I have already said something like this, but I do not find the subject boring

[fpb]

This is not to put down the oppressed Tibetans. But all the people who now notice that there is oppression, ethnic swamping, cultural suppression and destruction in Tibet - did they only notice it now? And why is Tibet special, when the rest of China is ruled with the same methods? Does tyranny only become unacceptable when it touches an ancient (and frankly backward - Tibet before 1959 was no haven of freedom or enlightenment) culture that has a faddish hold on certain areas of Hollywood? Did the regime that gave you the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the Tien-an-men Square massacre, and infinite other acts of inhumanity and cold-blooded criminality, only begin to be despicable a month or two ago? I find the West's attitude to China quite incomprehensible.

Comments

Re: Tibet and China

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I did mention that "Tibet before 1959 was no haven of freedom or enlightenment." I might add that in some international Buddhist omnium gatherums, I heard that the Tibetan lamas have stood out for ignorance and bad manners. The Dalai Lama is a very fine ambassador for his cause, but I agree with you that one would not want to see clerical rule restored to Tibet.