If You Want a Free Tibet, Know What You’re Fighting For

What's missing in the discussion so far, which rightly points out the inanity of the Spectator as well as the op-ed's author, is the frightening fact that some Chinese students (the type you find in "patriotic" groups like CUCSSA often) actually believe this stuff. Behind that unsettling fact is the disturbing past of iron-clad state-media control and "patriotic education" in the People's Republic of China, which forbids anything remotely resembling open, neutral, or honest discussion of things like Tibet, Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, etc. The Party-state is frighteningly effective at instilling in its people, particularly its young and naieve post-Tiananmen generation (who you see studying at CU), a carefully politically engineered view of the world and a range of "sensitive" issues (Tibet, Falun Gong, Taiwan, etc.) which, when coupled with a sense of wounded pride and victimization that is simultaneously instilled, leads to mindless patriotism. Witness Christina's otherwise bafflingly-asinine op-ed.

Can someone state what in the article was inaccurate? I think everyone has a right to Freedom of Speech in this country. Why is there censorship? Why can't people voice their opinions? What is this country turning into?

Removing this article is the outrage, here. Years ago, on a trip to Tibet, I was at a small local tavern frequented by sherpas. Outside were tied the yaks and, inside, I sipped a warm mug of fermented yak milk by the fire as the playful sherpas frolicked and gamboled about.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I felt a tug on my elbow and I turned to find a small, shriveled man in an orange robe staring intently at me with his dark, smoky eyes. After a few minutes of chitchat, we quickly worked out a deal where I would go back to his palace.

In an austere room, the Dalai Lama and I made sweaty, passionate love on a wooden pallet, me caressing his smooth, shiny head and him using his rough, gnarled hands to stroke my flaxen tresses with the strength of a raging yeti.

After he summated my Everest, we both lay there on our backs on the hard wooden make-shift bed, panting and listening to the howling winds outside. Then he handed me my clothes and said, “Gunga galunga… gunga, gunga-galunga.”

“Hey, Lama, hey, about a little something, you know? For the effort?” I asked.

And he just looked at me and said, “Oh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.”

It wasn’t until I got back to the States that I discovered I had contracted HIV from him. But at least, on my deathbed, I’ll receive total consciousness. So, I got that going for me. Which is nice.”

Manny

Christina Liu is the new Dave Berry. I hope that she writes a lot more articles for your paper. I haven't laughed so hard all month. Who needs integrity and fact checking? Am I right? I'd love to meet the editor who let this article slip by. He wouldn't see an airplane if it landed in his bedroom.
This might go down as the worst retraction I've ever seen in a newspaper, ever. You guys will undoubtedly go down in Internet history. Is this The Columbia University? Is there a community college named Columbia University somewhere? Good luck on your newspaper you goofballs. I'll be checking this website for more journalistic hilarity. I'm sure you won't disappoint me.

Tibetan Buddhism is not the brainwashed Judeo-Fascist atheistic version bouncing around in the Dalai Lama's public head right now. You cannot reincarnate unless it comes from a spiritual plane. If you toss in the Supreme Buddha into the Allah↔Jehovah debate, it get so complicated that the Buddhist brown-shirts at Camp Langley's Scholarship Fund for "Atheists for Israel" cannot handle it. What ever deal the United States offered the Dalai Monkey Lama, he didn't refuse it. I wonder what Uncle Tom's Heaven looks like

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Facts, figures about Tibet's development

15:53, April 18, 2008

What are the changes that have taken place in the snow-covered plateau region of Tibet, since the autonomous region's peaceful liberation in 1951? Here are some key facts and figures about Tibet:

Fiscal income: The government of Tibet Autonomous Region broke the first zero record in fiscal income in 1988. It realized 2.3 billion yuan (328 million U.S. dollars) in fiscal income in 2007.

Health care: The averaged life expectancy of Tibetan people increased from 35.5 years before Tibet's democratic reform in 1959 to 67 years now. Death in childbirth figures fell from 5,000 in every 100,000 pregnant women before 1950s to 247.49 in every 100,000 pregnant women. Tibet now has 1,343 medical institutions employing 9,095 medical workers. Among them, 4,270 have licenses to practise medicine. The rate of hospital beds and medical staff per 1,000 people has reached 2.64 and 3.2, respectively. According to the regional health department, 100 percent of farmers and herders are covered by the medical care system.

Population and Welfare: The Tibetan population increased slowly before 1950s, when there was barely any welfare protection for ordinary Tibetans. The Tibetan population had stayed at around one million for nearly 200 years before 1950. A census by the regional government in 1953 showed the population at one million, an increase of 58,000 people in 200 years. The latest census showed that the total population in Tibet reached 2.8 million by the end of 2007, which was 31,500 people more than the previous year, and double that before 1950. So far, 330,000 township residents in Tibet have been covered by social insurance.

