Tibet and the Media

The recent Tibet uprisings have been quite horrible. But it is the ensuing debate across the international media and posting of individual commentators that has been most revealing. Sloppy reporting by the Western press and Chinese government propaganda have ensured that it is unlikely that the question over Tibet's sovereignty will ever be resolved satisfactorily.

On one hand. Western media has been very sloppy in its reporting of the uprisings.



This has led to the Chinese feeling that they are being persecuted by the Western media in a deliberate campaign against Chinese. This is not an uncommon feeling to Chinese friends of mine, who have discussed issues as wide -reaching as separatist movements and CD piracy with me in terms of the United States "attacking us." The reason that they feel that this is a deliberate campaign is most likely due to a familiarity with campaigns from government-controlled Chinese media and perhaps perceptions of the Western media as being a professional and perhaps infallible source of information.

The official line that China is part of Tibet is perhaps best summed up by this video.



The producers of this video present some facts of Tibetan/Chinese history whilst conveniently forgetting other parts. For instance, Tibet was an independent state from the late 600s through to the early 1200s. As there are with the Turkic nomads to the North and West of Han China, there are noted instances of marriages between the imperial/royal dynasties of China and Tibet. This indicates that even if Tibet was not treated as an equal by the Chinese of the time, it was at least accorded the respect of being an independent state and, perhaps, a threat. Furthermore, it was not until the Yuan dynasty that Tibet was brought into the Chinese Empire. The Yuan, of course, were Mongols. So I would ask the purveyors of the second video shown above whether they would perhaps like to return Tibet, or even greater China over to the control of Ulan Bator.
Of course, such an argument is a facetious one, akin to having Texas and California granted independence or returned to Mexico, or perhaps even returning Normandy to Norway or Acquitaine to the British throne. It is not my purpose to provide a solution to this problem, but rather to show the foolishness of relying on such historical arguments in a situation such as such.

In any debate, there are opinions that differ from that which might otherwise be expected. To illustrate, I leave you with this interesting article from China Digital Times. Read it, it does appear to be a voice of reason amongst a cacophony of posturing.

Future Music Festival is Crap

People have been saying that the Australian festival scene is dead. But I think that it is merely moving on. Festivals are being changed by the music that is showcased and the people that attend. Of course, I can only speak as far as Melbourne is concerned so perhaps it is more accurate to say that the Melbourne festival scene is changing.

Take for instance the Big Day Out. BDO has had a bit of a hard time in Melbourne lately, being shifted around from venue to venue in the wake of the refurbishment of the show grounds. Last year's, at Princess Park, was a success. The bands were great, the crowd good, and the venue comfortable. This year, at the Flemington Racecourse, the bands were still great but the sound suffered at times. The crowd was worse than last year, with more people so far gone that one wonders why they bothered to show up at all. And the venue was a disgrace. Dusty, filthy, and with very little natural shelter. I suppose that's what happens when you stage a music festival in what is essentially a gravel car park. But overall, it was still a Big Day Out and lots of fun.

Future Music festival was shit. The big draw card for me were The Chemical Brothers, but it was their set that epitomised all that was wrong with it as a whole. Their set lacked energy, lacked passion, and lacked the spark that the Chems have become famous for. And it is little wonder, considering the crowd that gathered on the hill of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl to watch. Who were they? For the most part they were pissed bogans, dressed in their finest fluoro, munching pills and getting pissed on vodka and lemonade. Rather than being a feature of the day, the high point and climax, The Chemical Brothers were reduced to being background muzak to the inane conversations of rednecks more interested in getting fuck-eyed and belting out a horrid rendition of 'Jesse's Girl' than being sucked in to a mind-bending set. Is it any wonder that The Chemical Brothers didn't even finish their allotted time and scarped as soon as they were given the chance to get off stage.

I suppose that festivals are somewhat like nightspots. A bar with gains a reputation for a good atmosphere, good music, etc. and people begin to go there more often. Then, as word spreads, more people come, including those who ruin the atmosphere for others. This has happened with the company Future Music. Future Music in Australia have encouraged the fluoro singlet and shirtless muzza brigade so as to extract the most amount of cash without a thought to the music. They have become the worst type of greedy corporation, one without morals or guidance to allow the continued survival of their industry.

So I'm on the lookout for new festivals and places to go without Melbourne's most unsavoury elements. Or perhaps I should find a new hobby, such as picking my toenails and flicking the jam at people.

Xinjiang: A signwriter's paradise/hell

From China Digital Times.

It's good to see that the dogmatic China we all know and love is not yet dead.