Ann Dominique Morin has earned a bursary of $500 for her essay “Hosting the Olympic Games – A Privilege Accompanied by Obligations”, which illustrates her commitment to human rights. Ann Dominique Morin is working towards her Master’s in International Law at the Université de Montréal.
Two essays received honourable mention from the jury. “The Olympics and Human Rights” written by Bethany Deshpande, a student at York University’s Glendon College, was a favourite of the jury’s. “The Moral Pole Vault” by Srinivas Murthy of Boston, Massachusetts, was honoured for its editorial style.
By Srinivas Murthy
Honourable mention
While any transnational gathering of media, for whatever purpose, will inevitably devolve into political commentary, the tone of the recent Olympic coverage on China’s human rights record approaches jingoistic proportions. While acknowledging that China has a significant distance to travel before it can be considered to be a human rights state equal with other leading powers, it is disappointing to see the large Western democracies sanctimoniously deplore their record. The current global stature of the Western powers has been built almost entirely on the backs of both domestic and international human rights violations, and China is simply following their well-blazed path. The similarities are both striking and far-reaching. The suppression of information access echoes the early 20th century British state censorship of the media to ensure popular support of colonial policies, especially in India. The jailing of innocents without a fair trial has dozens of examples across the 20th century Western world, from communist witch-hunting to the current Guantanamo Bay debacle. China’s neo-colonial agreement with the DRC is humane compared with Belgium’s exploitation of the same region. The resources China gains from dealing with genocidal Sudanese leaders has its precedent in America’s cold-war era support of any despot willing to stand up against socialist influences and sell its commodities at low prices. Arguments that the modern age makes these indiscretions more visible on the global stage do not negate the existence or importance of past abuses. An empire in transition is a dangerous beast for the entire planet, and has been that way since the beginning of history. There is no way that China’s current behaviour should be condoned; however, without placing it in the context of prior violations performed by the nations of the accusers, we are merely repeating history without learning from it. Leaping onto a higher moral plane without acknowledging the past serves no purpose besides fostering the self-righteousness so rife in modern discourse.
