Americans’ Beijing Love Affair
According to Variety, “Coverage of the Summer Olympics from Beijing helped NBC run circles around its competish last week, delivering what appears to be the most decisive weekly victory on record for any net.” And why are audiences proving so bullish on the games? 1) Michael Phelps (pictured); 2) it’s a break from Obama-McCain; and 3) it’s a break from relentlessly bad economic news. The idea that Americans might be put off the Beijing goings-on because of China’s record in Tibet, Darfur, and human rights in general has proved, alas, to be a non-starter. I hate to say it about the United States, but the fact is that any country that has allowed — and continues to allow — the war criminals at the top of its government to go unaccountable isn’t really going to give a damn when another non-Islamic country is also corrupt morally.
