‘Where Are Our Oppressors At?’
Filed under: Asia, China, Tibet — Michael van der Galien on March 24, 2008 @ 4:34 pm CET
That’s what Tibetans must have thought when they started protesting this March 14th. It seems that during the critical first day of the protests, Chinese riot police were nowhere to be found. They fled the scene “after an initial skirmish,” this even though some Chinese shopkeepers “begged for protection.”
“The whole day I didn’t see a single police officer or soldier. The Tibetans were just running free.,” an American woman who “spent hours navigating the riot scene” said.
Isn’t that something? Those Tibetans, who have been oppressed for 50+ years were walking around freely. My, my, how things have changed.
Anyway, the New York Times isn’t exactly positive about the Tibetans, it seems. The article seems to be quite sympathetic towards ethnic Han Chinese who were ‘victimized’ by angry Tibetans the last week or two. The American newspapers talks about the resistance as “violence” which surprised those innocent Chinese living in Tibet, “plundering,” “rioting,” and so on. As all of you will know by now, Tibetans started protesting and plundering and destroying some shops owned by ethnic Chinese, out of anger of the occupation of their country.
One would almost feel sorry for the Chinese living in Tibet.
Almost, but not quite.
The reality of the matter is that these Chinese don’t belong in Tibet. They went there after their country invaded, killed approximately 1,000 000 Tibetans, burnt down Buddhist temples, destroyed Tibetan culture (or tried to do so), and degraded Tibetans to second class citizens.
When Tibetans, then, decide that enough is enough, one shouldn’t call it “rioting”: it’s called resistance. And no, those Chinese civilians living in Tibet aren’t innocent. They’re part of China’s attempt to destroy Tibetan culture. Not only that, but these Han Chinese were all too happy with how their government arranged things: they were first class citizens who exploited the second class citizens, Tibetans.
In other words; one shouldn’t have any sympathy for these people.
Anyway, luckily the Times also spends time and attention to how the Chinese government tries to deal with Tibetan resistance now, after the very first day of the ‘riots’: they’re simply killed.
1 Wei Zhang
March 25, 2008 @ 3:16 am CETWhen you dirty Dutch colonized and exploited Southeast Asia, I supposed you would also agree they deserved to be killed in legitimate resistance? I would call on all the Native Americans, aborigines in Australia, and Iraqis under occupation to kill and burn your oppressors, according to the author, it is legitimate resistance.
2 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 3:25 am CETI’m glad this event is changing public perception in China itself, where it actually matters. The previous policy of accommodating Tibetans have failed, now China must emulate the United States and other former imperialist powers in Australia, Canada, etc. It’s time to sinicize Tibet completely, and to destroy anymore attempts at this futile drive toward independence. Time to put the Tibetans on their own Trail of Tears, so they can live much like Native Americans in the United States, on reservations and scattered, maybe China should give them casino rights…the United States always served as a great model for the world, this is no different. Tibetan culture should be preserved, in a museum.
3 Grey Fox
March 25, 2008 @ 4:13 am CETDear Han Guang, who the fell are you exactly??? I understand that over the internet, people cannot see the faces and true identities of the posters. Which gives dirty little players like you the perfect opportunity to Demonize and De-humanize us with Black-Propaganda.
4 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 4:32 am CETGrey Fox, don’t worry about me, read some domestic Chinese media and blogs and forums. The fact is that it’s time to crush these Tibetans once and for all, American Style! It doesn’t matter who I am, I’m in the U.S. and can’t do anything but observe, I just hope China can learn from history and recent events in Kosovo, etc…don’t give any openings in the future….
5 Alex
March 25, 2008 @ 4:34 am CETIt’s likely that this would not have happened if the PRC government had had more of an ear towards the Tibetans. After decades of Beijing turning a deaf ear to the plight and appeals of the Tibetans, it’s not hard to fathom if Tibetan frustration finally boiled over and burst the pipes. Who’s really to blame for this?
The lesson is, free speech and political freedom does not weaken a country. Rather, it strengthens it because the citizenry will have channels available to them for airing their displeasure and views.
6 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 4:54 am CETIt would never have happened if the Han population was armed like the Israelis and shot these rioters like the wild dogs they are. At the very minimum, there should be a militia group modeled after the Xinjiang Construction and Production Corp; these Tibetans got off easy this time, next time let’s see them try to riot with a prepared Han defense group.
