Storm in a Soup Bowl?
It seems little less than self-obsessed. Steven Speilberg has withdrawn from his (obscure) role as “artistic advisor” to Beijing 2008. Apparently, he has suddenly realised that China is evil.
The move seems cheap simply because of its timing. I would probably make it clear to any oppressive state offering me a job that I would make public my opposition to its oppression, and then would make my position clear to the world’s media. Speilberg seems not to have done so, but bottled up his opposition to the Chinese machine until, it seems, he felt unable to continue in his role. I wonder which straw broke his back. Was it China’s involvement in Sudan (very present before he took the job in 2006), their appalling human rights record (again, not new), the apparent ban on athletes speaking out (irrelevant to a man who has effectively boycotted the event by resigning) or was his move part of a wider plan for media attention towards China’s record?
If the Chinese authorities had hoped that could hold the biggest single global event the world has ever seen without any of the worldwide envoys mentioning the fact they are evil, they were very sadly mistaken. Such naivety is not really fitting for such an oppressive regime. Moreover, if filmmaker Speilberg thinks he can rattle the Chinese state by leaving town, he is more naive still.
I cannot help but think that this story is a storm in a tea-cup. I sincerely hope that is is a taste of what is to come - a public showdown in favour of democracy with the world’s eye focused squarely on Beijing in the Summer. In the meantime, Speilberg’s sudden U-turn seems just a little bit cynical.