Tibet... is discussion possible?

The Chinese system of Internet censorship and media propaganda  may have a lot of holes, but when tested by events like the Tibet unrest this past week, so far it's holding up well enough for the regime's purposes.

For those living in the West who didn't realize that there's little sympathy for Tibet independence among ethnic Chinese in the PRC, this blog post on Global Voices will be a shocker. John Kennedy has translated chatter from Chinese blogs and chatrooms that generally runs along the lines of: those ungrateful minorities, we give them modern conveniences and look how they thank us... where have we heard this before? Reuters has a roundup on the Washington Post that begins: "a look at Chinese blogs reveals a vitriolic outpouring of anger and nationalism directed against Tibetans and the West."

Of course, pretty much anything presenting more nuanced views that don't show the Chinese government actions in a good light are censored anyway. YouTube is of course blocked again. Bloggers are reporting that many BBS and chat channels are being closed or cracked down upon, and that mobile SMS's coming from or about Tibet are being heavily filtered.

"Davesgonechina" at the Tenement Palm blog has been translating the chatter coming from Chinese netizens on Fanfou and Jiwai - Chinese versions of Twitter. Click here, here, and here, specifically.

Dave has done more than translate: he points out that this Tibet situation is a real challenge to all people who believe that the Internet can help foster free speech and bring about better global understanding.  Here is his challenge to all of us:

I've argued, citing the words of the Dalai Lama himself, that if you

1) Believe in democratic principles and free speech
2) You believe the Internet is a tool for unfettered global communication
3) There's something in China (or any other country) that bothers you

Then you ought to put some energy into communicating directly with Chinese netizens about the problem. For years now I've seen alot of Chinese netizens discussions be completely ignored or simply missed by English-speaking netizens, who too often think that Chinese netizens are all completely brainwashed. Well, guess what? Some of them think you are too. Instead of dismissing each other as fools, how about we try to talk? So I say, Tweet Back! Tweet in English, alot of Chinese people know some. If you know Chinese... what are you waiting for?

He goes on to propose some specific ways to engage Chinese people in discussion of the Tibet issue, starting by signing up for accounts on a Chinese version of Twitter, Fanfou. In an earlier post he writes:

This is the perfect opportunity for Tibet internet activists like Oxblood Ruffin and concerned netizens everywhere to engage Chinese people on the Internet in discussions about what is going on. As I previously outlined in a primer to engage Chinese people, these are channels where one can register a free account and launch dialogues with Chinese individuals about Tibet. Many of the people I've included below are neither kneejerk nationalists or xenophobes, and some of them know some English too. It wouldn't hurt to try. You can respond by clicking on the username link at the beginning of each tweet, sign up, and talk back.

Dave also makes an astute observation that the East-West miscommunication madness is here to stay - and likely to get worse - between now and the Olympics. In a post titled SchizOlympics he reflects the feelings I share, and why I've not been looking forward to August:

Watching the build up to the Olympics has been, for me, like watching the world's biggest, slowest traffic accident. For a while now its been pretty obvious that alot of contentious issues about China were going to come to the front as we approach August 8th, but the problem is that there are two completely separate parallel worlds on these issues: the Chinese one, and the rest of us. Westerners have been exposed to rhetoric and information about Tibetan discontent, Darfur's international and Chinese dimensions, and of course old chestnuts like Tiananmen provide a larger context of long term, ongoing problems. Meanwhile, Chinese mainlanders by and large have no knowledge of these events or issues. While for the rest of the world the Olympics will be largely a referendum on China's ability to deal with what everyone else has talked about for years, for Chinese citizens it will be about China winning a beauty pageant of sorts.

Two Worlds, Two Dreams: prepare for the SchizOlympics.

Are we ready?

Meanwhile, here are some other online must-reads from the past couple of days:

• The China Digital Times has been doing a fabulous job of aggregating both professional and amateur reports from Tibet. Here is a collection of mobile phone photos they linked to, for instance.
• Roland Soong translates a first-hand account from a Chinese person in Lhasa. He also has a long update today including links to contrasting YouTube videos that paint different pictures of what's happening.
• Will at Imagethief has some astute observations about how Chinese government messages that work well on domestic audiences often don't work well on foreigners, but he points out that the Chinese official communications strategy is getting more sophisticated.

As Roland also points out, romantic fantasies and propaganda about Tibet aren't exclusive to any one side. Perhaps it's time to go re-read Orville Schell's book Virtual Tibet.

Comments

[007]

I'M REPORTING FROM BEHIND ENEMY LINES. The OPPRESSION OF THE TIBETAN PEOPLE IS BEYOND COMPARE. There is WIDESPREAD REVOLT that has spread BEYOND TIBET.

The authorities, out of FRUSTRATION, are blaming the totally innocent Dalai Lama.

