As everybody knows, it was always a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ stunt protesters would descend on the Beijing Olympics. Sure enough, today somebody climbed a 100-foot electrical pole near the Olympic Green to fly a “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet” flag for the length of time it took the Beijing Fire Department and PSB to arrive and take it down. The protesters were all–unsurprisingly–foreigners.
But back to the if/when thing…I’ve maintained all along that China risks losing face in the international court of public opinion not because such stunts will happen (they will, nothing can change that) but what the reaction will be by official representatives on the ground, especially toward any media outlets interested enough to cover such protests. The answer so far: Not well.
ESPN Blogger Arty Berko is in Beijing covering the games as a credentialed journalist. Following word of an ‘incident’ at the Green, he rode his bike over to check it out. Berko reports:
There was a crowd of about 100 people down the hill from where the post was located; policemen were located at the top of the hill, closer to the post.
I dropped my bike and started taking pictures. After a few minutes, I wanted to try to talk to the man up on the post. So, I climbed up the hill to get a closer look. I yelled out, “Hey buddy, who are you?” The policemen turned and looked at me, but didn’t react. But then, a man in civilian clothes (he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt) started screaming at me and tried to wave me away.
I held up my credential and yelled out, “TV! Media! Press!”
The man kept yelling, speaking mostly in Mandarin; but through some broken English, he pointed to the stadium, saying, “You’re only here for [this].” He was implying that I was only here to cover the Games and this protest was none of my business. Then, he screamed, “Who are you? Who are you?” I kept trying to explain I was credentialed media.
Some of the policemen walked toward me and grabbed me by the arm. They were angry and aggressive while holding on to me, yelling in my face. But I still kept yelling, “TV! Media! Press! TV! Media! Press!” The policemen were speaking into their walkie-talkies, but I didn’t understand what they were saying.
I then went back to the bottom of the hill and took more pictures. By that point, a fire truck pulled up and moved a cherry picker up the pole to try to bring down the protester. The same civilian came down the hill and started screaming at me again. Some of the onlookers joined in, and I was circled by people who started pushing and shoving me, screaming and pointing to the stadium. I never got hit or punched, but I was definitely physically accosted. I was trying to be smart about it and I wasn’t hitting anyone, but I kept yelling, “Media! Press!”
Am I the only one who thinks that before the Games are all over there is going to be at least one ugly incident involving a foreign journalist, the police and/or hopped-up Chinese spectators? 
For what it’s worth, I think the kinds of stunt protests the four activists pulled this morning are more self-aggrandizing than anything else. If people were serious about reaching out and trying to effect change, they might start by writing the signs in Chinese. (UPDATE: Several are reporting that there were also Chinese signs as well.)
That said, if the ensuing confrontation was any indication of how the local boyos and the PSB react to protests/media spectacles during the games, then we’re in for a rocky few weeks.
1
By bw
Is this incident really that bad for PR for the government? There is no evidence that the plain clothed guy was related to the authority, and the police were given orders to not interfere with the media and they didn’t as shown until some signs of an ugly scene and trouble shows up that they grabbed the reporter. I see that as protecting the journalist from mob anger. They don’t want any incidents, even the ones that doesn’t hurt them. Pulling the media card against civilian is useless. The authorities have no obligations to order civilians to stop and would receive no gratitude from the journalists and plenty anger from civilians if they were to do so. Do the journalists expects full protection from the police against common people venting their dissatisfaction at foreign media?
August 6, 2008 @ 2:19 pm | Comment
2
By otherlisa
I consider myself a pretty seasoned observer of China – after all I have been going there since 1979. I have to admit though, I’ve been surprised by how flat-footed the government was caught about the protests associated with the Olympics. Anyone who has paid any attention to the Olympics movement in, oh, the last 80 years or so knows that they are a political event. I don’t expect all levels of government in China to be sophisticated about how the rest of the world operates, but the people in power in the central government are pretty savvy. It really shocked me that the Tibetan protests seemed to take them by surprise. Because you take on the Olympics, this is one of the things that comes with.
