Topic: Media
CNN's Cafferty should not be demonized --at least not for his recent comments about the Chinese government.by John Kusumi
(centrist liberal)
Monday, April 21, 2008
Poor old CNN and Jack Cafferty. They can't win for trying. I'm sure that plenty of newsroom types at all outlets know that when they have controversial material, they are "damned if they do, and damned if they don't" put it out.
On the whole, I am ready to give credit to mainstream news outlets and to CNN in particular for covering the Tibetan uprising that began on March 10's anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising. On March 14, what were peaceful protests turned violent, with a harsh crackdown ensuing at the hands of authorities from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The issue of Tibet is the gnarliest issue that remains an ongoing controversy for the CCP-led Chinese government in Beijing. Perhaps the incumbent government is incapable of resolving the issue or dilemma of Tibet, because they caused the trouble for themselves. Troops of Communist China stormed into Tibet in 1950, shortly after they had seized control of the mainland in 1949. Tibet became occupied; that much is indisputable. Next, it was either colonized or annexed. The choice of word can be debated. Many Tibetans would say colonized, and China's central authorities would say annexed.
It's really not Jack Cafferty's job to resolve the Tibetan issue, and some debate will remain, no matter what outcome or resolution is reached. That is because history supports both sides of the debate.
On one side, central leaders in China say that "Tibet was always a part of China." That's a stretch. It begs the question, why did Chinese troops need to invade there in 1950? That invasion itself is a tip off, or clue, that Tibet was independent prior to the invasion.
However, the status of Tibet has gone back and forth before. In Chinese history. If one points to the Qing dynasty, Tibet was under Chinese rule. If one points to the Tang dynasty, Tibet was a fierce empire of its own -- even capturing China's capital in 763. Supporters of the CCP government line would point to the Qing dynasty in support of their assertion.
On the other side of the debate, they would observe and maintain, correctly, that the CCP government line is false. The word "always" could be replaced by "previously" to form an accurate statement.
Tibet wasn't always a part of China, but Tibet was previously a part of China. The substitution of one word yields an accurate statement which partially supports (and partially annoys) both sides in the argument.
As far as I know, the Tibet issue was not the cause of recent controversy in which Jack Cafferty has found himself. Rather instead, he made these remarks about the U.S. relationship with mainland China: "We [in the U.S.] continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export . . . jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart. So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed."
I cannot find any fault with Cafferty's words above, although to speak of "a dollar a month" exaggerates how low the wage rates go in China. The number is higher than one dollar, but the number is still low by American standards. Cafferty's point was made, albeit with imprecision.
Cafferty's woes came moreso from his next line: "I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years." I am one who understands that Cafferty was referring to goons and thugs of the Chinese Communist Party -- the rulers in the dictatorship which began under Chairman Mao in 1949. On that basis, Cafferty is right and I find no fault with his statement.
However, he neglected to specify that he was speaking of China's government, not its people. Ethnic Chinese who felt slighted -- or those given to hardcore nationalism -- took offense and began to protest CNN and Jack Cafferty. The protestors are also upset by what they perceive as bias in the Western news media's coverage of the recent Tibet crisis.
Do I think that Tibet has sympathy in the West? Yes, for very good reasons. Tibetan Buddhism is known as a peaceful religion of non-violence; the Dalai Lama is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize; and in recent history, Tibet did not kill 1.2 million Chinese; rather instead, it was Communist China that killed 1.2 million Tibetans. Tibet's population circa 1949 was only 5 or 6 million to start with, so Communist China has killed a portion of the populace in the vicinity of 20% or 25%. That's an enormous slaughter. Attorneys could say that the balance of hardships tips in Tibet's favor. Yes, the West does have sympathy for Tibet, and yes it is appropriate and justified.
Those conditions -- the circumstances of today -- are not put there by Jack Cafferty. They were put there by the CCP. Those Chinese who are rabid, hardcore nationalists ought to examine China itself. China has 5,000 years of history, and only 59 years under the CCP. The CCP is killing people, including those whom it persecutes for the non-violent "crimes" of speaking out and practicing religion. And, are these really crimes when the Chinese Constitution says that there is freedom of speech and freedom of religion in China? There is much that is hideously unfair about persecution under the CCP.
