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The pictures of bloodied Tibetan
monks, rioting mobs and lines of Chi-
nese police streets caught my wife and
I mid-conversation. Like a big period
had been inserted in our sentence, we
fell silent and watched.
Something about watching de-
mocracy get crushed under jack-
boots kind of kills the mood.
When I see such pictures, nor-
mally, I want to get angry. I want to
find the culprit the person responsi-
ble and condemn them for their ac-
tions. Call it my western upbringing,
but I want to know who wears the big
white hat and who is dressed in black.I want a hero and
villain.
And China fits the role of the
bad guy in this situation. They took
over Tibet in 1951 killing by some
estimates more than a million and a
half people and have ruled it with
an iron fist since. Chinas human
rights infractions are well docu-
mented. Lets just say they are not
exactly known as light on crime.
Tiananmen Square made the U.S.s
1971 Kent State Massacre look like
an Easter day parade.
So it should have been cut and
dry. China is the bad guy, right?
But something about this situ-
ation wasnt fitting in my simple
framework.Here I was sitting on my comfort-
able couch in my comfortable apart-
ment having my comfortable and
safe anger at the evil Chinese govern-
ment. And when the news was over
we turned off our made-in-China TV,
got up from the made-in-China couch
and went to bed between made-in-
China sheets.
For a county that everyone wants
to condemn for being the bad guy,
they sure do get a lot of business. Chi-
na is the second largest economy be-
hind the U.S. They have averaged 10
percent economic growth per year for
the last 25 years, and no it did not dip
down after Tiananmen. China holds
far and wide more foreign currency
reserves than any other country, they
produce nearly everything on the
planet, and now that their standard
of living is beginning to rise, they are
emerging as one of the prize markets
for selling our products to.
China, in short, is the engine for
the worlds economy right now.And well that makes us all
partly responsible for the massacre
of Tibetans you, me and both our
color TVs.
So when I saw the breaking news
about protesters in London, Paris and
San Francisco attacking the Olympic
Torch relay, I was not among those
cheering them on.
What was it now that has every-
one suddenly caring about Tibet? It
occurred to me as almost comical. I
am still not sure who looks more ridic-
ulous, the ornate arrangements made
by governments and individuals to get
a piece of the torch action as it runs
through their cities, or the equally or-
nate ways the protesters have tried to
disrupt the relay at every turn.
The only thing more stupid is the
embarrassing way politicians have
tried to worm their way out of going
on record against China.
Tibet, having not been in the
news for nearly 10 years now, seems
to be the Save the Whale of the week,replacing Darfur. But the
fact is when
the Olympics are over we will move
on again and leave them in the lurch.
People have been getting attacked
in Darfur for 15 years now, but only
now it is suddenly a topic?
And where were all the Pro-Tibet-
ans in 1951 or in the 60 years since?
If you dont like how China treats
Tibetans holding up your sign to
Free Tibet is verging on mockery
of the Tibetan people, when you turn
around and buy Chinas products
the next day. That, Im pretty sure,
is called hypocrisy. Chasing after the
Olympic torch is just called dumb.
insightinsightTHE METROPOLITAN APRIL 10, 2008 A10
Illustrated by ANDREW HOWERTON [email protected]
Written by GEOF WOLLERMAN [email protected]
End of Days
Protests: Hypocrisy in action
A BIGGER VIEW
Re: Protesters ofBeijing Olympics
China wanted the interna-
tional spotlight of the 2008 Olym-
pic Games. That spotlight puts out
a little heat, as China is learning
with the protests over the Olympic
torch.
The protests may seem puz-
zling and insulting to the powers
in Beijing, but free expression and
the right to dissent are defining
elements of a democracy - a word
that seems to be missing from the
Chinese governments dictionary.Beijing also seems confused on
the
concept of human rights, as evi-
dence of its oppression of Tibet, its
repression of religion, its suppres-
sion of free thought and its com-
plicity in the Sudanese atrocities in
Darfur.
There is very good reason that
people will be gathering on the
streets of San Francisco to make
sure that Chinas moment in the
sun is accompanied by a message
of the worlds outrage about the
enduring darkness of its govern-
ment practices. All we ask is that
the protesters make their point in
a civil, nonviolent manner. Regret-
tably, the demonstrations in Paris
took an ugly, chaotic turn, forcing
the torch run to be cut short.
After all, the torch run also rep-
resents something worth celebrat-
ing, the approaching of a quadren-
nial world gathering for 16 days of
fellowship and pursuit of the high-
est level of athletic achievement.
In ancient Greece, wars were put
on hold during the Games.
In modern times, unfortu-
nately, the Games have not been a
refuge from terrorism or national
disputes. They have been marred
by boycotts (most notably Moscow1980 and Los Angeles 1984),
ter-
rorism (Munich 1972 and Atlanta
1996) and slaughter of protesters
(Mexico City 1968). The Olympics
themselves have been afflicted by
scandals, from steroids to bribery.
But still, the world comes to-
gether, determined to overcome the
myriad forces that want to stop the
Games. Protesters: Say your piece,
wave your signs, but let thetorch
and its proud bearers proceed in
peace. The torch is not the enemy.
It is bringing the spotlight toward
Beijing.
San Francisco Chronicle, April 8
editorial
ANDREW FLOHR-
SPENCE
[email protected]
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And when the news was over we turned off ourmade-in-China TV,
got up from the made-in-China couch and went to bed between
made-in-China sheets.
