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Beijing bans blacks from bars
What three things do basketballer Kobe Bryant, tennis player James Blake and soccer player Ronaldinho have in common?
1) They're black.
2) They're each among the most talented Olympians in their sport.
3) They're not allowed into any bars while they're in Beijing.
The litany of human rights abuses committed by the Chinese dictatorship has been well documented, if not by the NBC/General Electric family of Olympic broadcasters. But for most abuses, the regime tries to hide or outright deny them. But while perhaps less severe than forced labor, arbitrary arrest and religious repression, the regime is more brazenly open about its racism. Beijing authorities have explicitly banned bar owners from serving blacks during the Olympics. Oh, and Mongolians can't down a pint either.
If the 2012 London Olympic authorities banned Asians from bars, somehow I think international criticism would be a little louder.
On a sporting note: Congratulations to Michael Phelps for his record breaking haul of eight gold medals and to Usain Bolt for being the first person to break the world records for both the 100 and 200 meters in the same Olympics. After the 100m, some criticized Bolt for slowing up toward the end. It's a mark of how amazing his performance was that he could visibly slow up in such a short race and still break the world record.
2 comments:
Not unsurprisingly, The Obamessiah, thinks China is really the best place to do business.
Aren't Olympics fun?
A web search on this left me unable to substantiate the story, every mention of which seems to trace back to the same piece by a journalist at the South China Morning Post apparently based on an anonymous source. Some have questioned it (e.g., http://shanghaiist.com/).
For the sake of common decency one hopes the story isn't true. Any follow-up reports would be of interest.
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