You have to give the Chinese credit for chutzpah: Not only did they come up a jaw-dropingly bold historical-political metaphor, they had the audacity to direct it to President Obama:
The Chinese government had a special message for President Obama on Thursday: He is black, he admires Abraham Lincoln, so he, of all people, should sympathize with Beijing’s effort to prevent Tibet from seceding and sliding back into what it was before its liberation by Chinese troops: a feudalistic, slaveholding society headed by the Dalai Lama.
“He is a black president, and he understands the slavery abolition movement and Lincoln’s major significance for that movement,” Qin Gang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a news conference.
Mr. Qin added: “Thus, on this issue we hope that President Obama, more than any other foreign leader, can better, more deeply grasp China’s stance on protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
So does this mean the “Free Tibet” crowd are neo-confederate sympathizers?
November 15th, 2009 | 2:55 am
Jeff Davis? you mean a slave holder who kept people in servitude, just like the monks in Tibet have for centuries? Wow! The West is getting more perceptive…
And yes, Tibet was a disgusting feudalistic slave holding religious oligarchy. Just ask a Tibetan as I have. Is it perfect now? No, just a lot better than it was.
The taxi driver said that now he can send his kids to school and there are even hospitals.
November 15th, 2009 | 3:47 am
Bill,
I can’t stand freetibetanism.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer you got from the taxi driver, was well-rehearsed and fear-driven.
November 15th, 2009 | 7:32 am
There seems to be a strange tendancy for people to look at the Tibet issue in black and white terms, when of course nothing is black and white.
Pre-occupation Tibet was not a perfect society by a long shot, and nobody (not even the Dalai Lama) wishes to see it return to that state. But the fact that there was servitude in Tibet long ago in the past doesn’t mean Tibetans should accept horrendous human rights violations and inequality now. To use the Chinese government’s analogy, there used to be slavery in America. But this does not mean black people should have accepted being second class citizens after it ended.
The Tibetan government in exile has moved on from the past and is now democratic. When is China going to move on and embrace human rights and freedoms itself? That’s what ‘freetibetism’ is about.
November 15th, 2009 | 9:02 am
Bill,
Do you speak Tibetan and have you talked to any Tibetans outside Tibet where they can speak their mind without fear from arrest or jeopardize their livelihood from the Chinese PSB security forces. If you don’t, please be quiet to say mildly ( or more harshly just #&^$ *&#* up) as you know nothing of Tibetan history, people, culture and you are being one of those Chinese apologist who has been brainwashed by their massive propaganda and lies.
First Tibet is an occupied land with strong willed people that wouldn’t give up through complete non-violence means that no doubt China is in full control of the land but have not won over the peoples hearts and minds. Now using brute force and arrogance backed by their economic and political power to tell their version of Tibet and threaten any others who don’t agree.
I speak Tibetan and have visited Tibet numerous times recently and know how Tibetans feel. Tibetans would do anything to have their beloved leader Dalai Lama back in Tibet and if you dare to criticize him, even in Tibet, Tibetans will take the risk of expressing their displeasure that you will be scurrying back to your Chinese minders to report. As you may know, access to Tibet is severely restricted where you are not allowed to travel freely nor speak with anyone. The foreign media access has been restricted for years and completely banned since March/2008 major uprising.
If you think I am from the old ruling class. I and my ancestors in Tibet like majority of the Tibetans in exile were not land-holding aristocratic rulers of old Tibet. The old Tibet was not Shangri-la but also Tibet was not slave, feudal like the medieval Europe or Chinese society. Majority of the Tibetans had content livelihood not bothered by authorities as it was big land with a small population. Yes the old Tibet was inept and didn’t govern well as the national goal and obsession was spiritual matters which was too much which they paid a heavy prize but can’t justify losing country’s sovereignty for being ineptness.
You seemed biased perhaps clouded by our ethnic identity or business interest in China. If you have those biased, let us know. Or you are a useful idi*& as Lenin said. Enough said from me and made my Sunday by your comment.
November 15th, 2009 | 9:15 am
Bill,
One more, the last time I checked from my survey of using Taxis in Lhasa recently, it was 90% driven by Chinese migrant workers and there are now more Chinese than Tibetans making living in Tibet and they take most of the good jobs and haven’t met one Chinese in Tibet who can speak Tibetan.
So two assumptions you speak Chinese and may be Chinese ethnically so you think Tibetans are stupid enough to trust you especially with your attitude. Or perhaps you met a Chinese Taxi driver.
November 15th, 2009 | 9:28 am
[...] smartest quip I have read so far comes from Joe Carter in First Things, who [...]
November 15th, 2009 | 1:30 pm
Khechog,
Why not ask Tibetans to learn how to speak Chinese? Their economic backwardness and lack of competitive skills no doubt stems from their lack of integration into the mainstream Chinese society. There’s not a lot of good jobs for them because of their cultural and language barriers. That’s why you complained that Chinese people took all the good jobs in Tibet. But isn’t that all too obvious?
To be honest, keep whining about repression and tagging on the “freetibetism” slogan is not going to get the job done to improve the livelihood of Tibetans. Only cultural assimilation will. And it’s going to happen sooner or later anyways, whether some people like it or not (the exiled Tibetans, that is).
November 15th, 2009 | 1:42 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by First Things and Daniel Lean, Rev. John M. Taggatz. Rev. John M. Taggatz said: RT @ROFTERS: If the Dalai Lama is Jefferson Davis, Who is the Tibetan Robert E. Lee? http://bit.ly/2rXSZd http://myloc.me/1ws15 [...]
