Hank Hyena seems to think that it is wrong to impose our Western values (human rights, freedom of religion) on other cultures, but that the Chinese government has somehow done Tibet a favor by introducing Marxism. Yes, the Tibetans now have their language, culture and religion suppressed now that they are liberated from their backward, feudal government, but the food is so much better! I'm glad to have been introduced to the subtler, gray areas of world politics.

-- Bill Ravdin
Oakland, Calif.

Does the author honestly believe that raping nuns, destroying monasteries, kidnapping children so they can be raised without their own language or heritage; that any of these things can be compared to the idea that he considers Tibetan culture "primitive?" When he mocks the monk who gave China the thumbs down, does it occur to him that the old man might not be a simpleton with no nuanced political beliefs -- that he might simply not speak English?

Hyena's whole tone is one of amused superiority, the classic ugly American tourist. He seems endlessly amused with himself for having taken such a "non-PC" attitude, as if being an obnoxious joker in the face of real human pain were somehow clever. The killers and torturers of this world will always have people like Hyena for their allies, I suppose -- people who will not feel outrage, people who will not protest, because the torture is not happening to them or their children; people who will joke about it, or argue that it is a necessary evil on the road to modernity as they snack on some bean curd.

-- Paul Chhabra

"Manipulating world leaders with ... religion" is a well-endowed art of Western societies and, it appears, of Eastern establishments as well. Neither modern nor ancient versions of this ever worked well absent the elimination or total submission of minorities. While the human condition is entitled to its share of moralists, institutionalizing them beyond the church door wreaks pain and havoc on society. That's the way it's always been -- and in that context, I'd prefer communism.

-- Tom DeLuca

Hyena's unsympathetic descriptions of Xiahe Tibetans, interestingly similar to the same images that many Han Chinese recount, do little to rectify the oppositely glowing images that Free Tibet activists create. A stereotype cannot be counteracted with another stereotype; a healthy gray is never achieved.

-- Adam Smith
Zigong, China

It's very easy and convenient for pro-Tibet people to forget that the Chinese occupation of Tibet is the direct result of the big game that was played by the British and Russia at the end of the last century in order to expand their influence and power. The 13th Dalai Lama tried to use the Western influence to gain more power and limit the power of the Qing Dynasty. It was reasonable from Dalai Lama's perspective, since the Qing Dynasty was too busy defending itself from the Western invasion to defend Tibet after the British army slaughtered the Tibetans and marched into Lhasa.

It was history at its darkest moment for both Tibetans and Chinese. But maybe there is hope for Tibetan culture considering that Tibet and China have existed side by side for many centuries. If Chinese really wants to get rid of the Tibetan culture, they could have done it centuries ago.

-- Liyang Zhou
Milpitas, Calif.

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