I’d like to hear some rational reasons to boycott the Olympics, instead of the knee-jerk “we don’t like Russian moral values so we are going to pout”.
Like it or not, Russia’s population has values and beliefs which differ from those in Europe and parts of the US. We may see them is illiberal and inhumane, but the fact is that some hundreds of millions of people in Russia think that way.
It would be the height of arrogance, to say nothing of insultingly disrespectful, to force liberal values on a country that clearly has chosen not to embrace them. That is social imperialism at its worst. It paints the West, and by extension, the US and its population, as a group that goes out of its way to force its will on other countries’ beliefs.
If individuals want to not participate at Sochi, that’s their individual prerogative. But for the US (or other countries) to pull out is rude and poor. Not just for the athletes, but also for the principle that when you are a guest in someone’s home (or country), you should politely act as a guest.
If there was a time to consider boycotting, it was 10 years ago when Sochi was chosen. Not the year before.
Remember that not everyone shares liberal values – maybe they should – but for us to impose our values on another population is simply wrong.