7 davies
March 25, 2008 @ 5:02 am CETlet’s be frank. what would you have done if you were in the place of the Tibetans? Or if China were in the place of Tibet today? wouldn’t you be calling for armed resistance, too, against "oppressors of the Chinese?" hypocrites.
8 Name Removed
March 25, 2008 @ 5:09 am CET[admin] no obscenities.
"The reality of the matter is that these Chinese don’t belong in Tibet. They went there after their country invaded, killed approximately 1,000 000 Tibetans, burnt down Buddhist temples, destroyed Tibetan culture (or tried to do so), and degraded Tibetans to second class citizens."
you white people don’t belong in Austrialia, United States and Canada for your murderous genocide against aboriginals.
9 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 5:26 am CETTo those Tibetans who want to bring armed resistance, I say bring it on…the better you accelerate the process whereby you are crushed and Tibet fully sinicized. Go ahead and get yourself listed as a terrorist group, the better China can puruse its objectives.
10 Gong My balls
March 25, 2008 @ 5:40 am CET[admin] comment edited to remove insults
Hey Guang, are you really comfortable behind that computer saying things like ‘Bring it on.’ and stuff when you obviously know you pee your pants everytime you see a Red communist soldier? Your misplaced notion of patriotism and demonization of Tibetans is exactly the product that the Chinese pinhole media has been waiting for.
Look at it this way, now that the chinese spy-fueled riots have deemed it necessary for military personnel to take over (fight sticks and stones with assault rifles?), they have achieved their goal of placing tibet under martial law with immense army present, blockage of foreigners(possible activists) thus clearly defeating any chances of protest when the blood-ridden torch goes over Mount Everest in Tibet.
11 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 6:38 am CETI am very comfortable, why do you ask? I would pee in my pants laughing if a Tibetan rioter tried it again next time when the Han Chinese are armed and ready.
I’m not in China and not influenced by the Chinese media, I draw my own conclusions from the likes of Canadian bloggers who were in Tibet at the time, and from NYTimes and WSJ articles just earlier this morning. But trust me, my opinions reflect the opinions of Chinese society at this moment.
Chinese spy fueled riots? You must be a political and strategic genius, China would incite the exact sequence of events that is causing huge headaches just when it doesn’t need it? Hmmm, must be a conspiracy within the CPP to cancel the Olympic games so that Beijing wouldn’t be as crowded in August? You must be one of those morons who liked to believe 9/11 was an American orchestrated event, eh? If China wants to place Tibet in a lockdown, they can do it anytime they want, with or without a riot by Tibetans howling like wolves.
Look at this way, now that the Tibetan rioters have shown their true face to the rest of China, you can expect no amount of Western pressure or from Richard Gere or whoever can sway the negative opinions held by the overwhelming Chinese against the Dalai Lama and Tibetans. Watch and learn how sinicization works in the next 10 years, or should I say Westernization, afterall, China is merely transforming Tibet into your image…
12 ZXL
March 25, 2008 @ 8:41 am CET[admin] comment deleted for cussing
13 Claudia
March 25, 2008 @ 10:08 am CETA reminder: Poligazette does not ordinarily tolerate cussing, personal insults or threats. Any comment violating these rules will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Personally I think that eagerly awaiting the chance to commit genocide on a people is a lot more disgusting than your average cuss word, but sadly it’s not against our comment policy.
14 Interested
March 25, 2008 @ 10:15 am CETglad you came on Claudia, I’ve been sitting here on night shift watching it.
15 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 3:16 pm CETGenocide, oh let’s not use that term, afterall, genocide is something you Europeans invented and I remember the Dutch and other Europeans eargerly collaborated with the Nazi regime in deporting Jews to the concentration camps. Genocide should be used in the context of murdering Native Americans in both North and South America when Europeans settled there.
Genocide is too harsh of a word, let’s call it something else, how about Manifest Destiny, Civilizing Mission, or whatever other term you hypocrites invented when you wiped out an inconvenient group of people in the way? Now you protest about human rights, but only after it’s convenient for you to do so. Don’t worry, I’m sure China will be a strong advocate of human rights in the future, after the job is completed and it becomes convenient to do so…
16 Claudia
March 25, 2008 @ 4:18 pm CETHan your passive-aggresive comments are completely lost on this thread. They are because you’re not going to find anyone here that tries to justify the opression and mass murder of Native Americans. It was a reprehensible act, just as salivating at the thought of the same thing happening to Tibetans is disgusting in the extreme. Thanks though for recognizing that what the Chinese are doing to Tibet is no different from the brutal and cruel conquest of the colonies.
