If anyone's worried about the recent Tibetan uprisings or the Chinese response, don't worry; John McCain's on it already. "There must be respect for human rights, and I would hope that the Chinese are actively seeking a peaceful resolution to this situation," he said recently as a retort to fears of Chinese human rights violations. Nancy Pelosi, not wanting to be left out, echoed his response (and I thought the Democratic Party never took a stance on anything). With such fierce commentary on the precarious situation, I wonder how the Communist Party hasn't already abated in its process to eliminate Tibetan culture.
As if that wasn't already enough, some members of the European Union have even gone out on a limb and suggested that maybe some countries should dare to boycott the Beijing Olympics. This of course is a lesson learned from history — if England and France had just opted out of the 1936 Olympics, Hitler would have never have tried to annex Poland.
In all seriousness, this whole affair has become pathetic. When have stern words and wagging fingers ever persuaded the Chinese Communist Party to sway from any agenda that they have eagerly pursued? If we make it so clear to them that no one is willing to interfere, why should they ever change? As far as I can tell, at this rate they never will. I hope you like (or at least are comfortable with) low wages, unsafe working conditions and politically motivated cultural exterminations. I hate to say it, but it looks like they're here to stay.
Interestingly enough, the CCP has the unabashed gumption to blame the revolt on the Dalai Lama. I don't know if you've seen a picture of him, but with his smile, it seems more likely that the uprisings were started by patriotic Chinese nationalists than by anyone currently located in Dharamsala. Furthermore, the CCP claims that over 100 countries supported their actions in the past week. I'll go out on a limb and just say the CCP is spouting bullshit once again.
But what does this all say about the average American (AA)? Apparently, the everyday AA supports John McCain's response. Maybe some AAs even think his words will have an effect, though it seems more likely that the majority of AAs simply do not care. They'd rather watch the debates on YouTube and talk politics about an election that still remains fairly far away. I understand that carpe diem isn't a particularly bright idea, but at some point, you've got to look to the now or you'll never make it to the future. We can no longer just sit in our armchairs, talking about Iraq and Afghanistan, and ignore all the other problems. If you want to police the world, you can't really pick and choose.
Ass-backward priorities aside, what can we (the U.S.) do? Are we actually limited to harsh audio-clips? I wish I could answer such a deceptively simple question, but at this point, almost any suggestion seems more reasonable than the current trajectory. Of course, this requires the American people to care, a notion they have already managed to thoroughly avoid. I guess we could all wish Tibet good luck and hope some positive karma will help, that is, if that's not too much effort.
Thomas Shattuck is a freshman in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at thomas.w.shattuck@vanderbilt.edu
