this year's Beijing > Games. No harm in contacting journalists covering the Olympics - they > are currently looking for " fillers " ...stories of interest for use > between the Games themselves. Jill > > Jill Robinson MBE > Founder & CEO > Animals Asia Foundation > > ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE! > Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food " > http://www.animalsasia.org > > Herojig wrote: > > > > To add to what u say Azam, in protesting a true wrong, there really is > no > > failure. ³Nothing² is never the result of this activity. I learned this > > long ago when I staged a lone protest against the Central American War - > > that was when Ollie North was trading guns for cocaine and then selling > it > > in Cali. I dressed up in my Vietnam fatigues and stood with a sign > outside > > a CU football championship game in Boulder Colorado. The sign read ³War > > Sucks.² I tried to get my friends to join, but it was a holiday and > > everyone > > had other things to do. So I stood there in silent protest and was spat > on > > and called lots of names, and then a big dog came over and hung out for > a > > while. Whether or not that act was a failure or success was not the > issue. > > It did get a few people and one dog thinking. Well, maybe the dog > thought > > more, as I had brought lunch and shared it with him. > > > > People have been needlessly blowing the crap out of each other for as > long > > as I have been alive, so I suspect they may go on needlessly killing > other > > species as well for a very long time to come. But regardless, we all > > have a > > voice, imagination, and a heart so we might as well put them to good > use. > > Good luck! > > Jigs > > Www.animalnepal.org <http://www.animalnepal.org/> > > > > AZAM SIDDIQUI <azam24x7 <azam24x7%40gmail.com> < > azam24x7%40gmail.com>> > > Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:16:15 +0530 > > Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com>< > anmlpepl%40whidbey.com>> > > Cc: <aapn <aapn%40> < > aapn%40>> > > Re: The Olympics, China, animal welfare and Us. > > > > *> Come we now to Beijing. > > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail?<* > > > > Accepted that movements do fail at times. And I believe most of us are > > aware > > that no matter how hard we protest or voice we may not be successful. > > Having said that we succeed because we know we can fail anytime. we are > > aware of that possibility, you me and others. That others include the > > Tibetan refugees as well. > > > > *> Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics > > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & > > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover > > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else<* > > > > News Media does not mean just the sports journos and the photographers. > It > > also includes those looking out for hard news. > > Sports is just a section. The rest (that includes the Chinese media > > and the > > world agencies and media giants) are always on the hunt for of beat > > reports, > > political stories etc. Olympics happening does not stop all that news > from > > trickling in and getting published. > > Olympics has not yet started and you can see that the media headlines > and > > television channels are full of protest reports by the Tibetan people > that > > is being staged all over the world. > > > > This is a news link of a protest in your country, USA: > > > > > http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8 > > < > http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ib8 > > > > b5060e33b9624e7a7f590202bf74f7 > > > > and this is a news link of a protest in my country, India: > > > > > http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_pro > > < > http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Exiles_stopped_from_marching_to_pro > > > > test_Olympics/articleshow/2853935.cms > > > > So my friend if these events are being covered by the news media, so > long > > before the Olympics begins, I fail to understand why animal rights > > protests > > will find itself in trash. > > > > The Big question that we must be asking ourselves is that do we have it > in > > us?? > > And if we do, who leads from the front? > > > > Azam > > > > I am ready for failure, and > > > > Also in many casesucceed because we know we can fail. > > > > On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 1:58 PM, Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl<anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > > wrote: > > > > > >Apart from putting pressure on China (though embassies) the Olympic > > > >Committee should be pressurised too! > > > > > > A quick look back at the history of protest activities > > > focused on the Olympics will reveal many failures, in many causes, > > > and so few successes that one must wonder why people continue to > > > repeat the old mistakes. > > > > > > The first series of monumental failures of which I have > > > personal recollection involved the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. > > > Dozens of Mexican activists were murdered by police, possibly > > > hundreds, during pre-Olympic protests. The world took > > > extraordinarily little notice. By the time the actual Olympics > > > started, the Mexican activist community was already depleted and > > > intimidated, and although protests were staged, they attracted > > > almost none of the international media notice that the organizers had > > > hoped for. None of their objectives were achieved. > > > > > > Also at the Mexico City Olympics, relay sprinters John > > > Carlos and Tommy Smith staged their famous " Black Power " protest on > > > the medal stand. The other two medalists on the stand were Ronnie > > > Ray Smith and Lee Evans, who was my track coach for a while in 1970. > > > > > > I interviewed Evans about the " Black Power " protest in 1971. > > > Even Evans had difficulty articulating just what his friends and > > > teammates meant to say, and explained that it was more a gesture > > > than a statement, which is why he didn't join it. He certainly > > > shared the views and frustrations that motivated Carlos and Smith, > > > but he didn't see the protest accomplishing anything to advance > > > change, & sure enough, it didn't. > > > > > > The next Olympics was in Munich in 1972. A young