Well, I am looking forward to the whole experience. I think. In any case, I’ll be there with cameras on.
August 6, 2008 @ 2:20 pm | Comment
3
By Jeremiah
FWIW, I suspect he thought the person in civilian clothes might have been plain clothes PSB. As for protection, I don’t think journalists need fear people civilly expressing their views (Hell, I’m a historian and I still had some yahoo harangue me for 25 minutes in the subway last week about Der Spiegel), but being verbally and physically harassed I suspect might be a problem
August 6, 2008 @ 2:25 pm | Comment
4
By Sam_S
Der Spiegel, fer chrissakes?!
Mmm, flashing your press “credential” to a group of angry citizens sounds like a neutral-to-counterproductive idea. In China, the press covers the “right” things or gets the hell beat out of them. Might oughta tell them you’re Canadian or something.
August 6, 2008 @ 2:42 pm | Comment
5
By Sam_S
PS. For what it’s worth, this is probably not just a government thing: My commie-hating wife scolded me for photographing worker shacks beside gleaming new buildings. “Why you wanna show bad things?” I guess “realism” and stark contrasts don’t go over well in the whole culture, in general.
August 6, 2008 @ 2:46 pm | Comment
6
By Si
bad pr for the government doesn’t really matter, because people will distinguish between the govt and the people. however if ordinary people are seen to be joining in beating a foreign protestor/journalist then people’s opinion of china in the world at large will plummet. the point is, bw, that people shouldn’t be responding violently however “insulted” or “humiliated” they feel.
August 6, 2008 @ 3:25 pm | Comment
7
By bigdog
bw:
what planet are you on? China uses the plain clothes guys everywhere – see all the torch relay events where they had a troop of paramilitary guys escorting the torch – extra-legally-but of course in track suits. of course he was a plainclothes security guy.
August 6, 2008 @ 3:30 pm | Comment
8
By Overseas Chinese
Fellow Chinese, let’s get ready with our baseball bats & give these bastards a real bloody nose first before our more amicable police arrive! This is the time to show them our guts!
August 6, 2008 @ 3:52 pm | Comment
9
By NAM
[Opening Scene: Focus in on President Bush is in his Beijing hotel room. Hotel phone rings.]
Bush: “Hello. The President of the United States speak’n.”
“Ni xu buxuyao anmo fuwu?”
August 6, 2008 @ 4:01 pm | Comment
10
By Dan
For me, the issue here is not about whether or not the plainclothes guy was from the PSB – maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t. I really don’t care. The real issue is about the people accosting the reporter (blogger?) for simply taking pictures of the scene.
To say that this has nothing to do with the Olympics is silly. If this has nothing to do with the Olympics then people also shouldn’t be taking pictures of the Great Wall because that absolutely has nothing to do with the Olympics.
This situation occurred and intimidating reporters does nothing to help. People have 2 choices, grudgingly accept the fact that news of a protester is likely going to be reported or assault the media and guarantee that you make the story about much much more.
August 6, 2008 @ 4:16 pm | Comment
11
By John G
You’re not the only one who is worried, Jeremiah. I think commenter #8 may be joking, but it scares me all the same.
August 6, 2008 @ 4:18 pm | Comment
12
By nanheyangrouchuan
burn China burn!
August 6, 2008 @ 4:28 pm | Comment
13
By Si
btw, the posters were apparently in chinese and english
August 6, 2008 @ 4:31 pm | Comment
14
By lensovet
some things…
1) there was a second protestor, and that sign *did* have writing in chinese.
2) flashing your media credentials is probably the quickest way to have an angry mob surround you
3) the air in beijing is terrible, as evidenced by the non-existent visibility of background objects in the photo
4) flickr photos from the other american at this event (noneck, mentioned in the espn reporter’s blog post)
August 6, 2008 @ 4:33 pm | Comment
15
By Jeremiah
Si/Lensovet: Thanks for the update and the link, all the pictures I had seen so far were in English. I still think this qualifies more as ‘stunt’ than anything else, but if somebody has the least bit of intent to ‘engage’ the people, then the addition of Chinese is a step in that direction.
