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Originally from a French newspaper and found at Friends of Tibet.
Others have the words I cannot express about the horrors in Tibet, especially with China preparing for the Olympics. Here are a few places to visit. I'm sure there are more.
FranIAm
Mad Priest
Quaker Dave
Ageless Hippie Chick
And watch this--it only takes a minute.
8 comments:
thanks for the link!
you can also search my other blog, Linda's Yoga Journey, for more info on Tibet....
shanti!
One thing you have to take into account when thinking about China, though, is China's perspective. Particularly from Western nations, China gets the shaft with pundits and politicians and celebrities on one side exclaiming, "Look at these human rights abuses!" and those on the other side talking about the threat that is the rising China. So either way you look at it, China's not too popular in the foreign media, especially the US media.
I'm not trying to justify or excuse all of the human rights abuses and atrocities that happen in China. That video didn't even mention China's policy of repatriating North Koreans to the DPRK, where they face prison, torture or death.
What one does need to understand, particularly those who know little about China, is that there is a method to China's "madness." First, is a Chinese concept called zhonghua minzu, which was coined in 1903. In 1903, China wasn't in the greatest position. It was being systematically ripped apart by Western powers eager for colonies, Japan was hanging out to the East drooling over Manchuria, and China was losing the philosophical place it had held for centuries as the "Middle Kingdom." Overnight, China and Chinese thought and philosophy became backwards, antiquated and uncivilized, and even Koreans were trying to distance themselves from such yokels. So the term zhonghua minzu, which essentially translates as the "Chinese race," was coined as an attempt to promote Chinese nationalism and unity in a time when there was very little.
This nationalistic term is still commonly utilized and has been co-opted since then and is used to refer to the 56 "nationalities" within the borders of the country. This is why most Chinese agree that Taiwan is part of China, as is Tibet. That tells us why China considers Tibet to be part of their country - whether or not we agree, but the reason China responded with "cynical indifference" to the horrors in Darfur, as that video mentioned has to do with something else.
Sovereignty. China is obsessed with the idea of sovereignty - this is another reason why they claim Tibet. But this is also the reason why China vehemently opposed the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, why China does not raise a finger in protest at the genocide in Darfur, why China does not tell North Korea to stop imprisoning, torturing and starving its people, and this is also why China thinks no one else should be telling China what to do or not to do with its people. China feels very strongly that what a sovereign nation does within its own borders is that nation's right and no one else's business. Thus, it refrains from criticizing the domestic issues of other countries and expects other countries to do the same. When they don't, it's an effrontery.
I'm not trying to justify or excuse the behavior of the Chinese government with respect to Darfur, Tibet, North Korea, or elsewhere. It makes me incredibly sad, and that's not even taking into account the marginalization of China's own rural population as Chinese cities continue to modernize and the rich get richer while the poor get... well, you know how that goes, poorer. I agree that Tibet should be "free," but I'm concerned that the news of the protests there will result in worldwide condemnation of China by a lot of people who know nothing about China. Maybe that's good because just before the Olympics is one of the few times that all eyes are constantly on China. You can bet that if the protests continue after the Olympics, the news coverage won't be nearly so comprehensive.
We do need to face the facts, however. China is never going to "free" Tibet. Never. They consider Tibet to be part of China, they have a solid "assimilation" policy, and they consistently interfere in Tibetan politics. We will see the unification of the two Koreas before we will see a free Tibet. Which could be never. And the Chinese? They'll just keep repressing Tibet for as long as they need to. So maybe right now is the world's only chance to show China how they feel about its bullying. I don't know that it'll make much difference, however.
The only way China would adopt a conciliatory approach to its policies in Tibet is if other countries and international investors started pulling out of the Chinese economy. If they said, "You don't respect human rights? Fine, we'll take our business elsewhere." That might make the Chinese government reconsider. But let's be honest. At the end of the day, all any government or company really cares about is money. So they're not going to pull their investments out of China because they don't want to lose money, regardless of how bad the atrocities in Tibet might be. They'll just make a half-hearted public condemnation of China while making deals with them in the back room.
So if you really want to make a difference about Tibet? Do more than protest in the streets or on a blog. Write to your local representative and to your senators, and tell them you want the US to stop investing in China. That won't work, but at least they'll know how you feel. Tell them you want more than a Congressional statement condemning the violence in Tibet. Whoopee. That did a lot of good in North Korea, too.
But also, find out what countries are investing the most in China. Write to them and tell them they should get out. Write to Google, Yahoo, Starbucks, McDonalds, and everyone else who's looking to redefine the meaning of the word "profit" by investing in China, and tell them to leave until China cleans up its human rights act.
That won't work, either. But it's worth more and will have more of an impact - however insignificant - than a YouTube video made by a group with a plainly stated bias against China and reposted on a blog. (No offense, it was a good video!)
Hi Jan! A good book on the subject is call Fire Under the Snow by Palden Gyatso. It's the story of a Tibetan Monk under Chinese inprisonment. Not for the faint of heart though...
So sad ... and I really appreciate the insights infinity squared shared ... too often we don't "walk the talk" How many items "made in China" are in my house, I wonder .. I'm gonna be more intentional about that from now on.
Thanks for this post, Jan.
IS/Salt, thanks for your knowledge and thoughts. You have much more knowledge of Asia, especially in this case China, than I do. The harsh reality of China's view of sovereignty gives me more understanding, but also more grief at the reality of the situation.
I've been thinking of this a lot today; I see how Tibet and Tibetans are being obliterated and assimilated, which is what has happened throughout time with conquering countries. It is sad to be watching this, as in other countries.
Your suggestions are practical. Economics rule the powers of the world. China could own the USA someday.
I doubt that will happen, either. But China is the lender for enough of the USA's debts that if they ever told us to repay them, they could single-handedly cripple our economy. That probably won't happen, but that's just another reason why the State Department is treading so lightly with respect to this situation.
Thanks for sharing this thought provoking post.
Hadn't seen this before: thanks.
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