See it in perspective

Anti-Japanese protests in Beijing, 2005

For all the Chinese blaming the West of being dumb, I think this case is exactly similar to the recent protests against Japan, where based on some rumors and minor reasons a lot of people went on the streets, demonstrated against japan and went so far as to burning japanese flags, throwing stones at the embassy and demolishing japanese restaurants. (Keep reading!) A minor group of individuals backed by the government managed to stir a huge unrest against Japan. Nobody in Japan or the World could understand what was going on. Before you start blaming the West, you have to sit back and try to understand them (us). They are stupid, they were told to do it, just like you are stupid were told to go on the streets to demonstrate, just like you were told to protest against Google Maps for including Taiwan or to mass flood CNNs online polls or even the poll for the "New 7-Wonders". Yes, we decide to do it, but based on sensationalistic stories which stand in no relationship to the reality. Blown out of proportion to get the desired reaction from the people. This process has even a name, it's called propaganda (with a good portion of nationalism), and going on everywhere in the world. Be careful. Yes, the Japan incident is far-fetched but i think it's a good support for my argument. You get my point hopefully.

Who's hurting whom
Of course the timing for this bashing of China is inappropriate, since the Olympics should be a worldwide festival and a lot of Chinese people are very proud of have this opportunity. As a German, I am actually ashamed of the protests during the relay in Europe, because judging by the pictures, the people have shown their worst and most hateful side. If this is what democracy and freedom of speech makes you behave like, then i don't want any of this.

The protests don't hurt the Chinese government at all, instead they hurt the people of China, who have the least thing to say about their governments decisions. Imagine everybody protesting against Germanys co-invasion of Afganistan* during the last Soccer World Cup, how would the German people react after seeing all the demonstrations? How would they feel? Would they stand up against their Government and say, yes you are right, let's boycott the World Cup too!? (*Yeah, I'm missing a better example, but you hopefully get my point).

Actually, i will go further and say that the world wide protests actually benefit the Chinese government and hurt the West, as the support by Chinese citizens of it's government rises to new highs. Voices from people, often in the West described as "oppressed", rise that the government is not firm enough about the West and the Tibet issue. Good job on that. Even regime critics don't feel comfortable about the whole issue.¹

Diplomacy sacrificed
Years of hard work and diplomacy are gone over a timeframe of few weeks. The West is willing to risk the next cold war for some flashy headlines and sensationalistic stories. Years of Chinas opening towards the West, which is comparable to the opening of the Berlin-Wall, are wasted over an issue on which we, the people, have no real information or the necessary background to understand it. The information fed to Westerners and the Chinese by it's media and government is highly opinionated. Focused on the sensational stories, each side picks the best cherries and feeds it to the people for the desired effect. The West feeding the unrest against China and China feeding the unrest against the West. A good chance of getting closer together having a peaceful dialog and solving the issue over some cold beers has been inevitably missed. This is where one also has top point the finger in the direction of the tibetan lobbyists* who put a go on the unrest and world wide demonstrations. (*Yes, I don't think that tibetan farmer X had enough time and motives to go to Lhasa and smash some windows and beat up some Chinese and Muslims. But yes, Chinas Tibet policy so far is a good example of what's wrong with this country.)

Caveat Emptor!
Anybody still remember the incubator babies story form Kuwait in 1990?

The story was brought to public attention by Nayirah, a 15-year-old 'nurse' who, it turned out later, was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the US and a member of the Kuwaiti royal family. Nayirah had been tutored and rehearsed by the Hill & Knowlton PR agency (which in turn received $14 million from the American government for their work in promoting the war). Her story was entirely discredited within weeks but by then its purpose had been served: it had created an outraged and emotional mindset within America which overwhelmed rational discussion.
From Lessons in how to lie about Iraq

I quote this to tell you one thing: beware of what they feed you. Really. I can feel your disappointment. But when you see next time "peaceful" monks and romantic monasteries next to horrible stories on TV, please think of the babies.

Cui bono?
Who benefits from all this? Not us. Not the Tibetans, not the Chinese, not the common people anywhere in the world. A lot of politicians in Germany, who should know better, or should have kept quiet because foreign policy is not their business, try to profile them selfs as the saviors of freedom and democracy on TV. Politicans in other countries are trying the same. These people try to benefit from it. The media and the lobbyists also benefit from this, think of how great the media business is going right now thanks to sensationalistic stories.
Hate is a dangerous weapon and it is being mindlessly unleashed on both sides right now. I hope it does not get out of control.

A happy day ruined: A "peaceful" protester expressing his point, all she wanted was to see the torch.

Say what?
Before I get blamed for siding with the Chinese over the Tibet issue, I would like to make it clear that i am on nobody's side. The Tibet issue is a highly complex problem, not just black and white as portrayed in the West. We have to understand the situation before we make a judgement. I don't know about you, but we had probably 2 hours max of Asian history at high school, not a good background to make judgements.
Primarily this is Chinas domestic problem², it has been a problem together with other issues for centuries. I don't see any colonization going on, an often abused word by the Western media to describe this situation. One idiot-journalist went as far as calling China the biggest colonizer in the recent history. I guess that guy missed the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan and of other countries - but i guess it's ok, because democracy is good, and whatever the Chinese have must be bad! Of course there is eligible critique of chinas foreign and domestic policy - but do we do everything perfectly?

Sit back and think about it.

¹ German: Die Zeit, Einig gegen den Westen
² German: Interview mit Helmut Schmidt: Wir sehen China ganz falsch
German Telepolis: China-Bashing
English: US finger in unrest pie

Pro-Tibetan protests in Paris

Free Tibet, wait, where is Tibet?

Lhasa 03/14. Tibetans out of control