woman I > > > knew fairly well wangled a press pass and was there as a > > > correspondent when a group of Palestinian guerillas massacred a > > > number of athletes. She thought someone was just setting off > > > firecrackers in the Olympic Village. Thirty-six years later, it is > > > fairly obvious that the killings in no way advanced the Palestinian > > > cause. Neither were most of the press on the scene able to report > > > much of anything about what motivated the attackers, because they > > > didn't have a clue. Like everyone else, they were trying to stay > > > out of the gunfire, once they realized it was gunfire. > > > > > > Then came the Montreal Olympics. The focal protest issue > > > there was the quest for Quebec independence. The Quebec independence > > > cause peaked about five years later, & has been waning ever since. > > > > > > The U.S. and Soviet Union exchanged boycotts of the 1980 > > > Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Does anyone > > > remember why? I thought not. Even the U.S. forgot why, did > > > essentially the same thing the Russians did, & is now bunkered into > > > some of the very same sites in Afghanistan. > > > > > > Animal issues first surfaced in Olympic protest in 1988. > > > That's when IFAW & others tried to boycott South Korea into banning > > > dog-eating. I guess we all know how that turned out. Despite the > > > monumental failure in 1988, many of the same people promoted a > > > similar boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament a few years ago. > > > Same result. Some progress has been made in Korea, but all the > > > boycotts really did was help the dog meat industry to hide behind the > > > flag. > > > > > > 1992 brought the boycott of the Barcelona Olympics to protest > > > against bullfighting. Indeed bullfighting has ended in > > > Barcelona--half a generation later, through the efforts of local > > > activists learning the tactics of political organization at the > > > grassroots level to influence the outcome of city council elections. > > > > > > All sorts of folks protested all sorts of things at the 1996 > > > Olympics in Atlanta. Nobody got shot, nobody disappeared, & nobody > > > remembers any of the causes that were espoused. Some folks from PETA > > > went naked rather than wear fur, & since nobody wears fur in > > > midsummer in Atlanta anyway, they were apparently mistaken for > > > Scandinavian tourists. > > > > > > Various folks tried to organize a boycott of the 2000 > > > Olympics in Australia to protest against shooting kangaroos & > > > brumbies. That had no visible effect at all, except possibly for > > > discouraging Australia from proposing kangaroo & brumby shooting as > > > possible Olympic sports. > > > > > > In 2004 a big boycott of the Athens Olympics was supposed to > > > bring Greek animal control up to contemporary European standards. > > > Before 2004, some Greek municipalities poisoned street dogs in the > > > middle of the night, some dumped them in other towns many miles > > > away, and some incarcerated them in canine concentration camps to > > > starve to death. What do they do now? Yup, you got it. > > > > > > Come we now to Beijing. > > > > > > First question: why do Olympic protests & boycotts fail? > > > > > > There are actually several obvious reasons. > > > > > > One is that government efforts to suppress protest are never > > > more intense. > > > > > > Another is that the news media who converge on the Olympics > > > are not there to look for stories. They have their assignments, & > > > just getting to all the athletic events they are supposed to cover > > > doesn't leave much time for covering anything else. > > > > > > Still another is that the crowds attending the Olympics are > > > preoccupied with other things. > > > > > > Yet another is that so many people are trying to promote > > > causes during the Olympics that it is very difficult to make one > > > cause the focal issue that everyone remembers, even if you shoot a > > > lot of people & take hostages, or go naked, & probably even if you > > > do both. > > > > > > And one of the biggest reasons is that the people responsible > > > for whatever is being protested know very well that if they can wait > > > out the Olympics, everyone will go home and forget about whatever > > > the cause was as soon as the Olympics are over. > > > > > > Focusing protest on the Olympics, or any major event, is > > > exactly the opposite of building a strong grassroots movement, as > > > the anti-bullfighting folks have in Barcelona. Sustained commitment > > > is what makes change, not short-term spasms of protest that exhaust > > > resources and burn out activists. > > > > > > What the upcoming Beijing Olympics offer is an unparalleled > > > opportunity for local Beijing pro-animal organizations to attract the > > > interest and support of visitors, which they can best do if > > > sympathetic visitors come, if animal advocates can table and > > > distribute literature with relative freedom, and if outsiders can > > > refrain from attempting to turn the Olympics into a confrontation > > > that results in the Chinese government trying to keep animal > > > advocates and visitors from having the high-volume but low-key > > > contact that they need to have to help build a cause with enduring > > > strength after the Olympics are over. > > > > > > -- > > > Merritt Clifton > > > Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE > > > P.O. Box 960 > > > Clinton, WA 98236 > > > > > > Telephone: 360-579-2505 > > > Fax: 360-579-2575 > > > E-mail: anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> < > anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com> > > > Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org > > > > > > [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing > > > original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide, > > > founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the > > > decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations. > > > We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year; > > > for free sample, send address.] > > > > > > > > > > -- > > United against elephant polo > > http://www.stopelephantpolo.com <http://www.stopelephantpolo.com> > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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