Amid all the controversy generated by protests against China’s actions on several very important matters, directed most recently at the Olympic torch relay, there seems to have been little effort to reach out and explain to the average Chinese citizen the world’s general outrage at what the Chinese government is doing.
What comes to mind is the vilification of average soldiers returning to the US from duty in Vietnam by protesters against the war in the 1960s, which was a mistake by the anti-war movement.
To this day, protesters are quick to offer support to the troops, regardless of the intensity of their opposition to our wars.
Even in the media-savvy West, many people were recently hoodwinked into following the US president and his administration into war by its vast disinformation machinery. Think how much stronger the Chinese Communist Party’s grip on its population must be, as far as controlling not only what information reaches the masses, but also the spin that is placed on it. Undoubtedly, the Tibet protests are being portrayed within China as anti-Chinese and are stoking nationalism and xenophobia.
There are probably few avenues available to try to let the average Chinese citizen know that the protests are aimed at their government, but perhaps we should still try.
Dan Chamberlin
Muzha, Taipei
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