August 6, 2008 @ 4:42 pm | Comment
16
By John G
Of course, commenter #12 is even scarier.
August 6, 2008 @ 5:26 pm | Comment
17
By Jshngh45
I thought there weren’t any sites blocked http://freetibet2008.org/
August 6, 2008 @ 6:28 pm | Comment
18
By Theo
Imagine if the next protestors unfurl a banner and the Chinese police just smile and ask them politely to take their photos and leave … and the crowd yawns and move on. It would be a brief flash in the pan, forgotten by tomorrow. But if the police and nationalists go apesh!t, that’s a great story, splashed across our screens.
The story is in the reaction as much as the protest.
August 6, 2008 @ 6:36 pm | Comment
19
By Si
@jeremiah
While I agree with you that it is a stunt, it is hard to see what other means they have at their disposal to get their point across.
@john g
nanhe is all bark and no bite.
@theo
absolutely.
August 6, 2008 @ 7:04 pm | Comment
20
By Raj
Jeremiah, these aren’t the first Olympic protesters – Chinese people have been protesting for quite some time after their houses were torn down and not given any/sufficient compensation for them. They might say things like “we’re not saying the Olympics shouldn’t come to Beijing”, but they’re still protesting their treatment.
As to the term “stunt”, as Si says, what else could they have done – apply to hold a protest in an isolated area and then be turned down by the Police?
I wonder if you are being a bit snobbish about this protest.
August 6, 2008 @ 7:45 pm | Comment
21
By Dumb Laowai
Although I’m blocked, my predictions for the Olympics, as of July 31, are as follow:
At least four terrorist plots will be foiled be the government, with only their word to go on.
Any actual disturbance of the games will be found to be non-terrorist-related.
At least three different people, none of whom could find Tibet on a map, will foolishly attempt to stage a public protest within a sporting venue. These will not be seen on TV and hundreds of video cameras will be inspected and/or seized.
At least two events will be postponed due to air quality. Chinese officials will protest, saying it’s not really that bad.
At least four persons of African descent will be beaten by police.
At least one Chinese mob will go amok after an unexpected loss.
If America finishes highest in the medal count, at least ten of us will be beaten by small groups.
The guy on Wangfujing who sells scorpions and seahorses on a stick will go blind from constant exposure to television camera lights. (A word to the wise: no one here eats that stuff except tourists, but it makes a great story the first hundred or so times.)
Internet service throughout Beijing will crash at least once, and possibly for several days.
Maybe I’m just cranky because I’m hot, sweaty and can’t breathe. Let’s hope none of these actually happen, but don’t hold your breath, especially if you’re in Beijing.
August 6, 2008 @ 7:58 pm | Comment
22
By Bob
I am absolutely disgusted by the inaction and refrain Beijing authority has displayed in its dealing with the foreign saboteurs. Shoot-first-and-ask-later would be the policy of my preference. If you don’t give them an inch, you won’t see a foot.
August 6, 2008 @ 8:11 pm | Comment
23
By Michael Turton
Jeremiah, these aren’t the first Olympic protesters – Chinese people have been protesting for quite some time after their houses were torn down and not given any/sufficient compensation for them.
Raj, that is an excellent point. The whole Tibet Protest thing has this ring of ritual about it that obscures several things, including the relationship between the state and the industrial class that drives both colonialism in Tibet and the destruction of inconvenient homes across China. In a way the ritualistic nature of foreigners protesting on behalf of Tibet obscures the interconnections between the way State power is deployed at home and in China’s expansion abroad.
August 6, 2008 @ 8:38 pm | Comment
24
By Jeremiah
Obviously a protest is a bit in the eye of the beholder, but I tend to put people who are demonstrating over the destruction of their homes in a slightly different category than upper-middle class kids flying halfway around the world, tipping off the news media, and then climbing a pole.
As for the question of protests and Tibet, I might refer people to two excellent posts written last year by long time China blogger and occasional TPD contributor, DavesgoneChina, “Free Advice for the Free Tibet Crowd” and “Engaging the Chinese People.”
