Archive
08/11/08 - (1)
The Olympic Spirit I'd like to think that, by now, I've grown remorsefully tired Of being told, by the worldwide media, About the glaring disparity Between China's deplorable human-rights record And the stellar spectacle of its gleaming Olympic facade.
But in truth, this Beijing enterprise has done much To make me burrow deep into my inner being, In search of a way to mediate, reconcile my misgivings. I confess, seeing such stunning civic progress Gives me cause for dubiety, apprehension,
Disillusion about the sincerity of my society's values, Its sacrosanct cornerstone of democracy: Respect for a person's unique entitlement to be free. Oh, that we talk a good game is a given; We're the first to boast, with jingoistic machismo, our virtues.
But God knows, even if we don't (because we don't want to), That we're hard of listening, Refuse to recognize that hypocrisy takes the gold, in America, At all levels of politics, religion, commerce, Individual morality and ethics,
And the motto on our not-so-almighty dollar bill Doesn't read "In God We Trust" But "Do What We Say, Not What We Do." Certainly, everyone knows that repression of liberty Stifles human enlightenment and the pursuit of happiness. And yet, totalitarian regimes seem to keep society orderly, Stymie people's predisposition toward gaming the system. Maybe it's just my naiveté getting in the way. How many displaced people, how much corruption, did it take, For Beijing to light the torch of the Olympic spirit?
08/11/08 - (1)
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