17 Tenor
March 25, 2008 @ 6:09 pm CETNothing angers me more when I see western liberal’s preach about keeping Tibet ‘pure’, when they don’t even know the difference between a Pagoda and a Mosque.
I don’t mind seeing Tibetan’s protest, but when I see some foreigner waving FREE TIBET banners and making a fool of him/herself I just cringe- the way I see it, they want to Demonize China for becoming modern and progressive as this does not fit into their preconcieved notions of ‘Asia’, in their jurisdiction, we should all apparently be wearing straw hats and using rickshaws as transport and any attempts for us to to ‘appear’ to equal the ’superior’ west should be looked upon with ridicule or disgust.
The pro-independance movement (for westerners) is a way for Liberal’s to shed a favourable light on themselves and to advertise their agendas, they don’t have a clue nor do they care about the ‘innocent mysterious monk people’ of Tibet, they slander China whilst sitting in their SUV’s in SoCal sipping their 7-11 big gulp.
Also, they sad thing is- When foreign protesters enter China waving their pro-independant Tibet flags in Beijing; then get arrested- they are surprised! "Why arrest me? I am a Westerner! I preach freedom and ‘democracy’ towards a subject I hardly know about- most likely about some poor farmers - then I get into my taxi to the airport then take a plane home!".
‘FREE TIBET!’ can be translated as, ‘LOOK MOM! I’M ON TV!’
To the Dutch ‘Person’- the European’s are the worst oppressors in human history: Slavery, Colonisation, Imperalism- unless all Europeans descendants from Canada, USA, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand…..GTFO…..you may have a shot at a coherant argument.
18 Claudia
March 25, 2008 @ 6:19 pm CETErmmm yeah, that’s it! Brutal supression of human rights isn’t our problem with China, it’s that we’re uncomfortable thinking of an Asian country that is modern! Which is why of course we have the same opinion of Japan.
Oh wait
Of all the ridiculous arguments… Look, I could maybe appreciate an argument based soley on the idea that many Westerners don’t fully understand Asian politics, and it’s true that many young people take to causes they don’t fully understand. That’s probably correct, though it needn’t mean that what China does to Tibetans (and to it’s own people) isn’t wrong. However, if you’re going to base the argument on "You just hate China ’cause you’re racist!" you aren’t going to have many takers.
19 Tenor
March 25, 2008 @ 6:27 pm CETNo, I am not saying that people hate China due to racism. I am saying people hate China due to ignorance of Asian politics and culture.
If people want to get involved in a movement they should read the history of the reigion first- not blindly pick up any flag and waving it whilst lying in front of cars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtf–UhhnDE
The jist of what I am trying to say is- Westerners try to get into everybodies business (particularly the USA) and they do cause more trouble then they solve. E.g. Africa- the reason for so much tribal warfare nowadays is due to colonialism, areas where the European colonist’s setteled had an imbalance of money, natural resources and other things that broke the equillibrium of that reigion.
Westerners, stay out of other people’s politics! Don’t bite off more than you can chew!
20 Tenor
March 25, 2008 @ 6:38 pm CETOOPS, wrong youtube video-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSQnK5FcKas
21 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 8:45 pm CETPretty funny Pelosi denounced China and talked of a challenge to world conscience, does this woman have any credibility, is her conscience still clean after allowing the Iraq invasion and the subsequent destruction of that country? http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/itsonlyfair/dstar02.html
22 Han Guang
March 25, 2008 @ 8:49 pm CETTenor’s suspicions are actually very well founded…I’ve always suspected myself about the true motives of these Free Tibet idiots, they seem to not care for other independence struggles (Palestine anyone??)…
Tibetophilia won’t set Tibet free
Western pro-Tibet campaigning is driven less by a passion for freedom, than by disgust with modernity - and a view of the Chinese as ‘subhuman’.
