This was pretty damned stupid:
China’s ambassador to Canada called the Dalai Lama a liar Wednesday and said it is irresponsible for people to criticize China’s record on human rights.
In a rare news conference at his embassy, Lu Shumin defended the Chinese military’s crackdown on Tibetan protesters that has brought calls for a boycott of this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing.
“The Dalai Lama has presented himself to be a peaceful, angel-like figure, for such a long time,” Lu said. “If you look at what the Dalai Lama is, what Tibet was like before 1959, you will find out really what Dalai Lama was and still is.”
Asked why many in Western countries support Tibetans’ protests against rule by China, Lu said the Dalai Lama “has been telling lies to the world for decades.”
Lu also said that “any remarks made accusing China of so-called human rights suppression, I consider that irresponsible and inappropriate, and it’s interference in China’s internal issues.”
“Don’t make me whip-out my leet fuckin’ search-fu on yo’ ass!” Lu boasted in closing.
China is gross and the Olympics are gay except this year they’re gross and gay. Bush really should send like someone else to represent the U.S. there. Maybe like Carrot Top’s not doing anything.
crap. gross and gay … The Olympics. In China. I blame a bunch of broadcast network tv watching losers really. Maybe Tivo will fuck it up a lot this year. That and the gay.
I bet they do that gay-assed walking contest again this year.
And the stupid little girls with their ribbon on a stick. I’ll be rushing home from work for that.
Dad please, can I, huh? Please please please.
Ack.
“Men’s rhythmic gymnastics”? When I was in junior high school, that phrase would have meant something that, well, I don’t think we would have ever expected to win an Olympic medal for it.
Ah, jeez. I was just looking on Youtube for that SNL bit about men’s sychronized swimming and I found out there really is men’s synchronized swimming now. I fear the end is near.
I thought Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics was Cirque du Soleil.
–“I consider that irresponsible and inappropriate, and it’s interference in China’s internal issues.â€Â
– …..Ok…..is the damned mike off…..huh….it is…..listen,we’ve got to go in there and crush those Dalai fucks before they start giving the rest of our 1 billion suppressed citizens any ideas….I mean damn sam…..whats with all thif holier than thou god bothering human rights crap these days…..Ching Ling…..get you ass in gear boy…..Now!…..
Guess what the Gleens will be TiVo’ing?
This is sort of fun.
One of the staples of the Latté Liberals for years has been the FREE TIBET! bumper sticker on the Volvo or Prius. They didn’t intend to do anything about it, of course — that’s too coarse and common for anyone so elevated — but by advocating it they could be seen to Do Something and bask in the glow of their own reflected virtue.
But — multiculturalism originated as a way for the Soviet Union to get a free pass. Opening a McDonald’s was Cultural Imperialism, to be decried with full throat by every leftist on the planet; sending a division of the Red Army to install a puppet regime was War of National Liberation, to be equally enthusiastically approved by the same chorus. Now arrives the collision.
The Soviets were Russians, and the Russian elite has always imagined itself as part of the West (which they are, though a fringe part). They did things based on their (skewed, but real) appreciation of how the West works, and they were pretty good at it, especially in the matter of raising up credible catspaws. When the tanks rolled in or the Spetsnaz started assassinating the opposition, they always had enough locals prepared to declare eternal chumship with the Socialist Brotherhood to at least put a patina of righteousness on it.
The Chinese know the words, but the tune eludes them. The stereotypical Russian attitude is an inferiority complex; the equivalent among the Chinese is an overwhelming sense of their own superiority to anything outside the Middle Kingdom. The Russians were always able to make a somewhat-convincing show about Only Being There to Help. The Chinese can’t even approximate it. They are, however, members in good standing of the Left — Socialist dicatorship and all — and the world Left is obliged to at least try to give them the same pass as the Soviets got, on the same ground.
Now there’s Tibet. The Chinese have been trying hard to get the Dalai Lama to serve the purpose of catspaw, like Fidel or the Czech guy who invited the tanks in, but they cannot do it because their actions are obviously not merely imperialist but colonialist — they intend to displace the Tibetans entirely. The Left is left(!) with a dilemma: Free Tibet, or Socialist Brotherhood? Not an easy choice.
