Random thoughts on Tibet...

Because I feel most people base their views primarily on emotion I have always thought of myself as one that looks more at fact. My strong negative views to the long running struggles of Tibet and China's recent crackdown there I thought was well reasoned and based on information I had read and processed logically. This was challenged recently by a conversation I had with a friend in world on the subject. After talking a bit and me spouting off my view, my friend asked me a few very good questions.. (It should be noted that my friend is an immigrant from China)

Friend: so you are basing your stance on what you have read and heard in the news over the years?

Me: Well yes...

Friend: news that is written in 30 second sound bites designed, in your own words, to get your attention and shock

Me: erm... well... yes that is true. But also from alternative sources like blogs and the like.

Friend: Blogs written by whom? Are they really reporting simple facts or is the information begin spun to match a political point.

Me: erm... Well... (seeing a trend here?)

Friend: Do you have any knowledge in your vast readings of the state of the region? Now vs. Communist rule from Beijing?

Me: Yes, several articles written in recent years on the subject!

Friend: And the authors of these articles have no political viewpoint on the subject they were writing about? The articles where written as a purely scholarly exercise and not to expound on a political view?

Me: erm...

Friend: Would you willingly live in a society that demanded you to be a Christian and follow strict christian law? Where your most conservative Christian preachers made the laws and ran everything? Who decided who would be would become part of the ruling elite?

Me: erm.... (by now I'm getting very good at this sound)

Friend laughs at me: Its nice to turn the tables on you every once in a while.

now... at this point I have to admit that my views on the subject ARE based mostly on an emotional response to an oppressive communist government and a naive and very limited understanding what religious rule is based on Buddhism. I'm going to have to do more reading so I can reduce the use of the "erm" sound in my next conversation on the subject.

It sucks to find that I'm just like everyone else.