Brendan O’Neill
An edited version of this article was first published on Comment is Free on 6 March 2008. ‘Tibet, Tibet!’ With those two words (well, one word repeated), Bjork caused a storm of controversy at her concert in Shanghai last week. The Icelandic warbler has joined a long list of celebrities, commentators and sportsmen who plan to use the platform provided by the Beijing Olympics to protest against China’s occupation of Tibet. If Bjork’s squealing of the T-word is anything to go by, these protests will confirm what lies behind the adoption of the Tibetan cause by many in the West today: not a passion for freedom, but a distaste for modernity. Tibetophilia is driven less by solidarity with Tibetans than by disdain for the old ‘yellow peril’ - the Chinese - who are seen as too modern, too calculating and too materialistic. The people of Tibet, like the people of China itself, should be free to determine their own destinies and affairs. They need democracy and full and unfettered freedom of speech, rather than to be controlled and ‘looked after’ by China’s authoritarian Stalinist regime (1). However, anyone who wants, truly, to see more freedom in both Tibet and China should steer clear of the celebrity-fronted, Prince Charles-endorsed pro-Tibet lobby - for, ironically, this campaign is underpinned by its own deeply patronising, borderline colonialist view of Tibetans as innocent, child-like creatures, and by a desire to preserve Tibet as a pure, green, mystical land for the benefit of wealthy Westerners disillusioned by Western modernity. Pro-Tibet campaigners seem always to be outraged by two things in particular: China’s incessant modernisation of Tibet, and its refusal to allow the Dalai Lama to return and assume his ‘rightful’ position as Tibet’s leader. Currently, pro-Tibet activists are particularly agitated by China’s construction of the Gormo-Lhasa railway, a spectacularly ambitious project that will allow trains to run from the heart of China into Tibet. They claim the railway will damage Tibet’s environment and ‘wipe out Tibetan identity and culture altogether’ (2). They also campaign for China to engage in direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama, currently living in exile in India, and to recognise him as the ‘spiritual leader’ of the Tibetan people (3). These two aspects of pro-Tibet campaigning show what lies behind Tibetophilia. First there is the desire to save Tibet from anything that looks or smells modern: from Chinese jobs, industry, railways. Apparently such things are a threat to Tibetans’ ‘way of life’, which is honourably simple, rustic and rural. This paternalistic defence of natural and childlike Tibet from rampant, industrious China is perfectly captured in a poster made by the British campaign group Free Tibet. It asks ‘Whose side are you on?’, and shows on one side a Chinese official sitting in a train, surrounded by modern weaponry and pumping out grey smog into the environment, and on the other side, wise-faced Tibetans in traditional dress surrounded by their happy, leaping farm animals. (See the poster here (pdf): notice how the Chinese official and his troops have distinctly yellow skin, goofy teeth and slitty eyes, while the Tibetans have either pale or brown skin and wear serene expressions. Even in trendy, PC campaigns, it seems, yellow skin tone is used to denote ‘Bad Easterners’.) The message of the poster is clear: China is modern, and thus wicked, and Tibet must be protected from anything so new-fangled as railways or factories. At the same time, campaigners’ unquestioning support for the Dalai Lama suggests they see Tibetans as an immature people who need a godlike figure to lead them. The Dalai Lama was never elected by anybody; rather, in a process that makes Britain’s House of Lords seem almost modern and democratic (I said almost), he was handpicked by a tiny sect of monks who believed that he represents one of innumerable incarnations of the Buddhist entity Avalokitesvara. Indeed, some writers on Tibet have pointed out that the idolisation of the Dalai Lama by Western activists and officials, and of course by some Tibetans, might actually undermine the development of democracy in Tibet. In her book The Tibetan Independence Movement: Political, Religious and Gandhian Perspectives, Jane Ardley writes: ‘[It] is apparent that it is the Dalai Lama’s role as ultimate spiritual authority that is holding back the political process of democratisation. The assumption that he occupies the correct moral ground from a spiritual perspective means that any challenge to his political authority may be interpreted as anti-religious.’ (4) In elevating the Dalai Lama to the position of unquestionable representative of the Tibetan people, pro-Tibet activists are helping to stifle ‘the opportunity for opposition and the expression of different views’ (5) - the very lifeblood of democracy. Indeed, some Tibetan Buddhist groups that have challenged or questioned the authority of the Dalai Lama have found themselves denounced and suppressed by the Dalai Lama’s people (6). Western activists’ celebration of the Dalai Lama as a ‘saviour’ of Tibet is akin to Britain being under occupation and campaigners around the world hailing Prince Charles, or worse, Dr Rowan Williams, as our true, brave, godlike spokesperson. Tibet has long been the plaything of people disillusioned by the modern world. Since James Hilton wrote Lost Horizon in 1933, in which Tibet was depicted as ‘Shangri-la’, Tibet has been used and abused, turned into an idealised land of goodness and purity by aristocratic and artistic elements in the West who despise the pace of change over here, and who like the idea of a completely natural, archaic, politics-free land ‘over there’. In his 1991 book Sacred Tibet, Philip Rawson wrote: ‘Tibetan culture offers powerful, untarnished and coherent alternatives to Western egotistical lifestyles, our short attention span, our gradually more pointless pursuit of material satisfactions…’ (7) In other words, the driving force behind Tibetophilia today is not political solidarity with the Tibetans, and certainly not any positive argument for full democratic equality for Tibetans, but rather a sense of disgust with Western life. It is a deeply narcissistic project, where ‘the West perceives some lack within itself’ and seeks to find fulfilment in the always-preserved ‘pure East’ (8). This is why pro-Tibet campaigning can so easily slip into ugly China-bashing. In the morality tale constructed around Tibet, China comes to be seen as the evil representative of modernity, a faceless, smog-producing people who are ruining Western activists’ spiritual backyard in Tibet. As Donald S Lopez Jnr argues in his fascinating book Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West: ‘The invasion of Tibet by [China] was and still is represented as an undifferentiated mass of godless Communists overrunning a peaceful land devoted only to ethereal pursuits… Tibet embodies the spiritual and the ancient, China the material and the modern. Tibetans are superhuman, Chinese are subhuman.’ (9) Too much of today’s pro-Tibet campaigning is underpinned by two things: self-loathing for our own, apparently over-modernised societies, and a semi-colonialist view of Tibetans as spiritual children and the Chinese as evil automatons. No wonder it can attract the support of such an archaic, illiberal figure as Prince Charles. Tibetophilia will do nothing whatsoever to increase the freedom of the people of Tibet, or the people of China.
23 Kang
March 26, 2008 @ 12:03 am CETMichael van der Galien, How can you justify killing innocent people? What kind of animal are you? In your logic, any immigrant can be killed and it is justified because he/she may take the better job from local. Shame on you!
24 Gong my you-know-what
March 26, 2008 @ 3:21 am CETHan Guang,
As soon as I saw that Tower of a reply, I knew that you were either:
1. paid by Chinese government to spread propaganda far and wide
or,
2. A jobless loser who has a misplaced notion of patriotism , lives and enjoys freedoms of a Democratic West and yet secretly dreams of getting spanked by a red guard and supports the suppressing and conniving communist government in every way.
25 Gong my you-know-what
March 26, 2008 @ 3:25 am CETSpeaking of which,
learn to make your comments shorter. I don’t believe one person could go past the quarter-way line of that LONG-ARSE comment. Jeez. This is not China, two-way debate is allowed so we don’t have to listen to only one opinion.
26 DeadAim
March 26, 2008 @ 6:44 am CETGood article. No one should feel sorry for the Chinese invaders. They flooded Tibet, breed like rabbits and outnumbered the Native, wiping them out and destroying their culture. Chinese have no respect for other cultures, they’re driven by greed and imperialistic ambition. You can find Chinese in every corners of the world, breeding like rabbits and they’re all loyal to their country China. They don’t respect their host country.
27 Tenor
March 26, 2008 @ 1:00 pm CETAgain to Deadaim:
What if I were to say in the future- the west succumbs to a multi-cultural hell hole, all the Muslims in Europe and all the Mexicans in USA stage riots to kick them out causing violent chaos. The only way for westerners is to seek haven in China.
And the Chinese were to say,
"These strange hairy things keeps knocking on our doors and trying to invade us! Look what they did to the natives in Australia, NZ, PNG, South Africa, Zimbabwe, America, Canada! Lets kick em out and never let them in again! Their going to wipe us out and breed like rabits!"
I can already see that happening with your ‘Politically Correct’, ”d.e.m.o.c.r.a.t.i.c?", ‘Multi-Cultural’, ‘Multi-Ethnic’ society.
The tables may turn one day- watch what you say.
28 Tenor
March 26, 2008 @ 1:00 pm CETTo the contrary, if the Chinese were driven by greed and imperialistic ambition then we would have conquered the world already! Starting with Zheng He and his voyages, and even that- he only did so for trading purposes.
