Nobody cares about Tibet. Do you?

Are you interested in Tibet?

  • Well yes

    Votes: 30 50.8%

  • No, because it's the shortest answer

    Votes: 20 33.9%

  • Radioactive monkeys aren't buddhist

    Votes: 9 15.3%
  • Total voters
    59
  • Poll closed .
WS78

WS78

Chill moan!
Joined
May 23, 2004
Messages
756
Location
Arendheim
Considering that this is highly political and it will attract many trollers/flamers and nationalist propaganda, the following thing are restricted:
- This topic is not pro/con-China
- I am not pro/con-China
- You may neither condemn the PRC or the Dalai Lama
- You may not place blame on individuals

During the course of my life I've come across hints about Tibet. First time I was made aware, was when I came across a poster on a wall in Rotterdam. Following with newspaper articles and interviews with Tibetan refugees. Lately, there is a Dutch organisation starting an initiative called "Project Aware". Which is aimed at the general public.
In the past their calls for attention hit upon a deaf ear, not only in Holland but elsewhere too. Everybody agrees that there must be some action but no one takes the initiative.
Being Chinese (but born and raised in Holland) I have conflicted views of the Tibetan "occupation". I am also aware that it is useless to discuss Tibet with any native Chinese.
I think Tibet has it's own cultural heritage. I also acknowledge that there is violence against Tibetan political factions and individuals. I cannot demonize the RPC but I don't agree with their policy.
 
Phew, that's two down....
 
nope don't care at all in fact I had to go to google to see which part of china it is. I'm generally anti-prc though and they don't exactly have the best record when it comes to human rights either.
 
On a sidenote, what action would result in China loosening it's grip on the native population of Tibet? Give it some autonomy? Right to self-government like Scotland?
 
Apparently the PRC is also sponsoring a Communist rebel militia/rebellion in Nepal - perhaps they're not, but the rebellion is still Communist ideology - PRC is logical even if we don't beleive Nepalese government claims.

First Tibet, then Nepal?

Taiwan depends on how much support from Japan and USA.

Then I suppose it's Bhutan and the 'istans and Mongolia.

Hurrah! :rolleyes: Peaceful PRC

In short: I care.
 
Wait... we're talking about the occupation of Tibet but we're not allowed to talk about the Dalai Lama or PRC? How are we going to have a discussion?
 
Brad Pitt spent 7 years in Tibet, he cares.
The chosen one is from Tibet, he cares.
There is a Chinese guy in Berkeley called the "happy, happy man" who shouts racial slurs at the dalai lama and at hu jin tao.
 
State your opinion without flaming. It does not make the mods happy at all. I will not have this thread closed so soon. It's too important for me. You may disagree with policies, propaganda, rebel sentiment or whatever but no flaming!
It is possible to discuss this without demonizing the PRC or the Dalai Lama.
 
WS78 said:
State your opinion without flaming. It does not make the mods happy at all. I will not have this thread closed so soon. It's too important for me. You may disagree with policies, propaganda, rebel sentiment or whatever but no flaming!
It is possible to discuss this without demonizing the PRC or the Dalai Lama.
Click to expand...

:hmm: PRC's long history of thought control policy, human rights abuses, and continuing Imperialistic/abusive tendency.

Now that sounds like stating facts to me, unfortunately, and accurately, it's demonizing too, no?
 
The "Happy, happy man" is a seventy year old man with a straw hat that stands on two boxes and shouts. People take pictures of him as he pass by. He also carries with him pictures or articles of events that happen between China and Tibet.

------
I don't really think that China really cares much about actually owning the territory that is Tibet. The reason they are so strong about it is there are many cities on the border that may want independence, and giving in to one may make keeping the other more difficult. That's why China is so agressive with places like Tibet and Taiwan.
Edit: Oh yea, don't forget Hong Kong, Macao, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand and parts of Russia.
 
WS78 said:
Considering that this is highly political and it will attract many trollers/flamers and nationalist propaganda, the following thing are restricted:
- This topic is not pro/con-China
- I am not pro/con-China
- You may neither condemn the PRC or the Dalai Lama
- You may not place blame on individuals
Click to expand...

I will try to adhere to these rules, but I consider them quite restrictive :)
But the topic is interesting.

During the course of my life I've come across hints about Tibet. First time I was made aware, was when I came across a poster on a wall in Rotterdam. Following with newspaper articles and interviews with Tibetan refugees. Lately, there is a Dutch organisation starting an initiative called "Project Aware". Which is aimed at the general public.
In the past their calls for attention hit upon a deaf ear, not only in Holland but elsewhere too. Everybody agrees that there must be some action but no one takes the initiative.
Click to expand...

Tibet is far away from the Western world and there are no economical interests for the Western world. Therefore people will not care about the things which happen there. Furthermore China is a very fast developing country, and it can become economically interesting very soon (if it isn't already). So politicians and companies prefer to close their eyes for the situation in Tibet. They will not react with harshly comments.

Being Chinese (but born and raised in Holland) I have conflicted views of the Tibetan "occupation". I am also aware that it is useless to discuss Tibet with any native Chinese.
I think Tibet has it's own cultural heritage. I also acknowledge that there is violence against Tibetan political factions and individuals. I cannot demonize the RPC but I don't agree with their policy.
Click to expand...

I don't like the occupation of Tibet by China. Tibet was AFAIK independent in recent history, so I consider the occupation a violation of international law.

But I like to know why you have conflicting views of this occupation. Why do you think it's valid or legal ?

And IMO the violations of human rights of the Tibetans by the Chinese are not acceptable. That doesn't mean I demonize China, but IMO I'm only giving facts here. But maybe you disagree on this point ?
 
Well, that explains all the "Free Tibet" bumper-stickers I see on cars. :(

I care about Tibet, but as idealist as I might be in domestic politics, I am a realpolitik fan beyond the borders. The US and Europe really have no leverage on China, and empty words are worth less than the paper they're written on. If we can't get China to help us with North Korea, what makes you think we can push the Chinese on an issue that has us on the opposite side?

Besides, the Chinese would probably push back on our relationship with/support of Taiwan, and giving up one country in place of unenforceable promises on another is not my style of negotiating.
 
I find the assumption that "nobody cares about Tibet" very odd.

It gets a whole lot of attention in the West, particularly sympathetic towards the Tibetan (the Dalai Lama's) point of view. The Palestinian issue might get more coverage in the wider sense, but not at all as positive, as the big news about it almost always involve Palestinians being portrayed as killers. Same applies to the Basques and Kurds. Others don't get any wider coverage at all.

So basically Tibet is the only roughly comparable issue that gets almost exclusively positive coverage in the West (the whole "Free Tibet" thing, concerts and all). Which is of course hardly surprising, given that it is the only case in which the West isn't allied with the "occupiers".

But for me personally that doesn't make it more, but instead less of a concern. I think you should first care about what you do wrong yourself, then about your friends, and last about others.

In other words, we should try to solve the problems that are closer to ourselves and, which is the point, more the results of our actions, before we start patronizing the Chinese.
 
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