Posted February 14 2008 by Ezra Butler
Spielberg’s Advisory Message to Beijing
The term “Never Again” is not just empty rhetoric for Steven Spielberg.
Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director of “Schindler’s List” and “Munich”, withdrew as an artistic adviser to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The withdrawal is in direct response to China’s financial support, weapons trade, and inaction with respect to its dependent ally, Sudan, and the latter’s (latent) sponsorship of continuing attacks and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington responded to the snub with a statement: “As the Darfur issue is neither an internal issue of China nor is it caused by China, it is completely unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair to link the two as one.”
Even on its mainland, China is not known for its care for Human Rights, even of its own citizens. Indeed, an addendum to the Herald Tribune article, informs the reader that Yang Chunlin, a Chinese Human Rights advocate will stand trial for subversion, following a statement he made publicly.
Spielberg’s action has possibility for a dual importance. Politically, as Johann Hari in “The Independent” wrote, that while China keeps their people behind “the Great Firewall of China”, such a snub from one of the greatest film directors in history may help start a domino effect of people speaking out against this holocaust, as opposed to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and could give a push for corporate sponsors to launch an economic boycott of the Games.
But my liberal visceral reaction still was to read the Chinese Embassy’s word at face value. The parallel (at least regarding the ongoing genocide) is lacking. Should China’s lack of economic sanctions place them in the same boat as Sudan? Again, we must remember that Spielberg’s action was not aimed towards the lack of Human Rights in China. It was regarding Darfur.
Whether China is correct or not in their self-assessment, here, I believe that Spielberg made a bigger impact. Spielberg wanted to show, like his hero Oskar Schindler, that inaction is evil. He didn’t just choose to be idle, and simply refrain from partaking in the planning of the Olympic Games. He decided to take a proactive role and dedicate his time and energies to “[try] to end the ‘unspeakable crimes against humanity’ in Darfur”.
Hopefully, President Hu Jintao will go to his local Blockbuster and learn from Spielberg’s lessons. While, admittedly, China has been making a show of attempting to broach the topic with Sudan of late, it is not enough. Perhaps, the Chinese president will learn from PM Golda Meir’s initiative in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics and see that the way to wipe out terror is to use Eric Bana.
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3 Comments currently posted. 
Zechariah Mehler says:
Dave Weinberg says:
Spielberg is a good guy. Good for him on taking the initiate, I hope more big names follow. I love the Olympics, but I am sickened by what is still going on in Darfur.
Jewneric » Japan and Israel, Strikingly Logical Bedfellows. says:
[...] the weeks following Spielberg’s snubbing of China on humanitarian grounds, and the Israeli Knesset’s recent decision regarding Asian Chefs in [...]
I am really proud that Spielberg’s doing this. It really upset me that an event based on international unity is being held in a country that is so rotten to its own people.