It is also true that the CCP was originally a copy of the Soviet Communist Party, and that communism arose in Europe, not China. Therefore, Chinese Communism is not Chinese; it is a foreign import. Hardcore Chinese nationalists ought to see and acknowledge the world wide imperative to get rid of the CCP as the only way to stop its killing spree and to restore human rights to the people -- Chinese as well as Tibetan, and others who are persecuted in Darfur, Burma, North Korea, Vietnam, and Laos.
Since 1949, Tibet did not kill 1.2 million people. Jack Cafferty did not kill 1.2 million people. However, the CCP did kill 1.2 million people. Some people want to criticize and protest. The first priority for criticism and protest should be the CCP. Chinese who point their fingers elsewhere are only fooling themselves, and Jack Cafferty is not the type to be taken in by propaganda as written by Chairman Mao. For China's circumstances, blame Mao, not Cafferty.
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I suggest you study more on history of China -- Tibet was a slavery society before 1950. Supporting the monks is the same as support slaver masters and torturing in the south.
Cafferty is in hot water not just because of his comments, but rather, it's the symptom of a deep underlying problem -- hatred and prejudice in America.
If you have no idea about Tibet history, you have no right to comment. If you only listen to DL, and don't listen to the voices from Chinese people, you can't say you represent justice.
Tibet was, is, will always be part of China. Nothing you say or do can change that. Thanks for the Tibetan terrorists and western media distortion of the truth, 1.4B chinese around the world has never been so united!!
We LOVE China! Chinese government is doing a great job at rebuilding this great country!!!
Jack Cafferty did not kill American native Indians. Jack Cafferty did not kill iraqis either. If you think Americans are "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 200 years", then I won't blame you.
Apparently, the author didn't know much about Chinese history. If you don't know the history, then stop instilling your biased opinions to your readers. Also, the author seems feel sympathy towards Jack Cafferty. How about the 1.4 billion Chinese people he insulted in his TV Shows. Did you consider their feelings? Also, stop playing word games! Thank you for your so-called "fair and balanced" media, Chinese people has never been united like this before and they stand together to fight against the biased and unfair media reports. Stop ignoring this fact and demonizing China and Chinese people.The truth can not be learned from media, and media doesn't represent truth. Study history is only way to learn truth.
There are a few things that are very wrong with your article:
(1) Cafferty's comments should not be tolerated in American society. His comments were a racial slur no matter how you spin it. If his comment were made against any other racial group in America, he'd be fired already.
(2) This was not about Tibet at all. Cafferty made his comments during the coverage of the Olympics torch relay, which had nothing to do with Tibet. The attempt of the western media to connect the Olympics with Tibet is mind-boggling. These are two completely separate issues. It is like saying this: The U.S. is hosting the Olympics. Oh instead of talking about the Olympics, let's talk how the U.S. has invaded sovereign countries, caused the death of tens of thousands of innocent people, and so on. No country is perfect in the world.
(3) The foundamental problem about your argument on Tibet is that you get all your "facts" from biased sources to begin with. Tibet has been part of China since the Yuan dynasty, which is 900 years ago. 900 years ago there was no nation state in Europe and America was the home of the natives. If you'd like to see us roll back to the status quo of 900 years ago, would all the European decent Americans leave this continent? From 1919 to 1950 when you claimed Tibet independence, Tibet was not recognized as an independent country by any country in the world. It only had self-government due to the fact that China was in chaos from the Japanese invasion and a civil war. The Chinese government at the time (ROC, today's Taiwan government) never acknolwedged Tibet's independence. If the Nationlists (KMT) won the Civil War, they would also reclaim Tibet just like the CCP did. In addition, the reduction on Tibetian population is a myth made by the Tibetian Government in Exile which was not true at all. There was no census in Tibet before 1950 as Tibet was a slave society where 90% of the population owned virtually no property. The claim of the population figure by TGIE had no basis. The truth is that Tibetian population has grown significantly from the first Chinese census of Tibet in 1958 to present day, which is conviniently omitted in Western media. Finally, to say that China's government has not changed in the last 50 years is ridiculous. China's government today is communist by name only and although it still has many problems it is improving. The Chinese society today is a lot better than it was 20 yars ago. We Chinese all over the globe can see that. If the Chinese people can see that oursleves, why is the westen media blind to that fact (and what authority do you have to judge that over the Chinese people)?!
