I lived through the Cold War. Well, a few months of it at least. The Berlin Wall came down eight months before I was born, and the Commonwealth of Independent States formed a year and a half after.
Needless to say, I have little memory of the days when the Soviet Union was our main enemy. I grew up without any predispositions to whom Russians were or what they stood for. To me and my generation, they were always a vast, somewhat unstable yet rebuilding country.
It seems like the tides are changing. For a while now, Russia, China, and Iran were three international players on the fence of friend or foe, part of an Axis of Uncertainty, if you will. Each has curiously peeked across the line into “definitely an enemy” territory, but none have yet joined North Korea on the other side.
It’s not enough that Russian President Vladimir Putin has the egomania and demeanor characteristic of a Bond villain – his country is proving adept at provoking the U.S. of late.
First, he granted asylum to fugitive Edward Snowden. Snowden is, of course, wanted by the U.S. for leaking documents pertaining to a spying program by the National Security Agency. The whole cat-and-mouse game between Putin, Snowden, and President Obama was fascinating to watch. When you step back and consider it, the whole situation really is playing out like a best-selling crime novel.
The Snowden affair is more a nuisance to the U.S. government than its people. What’s gotten American citizens upset lately are new laws against “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” signed by Putin this June.
Under the law, Russians will be fined for engaging in positive “propaganda” of sexual orientations other than heterosexuality. These laws also allow for foreign travelers to Russia to be arrested and detained for up to two weeks.
The outrage has called for everything from a ban on Russian vodka at bars to a potential boycott by the U.S. of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Boycotting the games would be a strong message to Russia that the U.S. – and any other countries that choose to withhold – do not support such human rights violations or restrictions on free speech. It certainly could hurt Russia’s profits should America withdraw its star athletes from the events.
This controversy, of course, comes with the chance for the U.S. to take a look in the mirror. We are far from the tyrannical laws put in place by Putin, but the U.S. still has room for improvement on gay rights. Though laws have been rapidly changing across the country, ours is still a nation in which just 13 states recognize same-sex marriage as legal. Same-sex marriage is banned by constitutional amendment or state law in 35 states, including Illinois.
I believe boycotting is more a slap on the wrist to Russia than anything else. Let’s play ball in Sochi – or curling stone? – and let these laws be handled in the political rink.
We can still protest these laws while cheering on our divers and bobsledders. The Olympics Games are a centuries-old tradition that have outlasted fearful regimes based on hate and prejudice.
So next winter, let’s send our best athletes over to Sochi. Our white, black, straight, and gay ones.
Let’s not boycott the Olympics. Let’s show that great athletes – just like great doctors, teachers, or soldiers, come in all colors and sexual orientations. Let’s show what achievements can come from a diverse, inclusive society.
Then, let’s get closer to being that type of society at home.