The Chinese were NEVER a conqering people, we always have respect for the minorities in our country (55 different ethnic groups, including the Muslims from the North West), we have never stated that our country is ‘pure-raced’ and even in our national anthem, "Zhongguo Mingzu" means ‘All that is within the Han Chinese Culture" but it never says (niether do our constitution) say that we are a pure raced nation.
China only wants this:
1. To be a major power in the world not a Super-Power (we don’t want to be nose in on other people’s political business).
2. A good army to protect geographical sovreignty.
3. Well Respected and Prosperous.
You must be a westerner, you should read upon your own history before you make ignorant and hurtful statements like that- what about the Dutch? They forced their way into South Africa, killed off entire tribes so their offspring can live again- what about USA? They killed off all the tribes to kill all the buffalo for their horns. Stupid, Pathetic, Hypocritical.
Not to mention Europes big crying baby that it can never shake off its back- AFRICA.
But you are true that you can find Chinese everywhere and we sure are loyal to our country! We have a way better track record that imperalist westerners!
29 yonten
March 26, 2008 @ 3:46 pm CETit is normal for those coward people to talk about irresponsibke things behind the curtain. they dont have the courage and support of truth to come forward in person to argue. that is also weakness communist china who always denieds to negotiate with H.H Dalai Lama about the issues of Tibet through peaceful means by inventing many unjustified accusation against H.H Dalai Lama. The recent killing of Tibetans in Tibet by chinese communist force made me not surprised because killing is the culture of Communist regime and commuinst china has preserved it well by killing more than thirty millons Chiniese civilians and more than 1.2 million Tibetans since the birth of it. But i was surprised to see the Chinese like Han Guang supporting communist regime which has been killing and suppressing chinese brothers and sisters just for it own survival. hope you, Han Guang , think well before supporting the creul regime. the more you are be educated about history of Chinese communist regime the more it,s image becomes darker as cheating and killing are the history it has created so far. so you, Han Guang, have to read the history of communist china and then you will come to know the real face of communist china . ok
30 Tenor
March 26, 2008 @ 3:54 pm CETYonten is very good at regurgitating mantra’s from the Neocon media.
31 tony
March 26, 2008 @ 5:54 pm CETThe truth is china invaded Tibet in 1959, killed around 1million Tibetans. Distroyed thousands of very old monastries with their thousand year old sutras (holy scripts) and stupas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70WwCAMQf74).
Forced monks and nuns to be lay_person, completely restricted any religious practice and inprisoned Tibetans for more than 15 years for just uttering about Free Tibet and HH Dalai Lama.
Then came the ethnic cleansing by flooding Tibet with Han Chinese, for that they build the infamous railway from china to lhasa. Tibetans became minority in Tibet!, Tibetan language became a secondary language. Large buisinesses even the taxi buisness in lhasa are owned by Han chinese, Again this year in may, PRC started a more stronger propaganda towards HH Dalai Lama blaming him as splittist, while the whole world know HH Dalai Lama policy always mentioned Tibet staying with China with geniune autonomy.
Then came the 10th march, China knew they will be peaceful demonstration in lhasa. They just wanted to crush it, but to justify it they staged a violent uprising (truth about this is in Epoch times), but then they never thought whole of Tibet will rise against them……
Well no need to feel sorry for those Hans, they just don’t belong there… Just illegal aliens parasites….