August 6, 2008 @ 9:22 pm | Comment
25
By Si
hi jeremiah
i see your point, and yes, i’d agree that many of the protesters know bugger all. nevertheless it has to be said that the ccp has created the situation where dialogue is impossible and that the only form of protest that might succeed are stunts like these. it is not as though these guys can stand on a corner of wangfujing handing out leaflets and engaging the locals in discussion.
August 6, 2008 @ 9:46 pm | Comment
26
By Oli
From Berko’s description it is more likely that locals around thought he was the buddy of the guy on the post (he yelled out to the guy but the locals might not understand what he yelled).
If that’s the case then the reactions of these civilians were quite restrained i.e. nothing really physical. Of course they were “yelling” and “screaming” at him because they were speaking angrily in a language he doesn’t understand. Of course the policemen were yelling at him because they might be warning him of the situation he’d got himself into.
That Berko jerko should be grateful that there weren’t any real fengqin around at the time, or that the policemen were at site.
I think the best reaction of the authorities should be to leave the banners there until the end of the Game.
August 6, 2008 @ 10:22 pm | Comment
27
By Serve the People
We all know the free Tibet activists are publicity seeking jerks. The question is how China should handle them. The Olympics provide a learning experience, a kind of a blessing in disguise. Eventually China will have to learn the art of understatement. Speak softly and carry a big stick. Instead of using bombastic rhetorics against the Dalai, try to hunt down a few militant separatists, such as the members of the Tibetan Youth Congress. Bring justice to them. Fight them over there so we don’t have to deal with them over here.
August 6, 2008 @ 10:31 pm | Comment
28
By nanheyangrouchuan
From:
RUMS
To:
xinjiang15@netscape.net
Cc:
Bcc:
Date:
Mon, 4 Aug 2008 4:02 am
Hello,
I am reporter of a German school magazine and we want to publish an article
about the real China. Because of your blog:
link we decided that you would be a good author
for a text in our magazine. Unfortunatly we can´t pay anything for
articles in our newspaper. But it would be a good chance to make your blog
more famous. I hope you´ll answer us.
RUMS
German award winning school magazine
August 6, 2008 @ 10:48 pm | Comment
29
By Marc
To Overseas Chinese, you need to read CND.ORG. There are many overseas Chinese over there. You might learn something.
August 6, 2008 @ 11:11 pm | Comment
30
By Richard
Wow, lamb chops, a “German school magazine.” Sounds like you’ve hit the big time. You must be in 7th heaven.
Jeremiah, thanks for the great post.
August 6, 2008 @ 11:13 pm | Comment
31
By Raj
Obviously a protest is a bit in the eye of the beholder, but I tend to put people who are demonstrating over the destruction of their homes in a slightly different category than upper-middle class kids flying halfway around the world, tipping off the news media, and then climbing a pole
Now you see, Jeremiah, you’re not even trying to be non-partisan. How do you know that they’re “upper-middle class”? Do you have access to these protestors’ bank accounts? Do you have details of their parents’ salaries? I am sure they are not horribly poor, but you were quite clearly taking a swipe at them for being, in your mind, relatively wealthy when you know nothing about them. More importantly, so what if they’re “upper-middle class”? Do only working class scrubs born to abusive, alcoholic parents, who clawed their way up the greasy poll have a right to protest in foreign countries?
As Si said, there is no other way to protest because the CCP has clamped down on visible protest. I think the blog entries you linked to are at least in part a rather sad joke:
Make some friends on myspace – what is that going to do? These protests might be “stunts”, but they get international media attention that keeps their subject matter in people’s minds. And learn Chinese – yes, clearly that’s what some of them must have done if they had a banner in English and Chinese.
August 6, 2008 @ 11:35 pm | Comment
32
By Serve the People
@Jeremiah, Si and Raj
The free Tibet activists do have another way to fight China for what they believe the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet. They can pick up a rifle, form an International Brigade, and take on the People’s Liberation Army. Not long ago many brave foreigners did just that to Franco’s Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.
But the Free Tibet activists are cowards. They are more comfortable being a media whore.
