关于西藏问题的三封信

第一封信，给校报的，对报道藏独集会的回应：

Free Tibet -- they know not what they do

Dear editor,

Whenever people start to talk about “Free Tibet” in the United States, I am always stunned by the ignorance that they are so eager to show about the subject of their monologue. Your Monday (March 31) news article on Tibet by PL is just another piece in that line.

Apparently, some people just love to kid themselves by acting as if Tibet had been a “free” and “peaceful” place before 1950. No one seems to care that Dalai Lama had been the leader of a slave system before he left Tibet, under whose “leadership” 5% of the Tibetan population had absolute control over 100% of the resources, while the rest 95% lived in poverty and serfdom, and there had been no freedom of religion (come on, there was only one religion, what do you want me to say?), no separation between the religious and political power (or shall I say between the Church and the State?), and no access to education for the people. Now, poor Tibetans, they cannot represent themselves, they must be represented. But, while taking the moral high ground by trying to represent the Tibetans in the self-claimed righteous cause of “Free Tibet,” you might want to ask yourself whether you know what life has been like for Tibetans in the past and at present, whether you know anything about the changes that has happened to people’s life in general in China? Do you really not know, or do you simply not care?

Some probably would think that I have been brainwashed by the Communist government in China. Well, the apparently brain-washed people seem to have access to more diverse and accurate information about Tibet then citizens of “the free world.” In the case of this protest on March 14 (by the way, show some professionalism by getting the dates correct), what I have seen here in the U.S. is simply horrible journalism. When mainstream media like CNN and New York Times talk about the violence of Chinese police against “peaceful” Tibetan protesters, they couldn’t even show the right pictures and the right videos – either pictures were cropped to skip details that might favor the Chinese government, or the pictures and videos shown were not even taken in China but in Nepal or India (one of the numerous examples of such intentional distortion and manipulation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13fz9HIrJpQ). Obviously, most people are simply assuming that the violence and deaths were caused by the Chinese police. I mean, give me a break, the lack of access to Tibet by foreign reporters does not mean the lack of evidence sent out from within Tibet, by Chinese, Tibetans, or foreign tourists ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhjCX4KIz4Q ). And – I can’t believe I’m saying this – the rejection of foreign journalists by the Chinese government does not mean that one should sacrifice journalist conscience and simply make up stories.

I understand that this is a free country where people have the right to express themselves, and I have no intention to shut anyone up. All I’m saying is, you are having a college education, please take it seriously – do some research on Tibet, learn its history, use your brain, and stop kidding yourself, or your readers like me.

第二封信，关于一个细节，没有发出，自娱自乐：

Dear editor,

Your March 31 news article on Tibet by PL had some serious contradictions with what actually happened in Lhasa, the Capital City of Tibet on March 14.

The article impressed me with very good editing skills which help to build the wrong impression that Chinese police were violently beating and killing peaceful protesters.

For example, one of the details related to the March 14 incident was the peaceful vigil by students in the University of Minority Students. This piece of information is immediately followed by the accusation that Chinese police was arresting protesters randomly, leaving the impression that there is no space for peaceful protest in China.

The matter of fact is, the above mentioned University of Minorities is in Beijing, and while there was indeed a peaceful vigil there, there was no police disturbance whatsoever. In the meantime, the violence in Lhasa did lead to arrest – of those so called “peaceful protesters” who burnt down houses, stores, markets, beat passing by pedestrians, and murdered innocent civilians, both Han and Tibetan Chinese.

Ironically, when the sense of righteousness lead people to the conclusion that ethnic minorities have been repressed in China, the University of Minorities they mentioned gives the best evidence for counter argument. This university was founded by the Chinese government especially for the education of ethnic minorities, which is in addition to the affirmative-action-like policy that ensures access of ethnic minorities to higher education.

第三封，校报网络版上面的讨论：

In this heated debate on Tibet, what I observed is a confrontation between one nationalist discourse (Chinese) against another nationalist discourse (Tibetan), mediated by a universal claim on democracy and human rights by Americans. What strikes me is the fact that each side has been so consistent among themselves, while each one thinks others are brainwashed to blindness. I have to admit that I am more confused after listening to all these voices than I was when I started. 

One of the biggest concerns about Tibet is the imposing of Han Chinese culture and the loss of Tibetan culture. On this one, I have to say, I don’t know. It would be presumptuous for me to argue either for or against it when I do not know anything about Tibetan culture, in the past or at present. Sure I have heard about it from tourists, researchers, protesters, etc., ect., but ultimately we all choose to see only what we want to see.  It is unlikely that we will question the very ideology that enables us to make exactly the argument with people around us. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I don't know – I don't know what has happened to Tibetan people and Tibetan culture. I admire people's certainty about it, but certainty is cheap, and is the biggest obstacle of achieving an informative discussion.  

So, I would very much like to talk to Tibetans, even they were not born in Tibet and probably knows as much about it as I do. I would like to learn about their personal experiences, and how they came to the beliefs that they have today. I won't imagine it would change anyone's position, but it would certainly be more fruitful than reaffirming what we already believe in the limited space of virtual reality.