Read my stuff at
http://intelligenceinputs.blogspot.com
http://futureweapons.blogdrive.com

Wait for a few more months - THIS REVOLT'S GONNA SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE.

[michael]

Despite the internet making it easier than ever to explore alternative points of view, I find there is little interest in meaningful dialogue on contentious subjects such as Tibet or Iraq. Like everyone else I come to the debate with the confident conviction that my views and my interpretation of the 'facts' are correct and that others are blinkered and biased.
Even asking the question of whether discussion is possible is to question the orthodox views held with such strong conviction by many.

[Tom - Daai Tou Laam]

Even asking the question of whether discussion is possible is to question the orthodox views held with such strong conviction by many.
Posted by: michael

The question is really how can you have a discussion under strict censorship. Perhaps a "guided conversation", but there is no way to have a two way discussion.

Evolution, as Rebecca and Roland are pimping as their latest meme for the China internet, merely rewards those best suited for the environment. If the environment is artificially managed, then the evolution will only produce life best suited for the artificially managed environment. In this case life that is best suited to wave the red flag at appropriate times and avoid having your fingers zapped for crossing the party line.

The banality of evil is hardly a new concept. It's not that hard to mould people to accept censorship as a norm. It's not that hard to mould people to accept the lethal use of state force against your fellow citizens. And provide a little fortune or fame for folks and most of 'em are quite willing to toss out their principles and previous beliefs in order to protect their new fortune and fame.

[Dara Shiko]

@ Charles Liu

Obviously you believe the Chinese Govt lies that the Dalai Lama orchestrated the violence. Open your eyes and smell the tea. Don't believe all the propoganda lies of your govt. The 'riots' are a popular expression of disgust with Han chauvinistic practices of supressing Tibet's culture with an iron fist. If you say Serfdom for Tibet then how come you villify the Japanese for invading China in the 1930's? Surely China had serfdom and was backward and superstitious then and the Japanese were perfectly right to "bring civilisation to the stupid backward Chinese."

[Charles Liu]

Dara, I am an American.

You obviousley didn't read what I wrote, else you would'be realized that.

Why is dialog not possible? R, I rest my case.

[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]

@Dara Shiko:
Japan could not have brought civilization to the Chinese. If you know anything about history, which I doubt you do, you would know that the Japanese language and culture is "borrowed" (intellectually property violation, maybe?) from Chinese language and culture.

@the Westerners
Obviously, there are many in the West(including Japan) who wish to use Tibet as a distraction from their own human rights violations. There are many ways that China could improve its treatment of its minorities, but mudslinging China is not going to help.

Western crimes:
*The United States' genocide of the American Indian population (currently, they are 1% of the total population in the U.S.)
*The United States' discrimination of ethnic minorities
*Australia's treatment of its indigenous peoples.
*European Powers' conquest of Africa, resulting in the creation of nations by drawing them on maps.
*Let's not forget the Atlantic Slave Trade
*Biggest arms exporters: #1 USA, #2 Russia, #3 France, #4 & #5 UK & Germany
*Who carved up China? Oh yeah, it was the West who wanted an "Open door", I wonder why they hate us?
*British invasion of Tibet in the early 20th century.

[Charles Liu]

Hey R, check this out:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3568810.ece

Peaceful demonstration by Tibetean students in Beijing. Police faciliated the peaceful protest (like we do in US.)

Look Ma, no protester went ape sh!t and no police action.

[clarence chen]

@Dara Shiko

If you really believe these are random acts of violence spilled over from peaceful demonstrations, then the timing of these events are very interesting, aren't they? Months before the Olympics, and weeks before the torch relay.

You got to ask yourself who has more to gain from things getting out of hand, the Dalai goons or the Chinese government...

Serfdom for Tibet!

[sliggy b.]

The attempt to promote discussion is laudable. But China's occupation of Tibet is no different than the US occupation of Iraq. So when the US and its allies get out of Iraq, perhaps those of us Westerners who would like to see China out of Tibet will have the moral right to speak. Until then we ought to shut up or at least begin to connect the dots and get out on the streets and demand an end to the egregious actions of our governments, which are no different from those of the Chinese government.

[wgj]

@ Dara Shiko:

You should get your facts straight before dismissing others for "believing lies".

Weather or not China "surely had serfdom" in the 1930s is quite debatable, given the Republic of China had been founded in 1911.

Also it's not at all clear to me what kinds of "civilization" the Japanese invasion has brought to China. Could you provide some example of either political, social or economical improvements the Japanese have achieved -- or at least attempted -- during their occupation?

Just for the record, in case you think I'm just another brainwashed Communist zombie: I've been living in Western Europe longer than I've lived in China, and Xinhua news releases -- or other "official" news base on those releases -- constitute less than one percent of the news I read about China.