August 6, 2008 @ 11:59 pm | Comment
33
By otherlisa
Fellow Chinese, let’s get ready with our baseball bats & give these bastards a real bloody nose first before our more amicable police arrive! This is the time to show them our guts!
Bob, I hope you are not serious. The greater the reaction, the more attention the protesters get. And that’s not what you want, is it?
The government’s fear of protests is what gives them their power.
August 7, 2008 @ 12:35 am | Comment
34
By ecodelta
@serve the people
Today you could deal with the DL, and you demonize him.
Tomorrow you will have to deal with an Osama Bin Laden like demo, and you will find harder to deal with.
In the end, you may finally miss the DL.
A lost opportunity?
August 7, 2008 @ 1:00 am | Comment
35
By PB
That banner should read “One World, One Dream, One Bottom Line” instead. Nothing says athletic prowess like a Big Mac and a Coke. Why just a free Tibet? What about the rest of China? Han people have feelings too.
And c’mon, how is the reaction to this even news? All these security personnel are probably scared shitless that someone higher up will have their heads if something ‘undesirable’ happens on their watch (like people climbing up a utility pole with Free Tibet banners). I almost feel bad for them. Would YOU want to be the security guard/police officer that ruined the Olympics?
August 7, 2008 @ 1:36 am | Comment
36
By Marc
How could there hasn’t been any Free Falung Gong protests yet? My bet is that China will kill any FLG protestors, foreign or Chinese. That’s something the CCP is sobsultely afraid of. I feel sorry for all those FLG followers in China.
August 7, 2008 @ 3:06 am | Comment
37
By Marc
The first sentence in #36 should read:
How come there …?
August 7, 2008 @ 3:07 am | Comment
38
By Pffefer
These foreign protesters (ranging from the “Free Tibet” freaks, “Jesus is King” fanatics to “Abortion is evil” lunatics) are really a joke. They came all the way from wherever they came from (apparently there is more for the Chinese to learn from the Americans when it comes to issuing visas) to Beijing to protest in English (who the heck understands their broken Chinese?), for what? For some 15-second fame? Most Chinese, regardless of how the Chinese authorities will handle these flies, will look at them with utter disdain and disgust.
Why did they come to Beijing in the first place? Do they really care about Tibet, Christianity in China and abortion? Not really. They are not out to “engage” or communicate the Chinese on these issues, they are here to embarrass the Chinese authorities, knowing that foreign journalists will be there waiting for them to capture every bit of the show they put on. A bunch of Shabi’s.
August 7, 2008 @ 6:10 am | Comment
39
By TruWarier
Yeah right, come right into China’s heart to humiliate Chinese, that’s really clever! That’s gonna drastically help on Tibetans’ cause!
You ‘ve gotta be kidding yourself if you think CCP fears stunts like this, there might me some low level party dogs running around to clean up their asses, but I bet ya some high level CCP thinktankers hiding in the corner are loving this, they were probably counting on this too.
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/beijing/archive/2008/08/04/even-state-media-must-break-records.aspx
If it’s too long for you just skip to the last two paragraphs.
August 7, 2008 @ 6:28 am | Comment
40
By Serve the People
@ecodelta
The exile Tibetans have no stomach for Bin Laden, or even Arafat, style struggle. The majority of the Dharamsala people don’t really want to return to Tibet. They want to immigrate to the West. Look at Dalai Lama’s own family. His brothers have become Canadian citizens, although he asks his Tibetan followers to keep their refuge status and not to accept Indian citizenship.
The exiles are lead by former aristocrats and serf owners. These types are hypocrites and cowards. Ordinary Tibetans will not risk their lives for these people.
August 7, 2008 @ 10:38 am | Comment
41
By lensovet
wow, so apparently for the tibetans to be successful, they must take up an armed resistance? what? do we have any other ingenious ideas here, i’m sure the tibetans are running out of ideas of how to make changes to their current situation.
yes, it’s a stunt. the point isn’t necessarily to engage in a dialogue but more importantly to call people’s attention to this issue, so that others (not the protesters themselves) can put pressure on the chinese government (if that’s possible). plus, we all know how well starting a dialogue went over the last time someone tried.
