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Calm and pretty? Not so much.
Monday, March 17th, 2008 10:39 pm.
We've all been hearing about the protests in Tibet, and the violence that's going on there. In case you're curious about the circumstances and history surrounding the region, here are two well-written articles that raise interesting concerns and questions.
Tibet Through Chinese Eyes by Peter Hessler.
Published in The Atlantic Monthly. Hessler worked as an English teacher in China for two years, and here talks about his experience visiting Tibet and talking to both Chinese residents of Lhasa and Tibetans about the problem of Chinese domination.
Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth by Michael Parenti
A fascinting breakdown of the cultural, political and religious history of Tibet. Michael Parenti is a leading progressive writer and activist.
Suffice it to say that the current situation is not quite as cut-and-dried as we in the West would like to believe; neither has Tibet historically been quite the peaceful Shangri-La that Western Buddhists have painted. Like any country, it has its share of shadows, some of them very grim.
Check it out.
We've all been hearing about the protests in Tibet, and the violence that's going on there. In case you're curious about the circumstances and history surrounding the region, here are two well-written articles that raise interesting concerns and questions.
Tibet Through Chinese Eyes by Peter Hessler.
Published in The Atlantic Monthly. Hessler worked as an English teacher in China for two years, and here talks about his experience visiting Tibet and talking to both Chinese residents of Lhasa and Tibetans about the problem of Chinese domination.
Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth by Michael Parenti
A fascinting breakdown of the cultural, political and religious history of Tibet. Michael Parenti is a leading progressive writer and activist.
Suffice it to say that the current situation is not quite as cut-and-dried as we in the West would like to believe; neither has Tibet historically been quite the peaceful Shangri-La that Western Buddhists have painted. Like any country, it has its share of shadows, some of them very grim.
Check it out.
