Tibetan Silence

[onedomino]

Ever notice how a mention of Israel in the Gaza strip or West Bank brings the out extremists? They come from both sides of the political spectrum: Left and Right. Contrast that with the virtual silence of the Left and Right on the issue of China's occupation and oppression of Tibet. Could it be the absence of Jews to rail against makes Tibet just another boring ethnic territorial dispute, like Sri Lanka, Aceh, Kashmir, Eritrea, Chechnya, and Kosovo? Maybe it is the absence of Asian countries backing the Tibetans the way the Arabs back the Palestinians and the West supports Israel. Perhaps it is the lack of homicide bombers. I guess Buddhists in Tibet are intrinsically dull compared to suicidal Muslims. Maybe they would get more ink and support if they set themselves on fire the way the Buddhist monks did in Saigon during the Viet Nam War.

 

[jillian]

Ever notice how a mention of Israel in the Gaza strip or West Bank brings the out extremists? They come from both sides of the political spectrum: Left and Right. Contrast that with the virtual silence of the Left and Right on the issue of China's occupation and oppression of Tibet. Could it be the absence of Jews to rail against makes Tibet just another boring ethnic territorial dispute, like Sri Lanka, Aceh, Kashmir, Eritrea, Chechnya, and Kosovo? Maybe it is the absence of Asian countries backing the Tibetans the way the Arabs back the Palestinians and the West supports Israel. Perhaps it is the lack of homicide bombers. I guess Buddhists in Tibet are intrinsically dull compared to suicidal Muslims. Maybe they would get more ink and support if they set themselves on fire the way the Buddhist monks did in Saigon during the Viet Nam War.

That's a good observation. I suspect it stems more from a lack of knowledge (or interest) of the subject of Tibet. Certainly the anti-Israel loonies never look at the atrocities that actually do exist in the world but focus on that narrow issue.

Also, like anything else, people have their own opinions of Jews, negative or positive... so are pre-disposed to certain positions or assumptions. In terms of Tibet, I figure most people just think the Dalai Lama looks like a pretty peaceable fellow.

 

[Larkinn]

We don't hear you yelling about Burma, North Korea, Somalia, Darfur, etc, etc.

Israel/Palestine is interesting and is in the news all the time. Tibet is less interesting, and rarely in the news. However Tibet was a cause celebre for the left in years past. Nowadays it is less so, but I've still gotten around 5 e-mails from various lefty organizations announcing Tibet rallies & calls to boycott the Olympics and such. Perhaps the MSM is silent, but the lefty human rights groups aren't.

 

[José]

Originally posted by onedomino
Ever notice how a mention of Israel in the Gaza strip or West Bank brings the out extremists? They come from both sides of the political spectrum: Left and Right. Contrast that with the virtual silence of the Left and Right on the issue of China's occupation and oppression of Tibet. Could it be the absence of Jews to rail against makes Tibet just another boring ethnic territorial dispute, like Sri Lanka, Aceh, Kashmir, Eritrea, Chechnya, and Kosovo? Maybe it is the absence of Asian countries backing the Tibetans the way the Arabs back the Palestinians and the West supports Israel. Perhaps it is the lack of homicide bombers. I guess Buddhists in Tibet are intrinsically dull compared to suicidal Muslims. Maybe they would get more ink and support if they set themselves on fire the way the Buddhist monks did in Saigon during the Viet Nam War.

So very true, brother.

The silence on Tibet is deafening.

But I have a more important perspective on this issue to share with you all.

 

[José]

It’s sad to see so many people more worried about aligning themselves according to the political spectrum than about the merit of the issue.

What you have in Palestine is a group of human beings denying another group of human beings their right to live in their homeland and rationalising their attitude in the same way the white government in South Africa used to do.

What you have in Tibet is a expansionist regional power subjugating a ethnically distinct people who clearly wants to secede and should be allowed to do so as long as they fully respect the rights of the han chinese population in Tibet.

The concern with the political spectrum rather than the core of the issues is the main characteristic of the ideological clown.

 

[Munin]

Ever notice how a mention of Israel in the Gaza strip or West Bank brings the out extremists? They come from both sides of the political spectrum: Left and Right. Contrast that with the virtual silence of the Left and Right on the issue of China's occupation and oppression of Tibet. Could it be the absence of Jews to rail against makes Tibet just another boring ethnic territorial dispute, like Sri Lanka, Aceh, Kashmir, Eritrea, Chechnya, and Kosovo? Maybe it is the absence of Asian countries backing the Tibetans the way the Arabs back the Palestinians and the West supports Israel. Perhaps it is the lack of homicide bombers. I guess Buddhists in Tibet are intrinsically dull compared to suicidal Muslims. Maybe they would get more ink and support if they set themselves on fire the way the Buddhist monks did in Saigon during the Viet Nam War.

I share your concerns, the biggest problem is that China "owns" tibet now. Journalists can't report in tibet: no stories & no pictures. In China it s even difficult to report some things, this week a Belgian reporter got attacked by local government officials. If the story doesn't get out, it s difficult to report it. The other problem is that the Tibet occupation is been going on for so many years, while almost nothing has been done about it. It even seems that China is counting the days for the Dalay Lama to die, so they can instate their own Dalay Lama. The efforts the Chinese promised to do for tibet during the Olympics were a joke along with almost all the other things they "promised" to do, I can't believe that the politicians who went to the Olympic games weren't criticised more.

 

[we_ourselves]

Until the U.S. invaded Iraq, Israel was at the center of politics in the politically important Middle East. Tibet is a less serious issue, particularly since there is no prospect for an independent Tibet without a military defeat of China's government.