While some have speculated that the United Sates and other western countries might boycott the 2008 summer Olympics in light of the recent human rights abuses in Tibet, this appears to no longer be the case. Chinese Olympic organizers recently announced their bold decision to transport five hundred giant pandas to the Olympic stadium in Beijing. They will also be wheeling the cuddly creatures around in shopping carts.
An anonymously quoted official said yesterday “While we have our reservations about China's recent human rights record, five hundred pandas in shopping carts is too much to resist. The beating and killing of rioters is one thing, but the cuteness factor here just totally overrules that.” Experts have agreed saying, “History has shown us that Americans favor animal cuteness above all other concerns.”
They cite the recent viral video of a puppy being thrown off a cliff by an American soldier. “While this is obviously an atrocious act, if it is indeed a real video, the numerous accidental deaths of Iraqi children and civilians can never hope to gain this kind of public attention.” Harvard sociologist Mark Buchard had the final word: “A nameless Tibetan is one thing, a panda in a shopping cart is quite another.” It looks like China has decisively insured that the 2008 Olympics will be a resounding international success.
