Fancy Store-Bought Dirt

Let's Be Very Careful About How We Use the Word "Boycott"

Reason's bog, of all sites, posts an approving link to a this Washington Post op-ed.

There's potentially slippery slope: You already know full well that I don't intend to pay any attention to the 2008 games (unless they're moved out of the PRC) and might actually choose to avoid Olympic sponsors (depending on how much of a pain that would be to pull off).

But please, don't use the word "boycott." In this realm, "boycott" is what Jimmy Carter forced U.S. athletes to do in 1980 (and the Soviets forced their athletes to do in 1984).

Don't even think about preventing athletes from attending. THEY'VE TRAINED FOUR #&@(& YEARS for this. (It may not but just about the competitors, but it is about them at least in part.)

All that said, I'm quite gratified that people recognize the monstrosity coming out of Beijing. A few days ago I called them "totalitarian clowns," and I'll stick with that epithet.