Here’s an interesting example of an opinion piece on Tibet:

The world has watched in horror recently as Tibetan monks, nuns and laypeople engaged in peaceful demonstrations have been met with brutality by the Chinese People’s Armed Police. Tibet’s descent into chaos and violence is heartbreaking. As has been made clear by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has dedicated his life to peacefully promoting the Tibetan people’s legitimate aspirations for cultural autonomy and survival, lasting peace and meaningful change must be achieved through nonviolent means.

Is life ever this black and white?

April 1, 2008 @ 6:00 pm | Comment

I like how she capitalized “His”.

(I first had to check whether to write ‘he’ or ‘she’ for that sentence, and unexpectedly gained important information about the writer. It sure helps understand the tone of the article.)

April 1, 2008 @ 8:23 pm | Comment

Its actual all very simple.

Can a bug ever build a computer? Can 1000 bugs ever build a computer in 100 years? of course not. Why not? Because it is far beyond their comprehension.

a bug knows more about computers than we could ever know about reality. We can say what we want but in absolute reality it is all meaningless

Although that is meaningless; we do have some type of perception or consciousness. Even though our absolute reality is infinite (+ and -); our consciousness/perception is finite. We all will one day loose our life our job our wife our car our shoes our etc. Why be afraid of something that has already found us?

so all we are doing is entertaining ourselves with this talk or maybe even upsetting ourselves. I can say that no-one has the power to ever upset me

the point i make is that all is right and all is wrong per our limited and finite life/perception/consciousness

Best Regards

April 1, 2008 @ 8:25 pm | Comment

China rules the world in the future!!

http://tinyurl.com/2nwmwg

April 1, 2008 @ 9:06 pm | Comment

@Hai Tun

Several bugs managed to build the most sophisticated computers. Have you forget evolution? We were all bugs not a long time ago.
It took some time though

On the other hand a bug itself is more sophisticated than the most complex computers we can today make or think of.
Can also be very cheaply “manufactured” in huge quantities anywhere, no need to outsource its production to China….

Several models available, great variety in colors and shapes too. 😉

April 1, 2008 @ 9:19 pm | Comment

China rules the world in the future? perhaps and i am preparing accordingly

Bugs/computers/etc:
yes but then it wouldn’t be a bug that built the computer. It would be a human or some being with our similar abilities

if evolution went from bug to human (and it didn’t exactly of course) that evolutionary period would be far less than the time from human to a being that could understand reality. The factor would be enormous in my opinion. Thus as stated above a bug knows more about computers than we do about reality

BR,
HT

April 1, 2008 @ 10:04 pm | Comment

@Hai Tun
“Thus as stated above a bug knows more about computers than we do about reality”

Hhhmm… Maybe I can finally find some cheap software engineers…… 😉

April 1, 2008 @ 10:08 pm | Comment

TV show 24 guides US public opinion on China:
http://experiencenotlogic.blogspot.com/2008/04/24-effect.html

April 2, 2008 @ 12:54 am | Comment

“”””Thus as stated above a bug knows more about computers than we do about reality”””””

So I guess by that rational, you could easily be wrong (-;

ha ha,

I guess you might be right, computers are sickningly mundane compared to reality, then again, computers are part of reality and we may think we understandd computers, but in the grand scheme of things, do we understand computers? Arent they part of the reality that we dont understand???

If we dont understand ‘realiy’ and we do understand computers, then that means computers are not part of reality and how messed up would that be, I couldnt understand it!!

April 2, 2008 @ 2:57 am | Comment

I’m such a capricorn… (-; (if that all makes sense)

April 2, 2008 @ 2:59 am | Comment

@snow
“but in the grand scheme of things, do we understand computers? Arent they part of the reality that we dont understand???”

I have problems with my computer…..

😉

April 2, 2008 @ 3:10 am | Comment

Yeah, like i totally know whatchou mean! (-: he he he

!

April 2, 2008 @ 3:48 am | Comment

Well, I was reading through some of the last comments regarding the situation in Tibet..

I got an impression that the Chinese people living in Europe get quite a lot of questions these days. For example, today we met our tea-reseller who brought a wonderful fresh Lung Ching for us to Prague. He started talking about Tibet by himself, I did not mention anything; he complained that everybody here in the Czech republic keeps asking him about that thing and he seemed really disappointed by the fact that nobody here wants to hear his opinions.

I have a respect for China, because I see there is still some culture left despite the pessimistic predictions of western observers of the ‘cultural revolution’.
I also was there in 2003 – the people were simply pursuing friendship with white men and women so much that we were both flattered and embarrased. We coped it in our national way – making jokes out of that.
I think China wants to be respected, but is not able to abandon their ways. It is only a matter of habit to stop thinking it’s funny to respond to questions about Tibetans by: “Tibetans stink”, “Bah!”, “All tibetans are crazy”, “Dalailama is evil”, “Look at these americans”, “Tibet is a historical part of China”, “There are even no hotels in Tibet!” etc. (all of them I have heard from Chinese)

April 2, 2008 @ 7:18 am | Comment

“TV show 24 guides US public opinion on China:”

That’s wrong. It’s the WalMart commercials.

April 2, 2008 @ 8:55 am | Comment

I got an impression that the Chinese people living in Europe get quite a lot of questions these days.

Interesting observation. By contrast, Europeans in China NEVER get bothered about political questions. You can just stroll the streets just as you like, completely unmolested.

April 2, 2008 @ 11:17 am | Comment

If American public opinion was guided by Wal-Mart, there would never be any discussion of protectionism.

None.

