Some anecdotal evidence as to why one should be paranoid about the media (yes, even the NYT you latte-sipping, tree-hugging, pinko-hippie terrorist)

Tibet got a lot of attention last year due to the 3/14 riots. The international media was up in arms. Human rights activists called for a parallel human rights torch relay as a mockery of the Olympic torch relay. From what one could decipher from the news media, it seemed like a classic Elves vs. Orcs tale. The Chinese were unequivocally wrong.

The following are a couple of conversations I've had with Tibetans and Han Chinese. This isn't necessarily the truth about the situation in Tibet, but it does make the picture a bit more nuanced, something I never read or heard about while watching the news coverage in the US:

1. A Tibetan girl selling maps for money noted that the riots was basically the result of "the Dalai Lama messing around." The Dalai Lama is enlightened, yes, but he is also the political leader of Tibet. So that means he isn't just some religious guru that transcends the politics. Rather, he gets right into the dirt as well.

2. Monks and religious leaders live in the nicest conditions, far above those inhabited by ordinary Tibetans. Tibetans are deeply religious, so this is understandable, but I think this has led to sharply divergent views on Tibetan within Tibetans. It seems that the monks are the ones who deeply oppose government rule, not ordinary Tibetans. Monks require children to not talk to PLA soldiers or accept their food.

3. Not all PLA soldiers are heartless monsters. One was practically begging for a tourist to put out his cigarette in the Potala Palace compound for the sake of protecting the sanctity of the palace. No one wants violence.

4. Han and Tibetans get along. I believe that if it wasn't for the government and it wasn't for the monks, there would be no conflict. Its not ethnic, but political.

5. Despite all this, repression of religious freedom is real. Soldiers are everywhere.

6. If the Chinese propaganda ministry (I don't use propaganda ministry negatively here because that's what it is along with the White House press secretary, etc.) wasn't so stupid, China would have a much better public image in the world right now. They don't understand that press freedom actually helps them because reporters would then become more understanding.

7. Most of the participants of Tibetan riots, according to several people, were Sichuanese Tibetans, who are considered a separate group from Tibetans from Tibet.