32 Zhen Niu
March 26, 2008 @ 6:53 pm CETIt’s "funny", or i think the better word choice would be "disappointing" and "disgusting". None of you guys are making any sense. Every comment made against China all bomb against China supporters because of their use of western history. Yet, the anti-China comments are basing their come backs on the fact: "They went there after their country invaded, killed approximately 1,000 000 Tibetans, burnt down Buddhist temples, destroyed Tibetan culture (or tried to do so), and degraded Tibetans to second class citizens." On the same note, how can accuse someone being a coward behind a certain when you are in the same boat? And most of the pro-China comment have been just smart-mouth comment made to piss people off.No, no don’t get me wrong. I’m NOT saying it’s okay to kill citizen, I’m NOT saying it’s okay to kill a policeman. I’m saying let’s look at the situation by itself. Let’s talk about what the government could of done with the situation to spare a few more lives. I don’t think there’s much more they could of done.Sure the history of that region contribute to the event completely. But we are making comments about people’s lives. I’m sicken by your people’s comment using people’s lives as pawns of your political chess board. How would you feel, if you are house wife of some police man, who died in the riot for just doing his job to provide food for her and his 2 year son if she saw this? Even some mother of a person who got killed by a police for a believe. I’m seriously offended as a chinese born, even though I’m not of that nationality.I have a better idea for this topic. Let’s protest each person’s death instead. And don’t bother about saying you already are. There’s not one second when I was reading your comments I believed that you are not just bombing on each other’s arrogance.Yes I am bias, but I tried not to do it when I’m making this comment. I do have pride in being born as a chinese. It’s like someone being prideful flying an american flag on the 4th of july every time I say I’m a chinese born. Maybe you can understand why did Han Guang made his comment now, he just expressed it in a wrong way by flying murdering intent, even though on purpose. I’m also angry on how meaningless a life can end up by an idea. No, I’m sorry I don’t believe this is a fully justified fight for freedom. I believe it’s a more of burst of aggressive enzymes covered under the sheet of outrage against ones social and financial status. It would be an insult to compare this to a famous civil right movement.One last point, there nothing wrong with long comments. After all, written is the most unefficient way of communication. In another thought, I rather see it in live images with my own eyes and hear it in live audio with my own ears rather than reading on newspaper or watching it on TV. Because doing that is just living as a deaf. Sorry if I sound like a hypocrite by writing this. But I want to get a point across and express my anger. And trust me, if I won’t hold back even if it’s live person to person on saying these, which I’m famous or infamous for in my company and have gotten in trouble for it.
33 Zhen Niu
March 26, 2008 @ 7:03 pm CETAnd to my comment, stop using your personal opinion as facts, comment it so people know it’s your opinion.
34 European_Exceptionalism
March 27, 2008 @ 2:17 am CETAs an Asian Ameriacn I find White American’s blazen belief in their own greatness and "civilizing" role to be comical. To be very fair… conservative estimates of the number of Natives (who were by the way of Asian decent) in America were about 80 million. That’s a conservative estimate.
Luckily, for America, unlike China, the European colonials extermianted the Natives almost so completely that no real resistence could ever be mounted after the mid 1800s. Now, natives are kept in their resrves like zoo animals, where Whit Americans take thier kids to laugh and look at hte silly non-europeans dance aroudn half naked. This is the mentality of the European colonials and their degenerate progeny.
However, as fate has it, European Americans will not even be majority in a few decades and so it seems fate is starting the retribution phase of the most horrid crimes against humanity commited sevearl hundred years ago.
admin: edited to remove racial insults
The riots in Tibet are no differnt then the riots of the Irish agains the British (which have a far more disgusting history of starvation and genocide if you ask me even appropros to other Europeans , to anything about non-Europeans…… ). After all, it was British starvation practices taht incited mass migrations of Irish to North-America.
admin: edited to remove racial insults and calls for racial violence
35 Jason
March 27, 2008 @ 3:08 am CETI am unclear as to how European crimes of the past and/or present excuse Chinese crimes of the present.
Oh wait. You were just trying to change the subject. My bad.
And all white Americans are bigoted against Asians. Got it. I am sure that will come as news to many, especially those white Americans married to Asians.
36 European_Exceptionalism
March 27, 2008 @ 3:31 am CETadmin: racist bigotry is not welcome here
37 European_Exceptionalism
March 27, 2008 @ 3:33 am CETadmin: personal attacks = ban
38 Jason
March 27, 2008 @ 3:35 am CETI never said that racism doesn’t exist. Lying about what people did or did not say is a good way to get banned.
What I did do is call out your sweeping, no-caveats allegation that "White Americans are still exceptionally racist, most especially to Asians".
Your follow-on allegation that those who do marry Asians are comparable to Nazi SS officers who sexually abused Jews is offensive to the point that I should just ban you straight away. One more such bigoted outburst from you and you’ll be insta-banned.
39 Jason
March 27, 2008 @ 3:35 am CETActually, your follow-on personal attack was sufficient.
40 yhelothar
March 27, 2008 @ 5:12 am CET"White Americans are still exceptionally racist, most especially to Asians".
They are in a lot of objective measures; but they still hate blacks more, or at least that’s what several thousand people said when they were phoned randomly. 25% said they hated blacks, 24% said they hated Asians.