November 15th, 2009 | 3:26 pm
William, Tibetans find it hard to find jobs in the Chinese dominated marketplace because they are frozen out of that marketplace by the same government which ferries hundreds of thousands of Chinese migrants into Tibet and sets them up in business.
There are very little educational opportunities for Tibetan children after the age of 13, where their only chance to compete for uni places, qualifications and jobs is to switch to Chinese. Even then, they are competing against native Chinese speakers- it doesn’t take a genius to work out how difficult that competition is.
Of course, they could opt to abandon their language alltogether from birth and be taught in Chinese schools, where they will be taught the Chinese version of history- the version where China ‘liberated’ Tibet as opposed to the one where China invaded Tibet and killed hundreds of thousands of people.
There’s a middle way, you know- an end to such oppression. That’s what ‘whining’ freedom movements are calling for.
To proclaim that Tibetans are economically backward sounds a little racist, don’t you think? They can’t compete because they’re being discriminated against in their own country.
Do you also feel that black people in America in the 50s and 60s found in hard to compete because they were backward, or because segregation was taking place against them?
November 15th, 2009 | 8:07 pm
William,
Thanks for your comments. Now you are showing your true colors of being a Han chauvinist that even Chairman Mao warned against.
So there you go as we suspected and feared that the PRCs final solution of the Tibetan problem is complete integration and assimilation of an ancient and unique Tibetan nation, culture, identity … gone just like the other 55 so-called minorities in People’s Republic of China. And those who resisted are labeled counter-revolutionaries, separatists that should be vilified, jailed, tortured and killed. Well the PRC has been unsuccessful for the last 50 years of occupation due to sheer determination and will power of the Tibetan people to protect their identity, way of life and freedom. Don’t get me wrong, Tibetans want good life, modernization but just as important they don’t want to lose their identity. Why not. Look at Bhutan or even Japan as an example.
November 15th, 2009 | 9:08 pm
Bill- you speak of that which you clearly know nothing about. And I mean nothing. Go grow a point.
November 16th, 2009 | 8:38 am
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by ROFTERS: If the Dalai Lama is Jefferson Davis, Who is the Tibetan Robert E. Lee? http://bit.ly/2rXSZd...
November 16th, 2009 | 9:40 pm
Actually, according to a Weekend Wall Street Journal article from 2008 or 2009, the Tibetan Robert E. Lee may very well have been American — CIA operatives during the 1950s. The effort to push out the Chinese failed in part because of tribalism within the Tibetan resistance. Now there’s a back story we can all appreciate today. We do know what the 1949 Revolution wrought — even if the WSJ editorial page a few weeks ago refused to acknowledge it. Refuting years of their own reporting, including the treatment of Chinese Catholics.
December 16th, 2009 | 8:20 pm
Unfortunately the Tibetans in Tibet are the voiceless and invisible people in this equation. This is thanks to internet censoring and other controls in place within the PRC. After having visited, conducted research and lived in the Tibetan community of Gyalthang and travelled extensively throughout Tibet, my opinion is that the truth lies somewhere in between the propaganda of China and it’s sympathisers and the propaganda of Tibetan Exile Government, Tibetan exile and Tibet Movement supporters. The expat and local community of Gyalthang has a wonderful mix of people that are all making a contribution to Tibetan people’s lives. I think it is interesting to point out Khechog’s comment ‘PRC has been unsuccessful for the last 50 years of occupation due to sheer determination and will power of the Tibetan people to protect their identity, way of life and freedom.’ This comment is very true and I commend his honesty. Many Tibetan exiles and Free Tibet supporters insist that Tibetan language and culture are on the road to extinction. This type of propaganda may add weight to the Free Tibet Campaign but it is a kick in the guts to the people of Tibet, who are very proud of their culture and are taking great measures to preserve and transmit it. From my experiences in Tibet I find this comment a little strange: ‘As you may know, access to Tibet is severely restricted where you are not allowed to travel freely nor speak with anyone.’ While this may be the case at particular times in a small number of sensitive areas it is not (from my perspective) in most of Tibet. The best way to help Tibet and Tibetans is to contribute something more than just slogans and baseless ‘facts and figures’ on Tibet. Why not find an NGO you can donate to, or better still, why not go to Tibet and make a difference to the lives of Tibetans if that is what you believe in. Actions speak louder and contribute more than regurgitated words.
January 5th, 2010 | 6:55 pm
You say Tibetans are “kicked in the gut” for being underestimated, and then you say “Unfortunately the Tibetans in Tibet are the voiceless and invisible people in this equation.”
Tibetans are not voiceless and are not invisible. In the road from grasslands of Amdo to heights of Lhasa, Tibetans raised their voices in 2008 and 2009 and will do so even more in 2010 as you will see.
Every Tibetan outside of Tibet has relatives still in Tibet and there are such a thing as cellphones; do you think Tibetans have no technology? I don’t mean this to sound so rude, I’m really asking you, do you really think Tibetans have zero voice? There can be phone calls and even letters, even though it’s not easy, also everyone coming out of Tibet recently carries news as well.
It might be difficult but that is very different from “voiceless” and “invisible.” If you want to see these invisible Tibetans I urge you to go to the Uprisingarchive dot org. See for yourself the Tibetans of every tribe expressing their true feeling for freedom. Thank you.
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