August 7, 2008 @ 11:55 am | Comment
42
By Serve the People
@Jeremiah and Raj
The Free Tibeters are not upper-middle class. They are white upper-middle class. I have not seen a single black person in this movement. Why is this crowd so homogeneous? Where is the diversity in this cause?
August 7, 2008 @ 12:49 pm | Comment
43
By sp
Ordinary Tibetans will not risk their lives for these people.
Instead of engaging in these meaningless rhetorics,why not give the real autonomy that the ordinary people in Tibet deserved?
August 7, 2008 @ 2:40 pm | Comment
44
By sp
They can pick up a rifle, form an International Brigade, and take on the People’s Liberation Army.
Mahatma Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi and Martin Luther King did not pick up AK-47s and form an International Brigade. But did this make them cowards?
In fact, those who rely on firepower, plant bombs and hold unarmed civilians hostages are the real cowards.
August 7, 2008 @ 2:48 pm | Comment
45
By sp
These foreign protesters (ranging from the “Free Tibet” freaks, “Jesus is King” fanatics to “Abortion is evil” lunatics) are really a joke. They came all the way from wherever they came from (apparently there is more for the Chinese to learn from the Americans when it comes to issuing visas) to Beijing to protest in English (who the heck understands their broken Chinese?), for what? For some 15-second fame? Most Chinese, regardless of how the Chinese authorities will handle these flies, will look at them with utter disdain and disgust.
Then let them perform their silly acts if you think they are mere jokers. If they are shallow attention-seekers, people would judge for themselves and write them off. If you deal with them very seriously, it just mean that you take those jokers seriously after all, isn’t it?
August 7, 2008 @ 2:53 pm | Comment
46 Posted at aletheia.se
[…] http://www.pekingduck.org/2008/08/the-first-protesters-arrive/ […]
August 7, 2008 @ 3:20 pm | Pingback
47 Posted at blog.foolsmountain.com
[…] nimble protesters, whose antics are aptly summed up by Jeremiah (of the Granite Studio fame) in a comment at the Peking Duck as upper-middle class kids flying halfway around the world, tipping off the news media, and then […]
August 7, 2008 @ 4:21 pm | Pingback
48
By tom
Every exit/entrance to the Square has military checkpoints. There are uniformed and plainclothes authorities all over, as well as video cameras. You would have to be extremely naive or wilfully stupid to think you can do whatever you want or even take pictures of whatever you want in the Square at your leisure.
August 7, 2008 @ 4:23 pm | Comment
49
By Bird nest
There would probably be more of such stunts during the games.
August 7, 2008 @ 5:27 pm | Comment
50
By Serve the People
@sp
Ghandi and King lost their lives for their causes, and Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 20 years.
What personal sacrifice has the Dalai Lama endured? He hangs out with the Hollywood type. He spends more time in rich Western countries than in Dhamsala. When was the last time he went to a poor, developing country? He stays in presidential suites at five star hotels when he travels. Last time I heard about him, he was in Aspen, Colorado. So much for the life style of a simple monk.
And don’t get me started with this nonsense about the Universe in a Single Atom. What a fraud!
August 7, 2008 @ 7:12 pm | Comment
51
By Hemulen
@Serve the People
What personal sacrifice has the Dalai Lama endured?
Spot on. Or we can put it like this: what personal sacrifice has any Tibetans refugee ever made?
China is always right.
August 7, 2008 @ 7:31 pm | Comment
52
By Si
Some more protests – this is only the beginning I should imagine…..
Protest on the square
http://tinyurl.com/57t4eb
Letter to the authorities
http://tinyurl.com/5chaz8
August 7, 2008 @ 8:00 pm | Comment
53
By Raj
Spot on. Or we can put it like this: what personal sacrifice has any Tibetans refugee ever made?
Having to leave their homes, probably never to return? I’d call that a sacrifice.
