"While Hollywood was quick to claim credit for China's apparent change of tack on Darfur, I think we should remember that signs of change were visible before the so-called 'Genocide Olympics Campaign' started in earnest," said Large. "So I think we should set these issues in context and we should be wary of having a short time frame in praising progress or success or failure."Large is from the Small Arms Survey, an excellent Geneva-based research outfit which I've had the pleasure of speaking with before and which may be frustrated that the news out of Darfur isn't smarter or more plentiful. All of which would be understandable.
But. I don't know who this "Hollywood" Large speaks of is, but he doesn't need to worry. No one of note is ever going to allow "Hollywood" to claim credit for anything in the international arena, certainly not for the minimal moves toward opposing genocide that China has made in the past few months.
In all likelihood, the genocide will keep right on going, the Olympics will go off without a hitch, and no one at the Small Arms Survey or in the stable of talent at MGM will have reason to wear any "We Stopped the Genocide" party hats.
But if he's trying to get noticed by the media, Large has a decent strategy.
I mean, the Cavs' Ira Newble can light flames of protest in Chad with Mia Farrow all he wants. Unless he disses Farrow publicly and hysterically, calling her a limousine liberal who does more harm than good, I doubt any American talking heads are going to invite him on the air to talk about what he's seen.
Or unless he calls out teammate LeBron on those Mandarin lessons. You know he's got to be weighing that option while he's touring Chad and Rwanda.
