| My biggest problem with the Western media is that many issues are conveniently muddled. It applies to both sides of the propaganda but more so to the Western media outlets than to the Chinese side given the latest Tibet and Olympics chaos. There are many different issues involved and they should be debated separately. To name a few here, not in any particularly order - The issue of Tibet The issue of Dalai Lama The issue of Western Media The issue of Chinese Government The issue of Olympics The issue of Freedom & Democracy The issue of Human Rights Just because one supports freedom & democracy in China it doesn't mean he/she must support the independence of Tibet. Just because one supports the autonomy of Tibet it doesn't mean he/she must support Dalai Lama. Just because one supports Olympics it doesn't mean he/she must support the communist party. And just because one supports freedom & democracy it doesn't mean he/she must support the Western media. Similarly, just because there is free speech in the US, it doesn't mean media outlets here are fair, unbiased, or even truthful. Just because there is no free speech in China, it doesn't mean the government has no right to enforce the rule of law to ensure the safety of majority people. These are totally different issues. It seems to me many people don't get that. THE WORLD ISN'T JUST BLACK AND WHITE. However, I don't expect everyone to agree with my political views. I am just trying to point out many logic flaws in the media surrounding the recent debates. Lot of people including many professional journalists automatically make lots of bad assumptions...for instance, does freedom & democracy automatically ensure the human rights and justice for all? Not really, in my view. Let's see - does the US have democracy? Yes, I can say for sure. Does the US have human rights and justice? Not totally if you ask many minorities in this country. The war in Iraq is another example. But let's not go there for now. ONE THING DOESN'T GUARANTEE THE OTHER. That's my point. Another example, I support Beijing Olympics. But does that imply I support the communist one party rule? Absolutely not. One more, does supporting Tibet's autonomy automatically mean the support of its independence? No. Many media outlets don't differentiate them, maybe too willfully. Some are just ignorant while others may be ill-intended. Thast is the reason that the latest China bashing has backfired so badly. Many Chinese people end up galvanizing around the communist government. And that is the least I want to see. (see this NYT report - Indignant Chinese Urge Anti-West Boycott Over Pro-Tibet Stance http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/world/asia/20china.html). If one intends to debate on issues, mixing and confusing them is not the way. It doesn't help! |
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