August 7, 2008 @ 8:52 pm | Comment
54
By Si
or getting shot in the back whilst trying to flee across the border and dying. i’d also call that a sacrifice
August 7, 2008 @ 9:09 pm | Comment
55
By Si
and, anyway, what have the romans ever done for us?
August 7, 2008 @ 9:23 pm | Comment
56
By Hemulen
No Tibetan has ever been shot crossing the border. If that happened I’m sure every Chinese students’ association in the world would mobilize all their resources to protest the PLA shooting on their unarmed compatriots.
August 8, 2008 @ 1:17 am | Comment
57
By Raj
If that happened I’m sure every Chinese students’ association in the world would mobilize all their resources to protest the PLA shooting on their unarmed compatriots.
Except that usually whenever Tibetans are shot:
a) the Chinese government denies it
b) it labels the victims “terrorists” or otherwise make them out to be the bad guys
In which case most Chinese will usually take Beijing’s side and show no regard for the Tibetans.
August 8, 2008 @ 1:35 am | Comment
58
By Raj
Furthermore, and this is rather sad, despite regular comments from Chinese that Tibetans are “Chinese compatriots” or some such, I have a suspicion that most look down on Tibetans and don’t actually care much about them even when they suspect they’re being treated badly.
August 8, 2008 @ 1:38 am | Comment
59
By Hemulen
it labels the victims “terrorists” or otherwise make them out to be the bad guys
Exactly, like those Tibetans who forced the PLA to shoot on them in Nangpa La. They must have been very very powerful and intimidating to make the PLA do that. No smoke without fire.
August 8, 2008 @ 1:54 am | Comment
60
By ByStander
@Raj,
“Furthermore, and this is rather sad, despite regular comments from Chinese that Tibetans are “Chinese compatriots” or some such, I have a suspicion that most look down on Tibetans and don’t actually care much about them even when they suspect they’re being treated badly.”
No we did, we did care about Tibetans, care about their cultures and wellbeings. but not anymore. Not after what they did in March 12th, not after what the West did afterwards. As of now? their whole race can go extinct like American indians we wouldnt care.
Every action has consequences, they decided to use olympics as a chance to highlight their cause, western do-gooders decided to use this chance to humiliate China, so they succeeded largely, congratulations! But every victory has a price to pay, here comes the price — let me repeat myself: CCP can gun down each and every snow-lion flag waving tibetans like cockroaches I wouldnt give a fuck. Got it? so just we are sure there’s no misunderstanding.
Now we can all go back to the things we were doing.
August 8, 2008 @ 2:24 am | Comment
61
By Danfried
Did anyone read all of the second article Si linked to?
http://tinyurl.com/5chaz8
Here’s a quote:
“Most of the demonstrations, however, have been small stunts aimed at foreign journalists rather than attempts to change public opinion inside China. At times, they have blended Monty Python with vandalism, with reporters being sent mysterious messages to pick up keys to empty hotel rooms where they have found effigies left on a bed and slogans daubed on the walls.”
The writer is referring to reporters from the South China Morning Post, who after an anonymous tipoff found hotel rooms with slogans painted on the walls. Since you need a subcription to the SCMP to read their article about the incident, I’ll cut and paste a section here:
“A man in his 50s who had booked into the Traders and Novotel [hotels] posted a 10-minute video on YouTube showing him vandalising the rooms. The man, believed to be from the US, makes religious references in the clip.”
The first time I’ve heard of making a human rights protest by trashing your hotel room. That really took courage… 🙂
But Wikipedia informed me of other cases of heroic vandalism, such as Martin Luther King toilet papering the trees in George Wallace’s backyard, or Mahatma Gandhi placing a bag of burning dog shit outside the British Viceroy’s front door and ringing the doorbell. (For our non-American friends not familiar with this tactic, imagine the Viceroy’s surprise upon trying to stomp out the flames!)
If they deigned to use such anonymous tactics, how can I fault Hotel Man?
August 8, 2008 @ 2:48 am | Comment
62
By Hemulen
they decided to use olympics as a chance to highlight their cause,
Exactly, no one has ever tried to use the olympics for politics before. Ever.