Education: There was no public education in old Tibet, when less than two percent of school-aged children had access to school education, and the illiteracy rate among work-aged people past 95 percent. At present, six-year compulsory education has been put into practice in all 73 counties in Tibet. Sixty-three counties have passed state appraisal in basically realizing nine-year compulsory education and basically eliminating illiteracy among work-aged people. The nine-year compulsory education has covered 90.2 percent of children in these counties, where the quality of compulsory education has been improving. So far, the enrollment rate in primary schools, junior high schools, senior high school, and higher-learning institutes have reached 98.2 percent, 90.7 percent, 42.96 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively. The illiteracy rate among work-aged people dropped to 4.76 percent.

Social life: Based on statistics from the old Tibet authority, some 90 percent of Tibetan people did not have their own housing property. Nowadays, nearly all Tibetans live in permanent houses, except for nomads in pasture areas. To further improve the living standard of Tibetans, a government-sponsored program has helped build new houses for 114,000 households or 570,000 farmers and herdsmen since 2006. The per-capita income of farmers and herdsmen amounted to 2,788 yuan (398 U.S. dollars) last year, and that of township residents rose to 11,131 yuan (1,590 U.S. dollars). The 2006 statistics showed that there were 143,900 units of private vehicles, up 35.2 percent over the previous year. Based on the population of 2.81 million in the corresponding period, one in every 20 Tibetans had an automobile.

Economy and social development: There was no industry in old Tibet, while agricultural development was also stagnant. By 2007, grain production areas in Tibet were added up to 171,770 hectares, which were 110 hectares more than that of 2006. The industrial added value in 2007 soared by 17.1 percent year-on-year to 2.57 billion yuan (367 million U.S. dollars). The region received 4.02 million visitors in 2007, up 60 percent over the year-ago period. Revenues from the tourism industry chalked up 4.8 billion yuan (686 million U.S. dollars), up 73.3 percent year-on-year. The tourist income accounted for 14.2 percent of the region's gross domestic product in 2007, 4.6 percentage points higher than that of 2006.

Transportation, post and telecommunications, communications: There was no road in old Tibet. Last year, there were 48,611 kilometers of roads open for traffic in the region, which were 3,798 kilometers longer than the record in 2006. There were modern communications available in old Tibet. However, by the end of last year, the number of subscribers for both fixed phones and mobile phones registered 1.44 million, 155,200 more than the year-ago figure. The telephone access rate post 52 in every 100 people.

Democratic rights: In 1961, a general election, the first of its kind in Tibetan history, was held all over Tibet. For the first time, the former serfs and slaves were able to enjoy democratic rights as their own masters. Since the founding of the regional government in 1965, Tibetans have exercised their rights bestowed by the Constitution and laws to elect and be elected. The organ of self-government of the Tibet Autonomous Region has been elected and led mainly by Tibetans and people of other ethnic groups. According to figures from the region’s personnel department, 69.36 percent of leaders in the regional government or 62,211 were Tibetans and people from other ethnic groups, while, Tibetans and other ethnic people constituted 74.39 percent of professionals in the region.

Culture: China has earmarked 700 million yuan (100 million U.S. dollars) from the state budget for preservation of cultural relics in Tibet. Over 4,000 religious spots have been preserved and open to public. The budget for the purpose this year was set at 570 million yuan (81 million U.S. dollars), which will be used for preservation work at 22 cultural sites. Among 4,000 cultural workers in art troupes and institutions, 90 percent are Tibetans, a large number of whom are young talents.

Source: Xinhua

I think the author meant Herpes not AIDS. The 6th Dalai Lama was notorious womanizer and alcoholic, that's well known fact among even Tibetan themselves and it's written history.

this is unbelievable!
how did this get past the editorial staff?!? she should never ever be allowed or even considered for publication in any media source for the rest of her life. this article should and I am hoping will be proffesional suicide for this malicious idiot.

Several things need to happen. The editors need to explain how such an outrageous column made it to print. This web correction and the letter to the editor on Friday are insufficient. Furthermore, not only should Miss Liu be fired from the Spectator, but the editor working that night should resign.

Most of the points in the articles were actually from reliable historians, although "One Dalai Lama has admitted to having sex with a hundred men and women, knowing all the while that he had AIDS" was a major defect (typo?). It should be "One Lama", not "One Dalai Lama".

I sense that the author or the paper might be attached by many "pro-free-Tibet" people, best wishes for her.

Yes, taking it off the website seems slightly unethical.

removing the piece without a thorough explanation of exactly what the errors were is unethical. the Columbia Spectator ran a defamatory and completely false story, and is now trying to bury its mistake. shameful.