Regards,
Ric
I’m not checked out on what Tibet offers that China wants or needs, in the way of economic benefits. There’s nothing much growing there I wouldn’t think, no resources that are easily mined; why the interest? Why trouble themselves; is tourism that important? To suffer the bad press and exposure?
National pride, maybe? Pride goeth before a fall…
It’s a buffer I think. A security thing. That’s my guess anyway.
India is scary cause the Chinese know that they’re the future.
The Chinese are the borg of reality. They assimilate cultures that they encounter. It’s an amazing feat of Chinese culture that it has survived invasion after invasion of outside rulership. The conquerors don’t impose their culture on the Chinese, the Chinese have always made their conquerors Chinese. When Tibet is done, they’ll move on to something else.
But it is. The ChiCom’s on point (sort of).
The last incarnation of “free” Tibet was more oppressive than China is. So the left is nostalgic for it. If we were still mid-Cultural Revolution, they’d go the other way — just like they actually did.
There’s never any question what side they’ll be on: whoever’s worse. What’s fun is guessing how they’ll rationalize it. Tibet was an odd outlier; they did’t rationalize it. There was no party line, only a slogan, a Beastie Boys concert with the slogan as its name, and Richard Gere. But that’s all it took.
The hive becomes ever more efficient.
EDIT:
Not content to suppress free speech in only his own county, Lu also said that “any remarks made accusing China of so-called human rights suppression, I consider that irresponsible and inappropriate, and it’s interference in China’s internal issues.â€Â
One of my most beloved Chinese students, on arriving in this country (and Oregon specifically – yes, liberal nutsy-doodle capitol of the world) was incredulous of all the “Free Tibet” bumper stickers. She claims she’s going to fashion a “Free Alaska” bumper sticker for her car because it makes as much sense. Her experience has been that most of the folks with bumper stickers know nothing about the actual issues surrounding Tibet. She cracks me up!
I want one of her stickers when she gets them.
China Olympics is not gay!!!!!1111!!!!111!11
That’s just stew-pud! Any country that builds an Olympic stadium explicitly resembling a vagina is totally straight! Proof.
Proof = http://www.geekologie.com/images/2006/06/china-stadium-vagina.jpg
Complete with water feature.
Moscovites love McDonald’s because McD’s produces the perfect proletarian food – fast, efficient, economical. The utilitarian burger in a box is Soviet era genuis like nothing else.
Ric, of that colorful pre-Soviet Russian/European history when kings and queens were called tsars and the elitney preferred to speak in French, flip back a few chapters and check it out.
I have yet to encounter one with glowy light rays emanating from the center. If I do you all will certainly -not- be the first to know.
(and keep the “yet to encounter” jokes to yourself)
There is very clear evidence that China actually incited, started and carried out the riots, arson larceny and beatings in Lhasa.
Just like they’ve done so time and again before, in order to discredit the peaceful protesting Tibetans.
While blaming the riots on the Dalai Lama clique, does it get any more perverse?
But look for this unsavoury story in the popular media and you won’t find any mention of it.
Sadly, the CCP cabal’s only legitimate claim to membership of the human race is their appearance.
Wow. A vagina that seats 75,000. Was Rosie O’Donnell the model?
Yeah! It’s none o’ yer bidness how we slaughter our unwilling slave populations!
Ya know, I’d pay money to see a huge zeppelin crash into that stadium.
For the imagery.
Well, in his defense, Tibet under the Buddhist regime wasn’t exactly a place of liberty and freedom.
Well, China’s still wrong cause you can’t impose authoritarianism on people at the point of a gun, Christopher. They have to want it for themselves.
Yeah I agree, and their version of tyranny is worse than the Buddhists enforced. I just wanted to point out that the Dalai Lama isn’t exactly devoid of human blame.
Are we sure that’s not a Chinese asshole? I’d hate to get the wrong idea on this one.