Spielberg Blinks: Re-Thinks Links with ….um…Chinese

Kudos to the one of the greatest directors of our time Steven Spielberg for ending his involvement as an artistic adviser for the Beijing Olympics and narrowly avoiding becoming the 21st century Leni Riefenstahl.

The film director made the decision Tuesday, after actress Mia Farrow and several humanitarian groups shamed him for working with the games’ Chinese organizers. Farrow’s grudge against the Chinese was the country’s close relationship with Sudan, where thousands have been killed and millions displaced in the Darfur region. China buys two-thirds of Sudan’s oil exports. In turn, China sells weapons to the Sudanese government.

Hey, if only Mia could’ve shamed Woody Allen a little bit the world would be a much better place.

But take away Darfur and China’s government is still such an abomination to human rights, the thought of an American director whoring himself out to put a nice sheen on the facade of that house of horrors is just reprehensible.

Spielberg had already sent a letter urging President Hu Jintao to use China’s influence during the Olympics to help the situation in Darfur. You can only guess where that was filed.

I’m glad Spielberg did this. He’s moved up a little bit in my estimation. I do wish, however, he was a little more concerned with the brutality of the Chinese government to its own people including forced abortions and torturing religious prisoners but hey, we’ll take what we can get.