A Word on Tibet

The cover of the April 7th issue of Macleans shows a picture of what looks like a soldier raising a stick above his head, about to bring it down on the back of what seems to be a peaceable Tibetan Monk. Sprawled across this picture in huge font are the words "'Butchers and Monsters': Things we can never forget about Communist China".

Now obviously, the psychological effect of this picture was taken into account when deciding to put it on the front page of one of Canada's most-read magazines. Dare I make a guess and say that it was put there to make people reflect on China's reputation as a communist monster and oppressor of free speech? I think that was the intended effect. Compounded with what looks like a Chinese soldier beating an innocent monk, the message is clear: China is making like Russia and making sure all that oppose it's rule are shut down. In the bottom right of this picture, in tiny black font (you barely notice them unless you're looking there), are the words "An anti-Chinese protest is crushed in Nepal, March 17, 2008".

What? Did I read that right? An anti-Chinese protest is crushed in Nepal? So that soldier isn't actually an agent dispatched by the Chinese government to crush those who oppose China's will? Funny how this small fact is delegated to the bottom right side of the front page of Macleans in tiny black font where almost no one notices it. And personally, I think that it some untruthful journalism right there. If you read Macleans, I'm sure you were captivated by this picture. "Seriously, when is China going to stop censoring the media and free speech?", you probably thought. Just for the record, that isn't a Chinese soldier.

Really, what is up with the West's obsession with bashing China? All day everyday we are bombarded with news of how China is doing nothing to fix it's horrible track record of human rights violations. Every single day we hear of a new atrocity going on in China, whether it be China jailing journalists that speak out against or "supporting" the war in Darfur. If you take a closer, unbiased look at the real situation, you may realize that China is the big 'ol baddie it's made out to be.

Look at the West. What are we? A collection of modern, democratic countries with high standards when it comes to upholding human rights laws. Sure, no one makes a big deal when we ignore injustice or jails people for no apparent reason... and that's just the problem.

You ever heard of Omar Khadr? Sure you have. He's that Canadian boy who supposedly threw a hand grenade at some US soldiers back in 2002. Ever since then, he's been languishing in Guantanamo Bay. And you know what? He probably didn't even throw that damn grenade (military officials reported that the man who threw the grenade was not Omar Khadr, but someone else who was subsequently killed in the firefight) in the first place. The fact is that he was taken into custody and placed in a high-security prison (usually reserved for convicted terrorists or POWs) and charged with committing war crimes and supporting terrorism, all with absolutely no proof to uphold the charges.

Currently, he is in a state of extrajudicial punishment (basically, punishment without authorization to do so) and no one is really sure of his future. Canada (he is a Canadian citizen) has refused repatriation and extradition of Omar Khadr, and now it just seems like an innocent boy is stuck on an island where he'll remain for whoever knows how long.

What is this? Is this not a human rights violation? Do the laws of the West not promise a fair and unbiased trial? Do they not promise protection from being held for no reason? Well... theoretically, they do. But in this case, they don't. Sure, this prompted some media attention but no one is threatening economic sanctions on the US, are they?

Look at China! What have they done to receive all this negative press from pretty much every country in the world? Some stupid celebrities looking for attention even went out of their way to march around wearing shirts with the words "Genocide Olympics" on them. But seriously, what has China done to deserve all this crap? Not a lot. And you know what? Most people don't recognize how difficult it is to rule a country of 1.3 billion. They would probably all go to hell if they had to deal with all the pissy reporters complaining about China's latest offence on democracy.

And then we come to Tibet. What is the deal with that? Now some people living in Tibet complain that Tibet, with it's minorities no longer minorities (dominated the cultural landscape of Tibet), should be independent. And you know what? Tibet isn't some country that China recently invaded, either. In fact, Tibet has been a part of China for what, like, over 700 years? So it's hardly about an oppressed nation wanting to free itself from barbaric invaders. But you see, that's what the Western world makes it out to be (Sorry Dr. Seuss moment). They make China out to be this big bad bully, while in reality they are just trying to keep they're country together. Isn't that the goal of all countries of this world? It's just that doing it in a country of 40 million is much easier than doing it in a country with approximately a sixth of the world's total population.

Some might say that Tibet, which is full of mostly ethnic Tibetans, deserves to be free, as there isn't really a point to China ruling non-Chinese people. Ok yeah, bullshit. Seriously, the ethnic Tibetans in Tibet are probably half-Chinese anyways, the obvious result of being part of a Chinese country for more than 700 years. And if every ethnically concentrated community in the world got all pissy all of a sudden and demanded Independence, this world would be a crappy place to live in.

So the next time you see or hear someone flaming China for stomping on Tibetans or for ignoring human rights violations, take a second to think deeper and resist the urge to jump on the bandwagon.

Oh and one more thing. Lot's of people complain about how China "supports" the genocide in Darfur by selling them guns and not intervening. That sounds oddly familiar to me. Didn't we sell Germany munitions during WWII?

kamster