April 2, 2008 @ 11:37 am | Comment

Indeed, Will, everything that I know about China, I’ve learned from 24. Actually, just kidding, I’ve never seen it.
Interesting correlation, but correlations are, well… you could use similar logic to say that the sun rises every morning just because cocks crow.
Could the news stories by any chance be related to the actual unfolding of current events? God forbid that any “negative” news story about China could be a product of reality!
Of course, if you just meant this “study” to be a kind of fun joke, maybe I’m being too serious…

April 2, 2008 @ 2:43 pm | Comment

Don’t know if this is old or new, but it’s definitely quite funny for April Fool’s Day:
http://tinyurl.com/27jn8k

April 2, 2008 @ 3:21 pm | Comment

Since I know whats happening in China and I feel very alone a lot of the time because what I know is concealed and most people dont believe it or care, I dont laugh too much these days, but, one thing that makes me laugh is when the party is sooo stupid and shoots itself in the foot.

Kevin,

That is funny stuff. I wish there were no CCP, but since there is one, I might as well laugh at their stupidity. I also feel happy for the onion cause they have tapped into a vast world of stupidity to mock.

April 3, 2008 @ 12:20 am | Comment

Another exceptionally outspoken opinion piece. Looks like the “b” word is gaining traction.

April 3, 2008 @ 12:50 pm | Comment

As well it should. If you are for the Olympics, you are against humanity.

April 3, 2008 @ 2:38 pm | Comment

Tell that to the Dalai Lama, nanhe.

April 3, 2008 @ 3:51 pm | Comment

The Party made promises about change and “freedom” in exchange for having the Olympics in a country whose political system is essentially trapped in the Middle Ages. Clearly, judging by the roundups of people in Beijing and the events in Tibet, these promises were false, as I have long imagined them to be. Thus, the Chinese government should not be able to use the Olympics as a platform to pat themselves on the back. A boycott (I only support a complete boycott of the opening ceremonies) might not solve anything, but it will send a message in a peaceful way, that a government that continually disrespects the rights of its citizens and lies to the international community does not deserve the support and respect of the world.
(of course, I can guess what some will say, and am eagerly awaiting the US analogy in response… anything less predictable?)

April 3, 2008 @ 11:22 pm | Comment

I wish we could suuport the Chinese people without supporting the party. The CCP has made that pretty difficult on purpose I guess. I mean, you cant even do business in China without somehow supporting the party, or can you?

I think the reporters without borders arm bands that say freedom are a good thing, or just make up your own tshirts that say, I support the people, not the party….And show up just like that.

Because I think if people are gonna do something (which I think they should…. … …) then they should make it clear to the Chinese people that they DO support China and the people, just not the party. We make think the Chinese people would know that but they do not, they think the people, the country and the party are the same. when people criticize ‘China’ they do not mean China, they mean the political policies, but the Chinese people take it as a personal insult and anti China racism, its all weirded up…

So people should be clear, I think the Olympics in China can be nice for the people, a nice international sporting event, good for opening up and good for unity and moral. But, we who know the deal should not loose the chance to get a message to the Chinese people about freedom and justice…

thanks for the interesting posts guys (-;

(-:

April 4, 2008 @ 3:33 am | Comment

Snow makes a good point. Among all the comments I see from various places, most decent people understand that oppression is bad, and comment as such. And then there are the few who “agree” with the majority by making comments like “China must be taught a lesson” and “the Chinese need to know their place.” It’s disgusting at best, and I can only imagine how the CCP propagandists can quote such opinions to further their claim that it’s the West against the Chinese people. If that’s not sending the enemy ammunition, I don’t know what is.
But even if we were to say “we’re not against the Chinese people, only against the CCP,” would we necessarily be delivering the right message? One reason the CCP is so successful at binding China to itself is that, starting from first grade, the best and the brightest students are groomed to eventually enter the party. Those with the most integrity, kindness, intelligence, etc., are very likely either in the CCP or one of its organizations for younger people. Even today, with corruption running amuck and such, in many rural places in China, saying someone is a member of the CCP is almost like saying he/she is one of the most virtuous and well-respected people in the area. There are those officials who would drown themselves in blood money, and then there are more who honestly believe that they are there to help/serve the people, and the latter are seen as the role models, the “true” party members.
Over the years, I have noticed a large basic discrepancy between the common “West” perception of the CCP and the common Chinese perception. While the free world wails away at the evils of Communism, few seem to stop and consider why the Chinese people chose the CCP, to start with. The answer is pretty simple, actually. While we cherish our right to hang on to the fruits of our labor (taxes paid to help protect said fruits, regardless of what the government actually does with the money), the Chinese at the time were asking for pretty much the same thing. The peasant would like to not die from starvation, and the weaver would like to not die from exposure. The CCP, advocating Chinese flavored Communism, promised that, whereas all previous powers that be, foreign or domestic, proved to fail in that respect (and let’s not think about how horribly we failed at presenting a good image at the time). In their simple down-to-earth minds, the Chinese people did not mind sharing the fruits of their labor with the less fortunate (whether required to do so by law was too fine a distinction for them to make), as long as they could actually keep enough to share, instead of losing everything to taxes and fines. Imagine a society where everyone able to work, worked, and everyone took only what they needed, as they needed. That was (and still is, for some) the ideal behind Chinese Communism. That everyone would work to the best of their effort was an unquestioned given, whether such an assumption could be called naive or innocent. (Funny how some people would consider such a social system admirable in a Native American tribe, but absolutely evil when associated with the Chinese, but I digress.) Reality, of course, proved such innocence to be fatal.
This post had a point, at some point. The punchline is, down with oppression, whether the jerks picking on other people are members of the Communist Party, Nationalist Party, or Democratic Party (Republican?).

April 8, 2008 @ 7:39 am | Comment