CCP can gun down each and every snow-lion flag waving tibetans like cockroaches
Cockroaches? Interesting choice of metaphor, it makes me think of Hutu Power calling Tutsis “cockroaches” back in 1994. Anyway, I always thought that the phrase “genocide olympics” was offensive to Chinese patriots.
August 8, 2008 @ 3:08 am | Comment
63
By Raj
Exactly, like those Tibetans who forced the PLA to shoot on them in Nangpa La. They must have been very very powerful and intimidating to make the PLA do that. No smoke without fire.
Right, because the PLA never shoots unarmed people…….
August 8, 2008 @ 4:56 am | Comment
64
By Hemulen
Exactly! And even if the PLA never shoots at unarmed people, unarmed people who get shot at by the PLA probably deserves it… And who can really prove they are not guilty of at least something…
August 8, 2008 @ 5:24 am | Comment
65
By Pffefer@臭狗屁
Actually the PLA can take a page from the Americans and Brits who only shoot foreigners.
Come on PLA, if you are going to shoot somebody, don’t shoot your own (whether Tibetan or Han)! Where are your balls?
August 8, 2008 @ 6:53 am | Comment
66
By Pffefer@臭狗屁
Raj,
“Furthermore, and this is rather sad, despite regular comments from Chinese that Tibetans are “Chinese compatriots” or some such, I have a suspicion that most look down on Tibetans and don’t actually care much about them even when they suspect they’re being treated badly.”
Other than spending hours on blogs like this championing for the TGIE and ridiculing the Chinese, what do you actually do to show you much you care about the Tibetans? How about those poor, underprivileged people in your own country? How much do you care? What have you done to “care for” them?
August 8, 2008 @ 6:59 am | Comment
67
By Richard
God, what happened to this thread?
August 8, 2008 @ 7:58 am | Comment
68
By stuart
Q. “God, what happened to this thread?”
A. Pffefer
I suspect he gets a small bonus every time he derails a thread.
August 8, 2008 @ 10:07 am | Comment
69
By Pffefer@臭狗屁
Stuart,
Don’t blame me for all the PLA stuff, it’s your pals who started it.
I actually get paid 50 cents everytime Stuart gets pissed off. Happy?
August 8, 2008 @ 11:24 am | Comment
70
By froog
There were protests in Qianmen on Monday by families evicted to make way for pre-Olympic redevelopment of the area. I haven’t found much coverage of this yet. I gather further protests were planned for yesterday, the planned opening day for the new super-mall down there. The PSB resorted to its time-honoured tactic of pre-emptively arresting all the “ringleaders”.
The Western protests are pretty trivial compared to this sort of thing, but are probably going to get much more media coverage.
Expect the FLG to weigh in soon.
August 8, 2008 @ 12:35 pm | Comment
71
By stuart
“I actually get paid 50 cents everytime Stuart gets pissed off. Happy?”
If I’m happy, doesn’t that deprive you of your 50 cents?
Also, I was pissed off to find no milk in the fridge this morning. Does this mean you get you 50 cents anyway?
August 8, 2008 @ 1:05 pm | Comment
72
By Raj
What have you done to “care for” them?
Vote for a political party who will try to improve their lot in life, rather than back the status quo because it means lower taxes for me.
August 8, 2008 @ 3:24 pm | Comment
73
By Si
the glorious actions of the pla can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/6m7dly
and here:
http://tinyurl.com/5cm7yn
anyway:
china good!
western bad!
china good!
western bad!
August 8, 2008 @ 3:25 pm | Comment
74
By Si
on a lighter note, this link was on imagethief:
http://tinyurl.com/6rojc2
@raj
you voted? how lame! i improve my country by spending all my free time on the web insulting foreigners. every time i post under the witty moniker si@stinky_dog_fart i improve the lives of the poor in my country immeasurably.
so there.
August 8, 2008 @ 3:33 pm | Comment
75
By Jeremiah
Thanks Si,
That video has been making the rounds, but I figured it deserved a post of its own so I stuck it up top and I’m shutting down this thread before it degenerates further.
August 8, 2008 @ 4:13 pm | Comment