29% of white males said "American lives are more valuable than all others". 10% blamed South Korea for Cho Seung-Hui.. so on and so forth.
Not to mention, affirmative action in colleges discriminate against Asian applicants in favor of whites. This is a little known fact. If the Queen of the Netherlands were to apply to the same college as me, she would be considered more disadvantaged. Then there are legacy bonuses and sports scholarships for everyone else.
Another caveat is the widespread denigration of all things Asian in American media. This is toning down in recent times, but it’s still apparent. Modelling agencies discriminate against non-white models as well, and pick either those that look more white or those with exaggerated "ethnic features" (sometimes invented by whites themselves). This paternalistic behavior is a hint of the general publics’ sentiments as these are usually profitable companies in a capitalist society.
Aside from that, there is ignorance about the political systems and cultures of Asia, and ignorance of their physical appearance and racial/genetic makeup.
For the Tibet thing, the Tibetans and the original Huaxia, northern Han are the exact same race. Just separated for some time. There is also less oppression of Tibetans when compared to the oppression of even modern Aus. Aborigines and Native Americans. The Maori have been assimilated to a large extent, and Native Siberians and constantly harassed by Russian neo-Nazi skinheads. Only Canada (and Scandinavian countries) really treats their natives well in "the West".
FYI the life expectancy at birth of Tibetans is 67, which is close to that of many black Americans and is only 6 years shorter than the Chinese average. On the other hand, Native Americans live for 60-62 years and the Aborigines of Australia have a lifespan of about 59 years.
Not only that, but the washington post reported that 34% of Native American women are raped in their lifetimes; 86% of the time they reported that the attacker was a non-Native, usually white, man.
You shouldn’t be so quick to judge when you’re not familiar with the subject and have so many problems at home.
41 Jason
March 27, 2008 @ 5:18 am CETPlease provide verifiable sources for all of the remarkable (unbelievable) statistics in your comment.
84% of all statistics on the internet are made up.
42 yhelothar
March 27, 2008 @ 5:23 am CETadmin: personal attacks and racist stereotypes after warning = ban
43 Han Guang
March 27, 2008 @ 7:38 pm CETHahahhah, regarding Gong’s comment, I’m actually an investment banker; aside from crushing sub-prime lenders and borrowers, since market is so slow these days, I got some extra time to comment on these blogs.
Gong, it’s not my fault you’re cognitive abilities and attention span is below the level required to read posts longer than several sentences, if you find it tiresome, please go back to reading your abridged version of Dr. Seuss books.
Also, your responses are weak…so far nothing but ad hominem attacks or complaints about your lack of reading skills…I think you should protest for Tibet by pouring gasoline over yourself and self-immolate in front of the Chinese consulate wherever you are, that would work out for all of us!
44 Zhen Niu
April 1, 2008 @ 12:05 am CESTSorry about the last two comments, I didn’t proof read it and it’s missing some words. But you can fill in the blanks. And it didn’t take my hard returns since I’m on a Mac Pro. It might be hard to read it through.
45 COLORED_MAJORITY
April 2, 2008 @ 11:57 pm CESTThe one thing white people are great at (other than starting wars, enslaving people, oppression, rape, stealing, corruption, insidiousness and manipulation ) is hypocrisy. The western world loves to preach but never follow the principles they profess. White people live in a so called ?democracy? yet cant even stop the evil that rich white devils in corporations and their white government commit all over the world historically and currently. Now they want to fix a problem far far away thats out of their control. I have to laugh. Where are the calls to boycott American white corporations that force slave labor upon the colored people of the world? White evil devils gain economically, politically and socially on the oppression, enslavement and suffering of the colored. Lets stop with the facade you white devils put on and overthrow your government before you point to the east. Stop worrying about the fact that China is getting uppity. White people were never about human rights! No sympathy for a human beings death just because he is in the wrong territory? Human rights my ass! Like Malcolm X once said ?I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands even if hes wrong than the one that comes up to me like an angel but is nothing but a devil? The white man is nothing but a fucking devil. Always has been, Always will
46 Tully
April 3, 2008 @ 12:00 am CESTI see the inmates are out on day passes.
47 Adoption Agencies For Dogs
May 28, 2008 @ 11:28 am CESTAdoption Agencies For Dogs…
Are you sure it will give the results expected?…