Controversy is nothing new for the Olympics. Barely an edition of the international sports event goes by without some scandal. Some are relatively minor — the Ryan Lochte grills situation in Beijing comes to mind. Some, like the massacre of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich games, are major world events in their own right.
The XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, haven’t even started — the opening ceremonies take place Friday, February 7 — but they have been the subject of heated debate for months. While there are various political and economic concerns with the games, the largest flashpoint has related to Russia’s recent adoption of strict anti-gay “propaganda” laws that violate the human rights of the country’s LGBT citizens in the name of upholding “traditional values.” Broadly, the laws criminalize the promotion of homosexuality to Russian youth. Right now you could be arrested and jailed in Russia if you publicly display gay-pride paraphernalia, or assure a minor that a gay relationship is as normal as a heterosexual relationship.
The Russian government remains unmoved by international backlash to these laws. While the International Olympic Committee has made assurances that gay athletes and visitors will be fine, as recently as January Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that gays and their allies can “feel calm and at ease” in Russia so long as they “leave kids alone.” That is not terribly convincing.
The common response has been to boycott. Initially the idea was to pressure the IOC to move the games to another venue, which was never going to happen for logistical reasons. Then protestors encouraged the outraged to contact the various corporate sponsors of the games (and there are many, including Coca-Cola and McDonald’s) and threaten to boycott their products. And many are choosing to protest Russia’s politics by pledging not to watch the games altogether.
I think that is precisely the wrong move. First, your not watching the Sochi Olympics does not hurt Russia in the slightest. It hurts NBC, the American broadcaster for the games. It hurts the sponsors, who some argue are partially culpable by not withdrawing their support of the games. And it potentially hurts the IOC. But Putin and the officials in Russia do not care if you tune in to watch ice skating on your flatscreen. That does not send any kind of political message.
You want to send a message? Bear witness. Watch these games, watch how Russia reacts to the protests (and there WILL be protests — that is inevitable), and comment about it. Be vocal. Take to social media, write petitions, write opinion pieces. You cannot solve bad behavior by ignoring it. Silence is less effective than the deafening roar of protest. Do you think the members of Pussy Riot would have ever been released had the world not been watching?
The Sochi games offer an opportunity for the world to turn its eye on a government doing some deeply disturbing things. Let’s use this chance to inform people about what’s going on in Russia, why it’s going on — and more important — why it is so wrong-minded and damaging to society.
I will be riveted to my TV from the opening ceremonies this Friday until the games end on February 23. Part of that is my bizarre affection for the Olympics, despite not giving a whit about organized sports writ large. Part of it is the legitimate thrill of seeing athletes at the peak of the human condition showcasing what they can do. And part of that will be hoping that somehow, this whole saga works out in the best possible way, with Russian officials realizing how backwards these insane “propaganda” laws are. That may require an entirely different “miracle on ice” than we saw opposite Russia at the 1980 games right here in New York State.
Mary Anna Towler’s Urban Journal returns next week.
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2014.
What if Russia were criminalizing having dark skin? or practicing Judaism? Would your opinion be different? Why?
Hi Jason, thanks for the question. My answer is no, my opinion would not be different. My basic point is not that I’m planning to watch the Sochi Olympics regardless of Russia’s politics. I am watching Sochi in part BECAUSE of those politics, which I find horrifying. I believe it is important for the world to be watching, and to hold Russia accountable for its actions. Not watching the games, not paying attention what’s going on, solves absolutely nothing.
In the original version of the article I mentioned the situation with Pussy Riot, the punk-rock band whose members were imprisoned for speaking out against Putin and Russian politics in 2012. If nobody had been paying attention to that situation, if the world had not been crying out for their release and commenting on the injustice of that situation, I don’t believe they would ever have been released. (As it stands, the group members are convinced that once the spotlight turns away from Russia, they will be put in prison again.)
The Olympics are putting Russia in the center of a global stage, and afford an opportunity to scrutinize what is going on there and comment about it. If the most critical voices are not paying close attention to Russia’s behavior during the games, we are missing an opportunity. Yes, I will be watching the sporting events themselves. But I will be reading every dispatch I can about the treatment of athletes and visitors alike. I will be watching to see any little slip-up on behalf of the Russian government. And I will be commenting on it. One person complaining about it on social media? Who cares? A world commenting about this situation all at once? That could start a discourse. I sincerely don’t see what ignoring the opportunity affords us.
Not sure your argument holds water. It’s like saying that tomorrow there will be a terrible car crash, make sure you look out your window so you can be a witness. This whole Sochi Olympics has been tainted from the start, and now there’s news about the poisoning of stray dogs around the city! The whole thing stinks, and no one with a conscience should pay any attention to this. And I for one will not be donating dime one to the inevitable victims of whatever tragedy occurs, be it a bombing, a hostage situation, or whatever…if you were stupid enough to go there, you get what you get.
This argument to bogus!
Why WE SHOULD boycott Sochi: Very simple. The IOC had no business allowing this anti-gay, hate-driven nation to host the games, knowing full well about Russia’s so-called “gay propaganda” anti-gay laws. Supporting the athletes, for me, means sending a clear message to the IOC to think first before giving such a hateful nation the rights to host the games. I personally hope these Winter Games fail miserably! Screw Sochi… ┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐
Nice thought but this argument doesn’t hold water. This all comes down to the almighty dollar and when sponsors, advertisers, etc see how serious people are to NOT watch the Olympics because they feel strongly about the way Russia is handling things, they’ll take note. While the venue won’t change and sponsors aren’t going to pull out now, they will be listening when the ratings aren’t as high.
Eric,
I understand your point. I think there is some confusion when you title an article using “we” and “boycott”. In this context, “we” would most likely mean “the United States Olympic Team” but you mean “people watching it on TV.”
I’d like to have seen our nation step up as a proponent of what was right. But the U.S. is always dead-last among first-world nations doing “what is right”—e.g. slavery, female leaders, nationalized health coverage, reducing carbon emissions, green energy, … ad infinitum, it appears.
First off, it’s not like they’re going to show any protests on TV, so you won’t be “bearing witness” to anything other than Russian propaganda. Second, my sympathy for Putin’s regime is second only to my sympathy for the profits of American corporations, so premising the argument on the fact that some sponsors may feel a minor dip in their revenues is a pretty absurd moral ground to stake out. Sounds to me more like you are justifying your desire to watch the games rather than sympathizing with the protestors in any meaningful way.
Boycotting is not the same as ignoring – in fact, having a boycott movement, and choosing to cover that, would send the absolute loudest message to Russia that it is not “business as usual” for them.
Putin’s sordid human rights record began long before last year. Those who are only lately coming to that realization over this one issue have a serious credibility problem.