New York Times, China Demands CNN Apologize for Commentary, Jim Yardley, April 16, 2008
"..."I don't know if China is any different, but our relationship with China is certainly different," Mr. Cafferty said, according to CNN. "We're in hock to the Chinese up to our eyeballs because of the war in Iraq, for one thing. They're holding hundreds of billions of dollars worth of our paper.
We are also running hundreds of billions of dollars' worth or trade deficits with them, as we continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export, you know, jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart.
"So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed," he continued. "I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years."..."
I dont know how you can explain that as referring to the Chinese Government. No where within that does he say the word government. Specifically he uses "us and them" attitude as though anything Chinese is to be shunned.
Our paper!? Who exactly makes this junk Jack Cafferty? Who is this you refer to when you say "we continue to import their junk"? Surely you do not mean the American Government? Are you also suggesting the American government buys from Wal-Mart? Do you refer to your own government as USA?
Don't thumb your nose at us. We know a lie when we see one.
Thats one more insulted but proud Chinese Australian you have to answer to.
Being a fine liberal, you have to be consistent, truthful and forward thinking. What happened in Tibet in 1950’s was a civil war, just like the North and South War in the 1860’s. Lives were lost, but the slaves were liberated.Yet this is fundamentally different from invading an independent nation for intruders’ own interests, such as oils. As for Jack Cafferty, he is not a liberal. He is rather a tacky TV celebrity who likes to flaunt and ridicule with a bad mouth, and a lot of times, illogical thinking.He is often conceited with prejudice and acts as a bad Donald Duck. Sadly, most people in the US don't know much of the world history. We learn so by overly watching the television and movies. The information received is often distorted or dramatized.I won’t be surprised if someone thinks Puerto Rico is a country, or India is in south of Mexico. John, before you present an idea and make a conclusion, read more from other than Barns and Nobles or your school library, reach out and validate your assumptions.
Mr. Kusumi, an eye-opening and a very good read indeed! This article should go around other websites more publicly, I say.But unfortunately, we still see these people's eyes cannot be opened. (Maybe it's cause they're too chinky? Woops!). Anyway, Tibet IS NOT a part of China!!! Ofcourse, you won't accept it, but hey- it is not. If you guys are calling the Tibetan protestors 'terrorists'? Jeez, I wonder what names you'll come up with for your own government. I can't even think of anything...tsk tsk.Too bad, for some of us don't have the masterful skills of tongue-lashing and demonizing other people who've done no harm to us, unlike the Chinese arses on the CCP seats. As for history, don't take out your shitty manipulated and distorted accounts into our consideration, okay? And once again, TIBET is for TIBETANS. And it was NEVER and will never be a part of your filthy bloodbathing government¬!!!!! Deal with it~! Thanks again Mr.s kusumi. :D
'Tibetan Buddhism is known as a peaceful religion of non-violence; "
There is no such thing as a peaceful religion. The society that the Dalia Lama wants is a society for brutal physical punishment for disobedience. Eye Gouging, beheadings, and toture is what would happen to the Tibetans. An independent Tibet would not be a free Tibet.
See Season 3 Episode "Holier Than Thou" of Penn And Teller's Bullshit! on Showtime.
John, before you properly research a topic, please do not BS. Please check the truthfulness of the claim by the Tibetan Govt in Exile (TGIE) about 1.2m Tibetan dead under Chinese rule. Even Tibet section under Wikipedia.org suggests the number is wildly exaggerated and the 1.2m included only 23,000 women, which would imply 90% of the Tibetan male population was wiped out. Also the TGIE was never able to come up with a list of the names for the 1.2m “killed”, just like they are unable to come up with the names of the 140 “killed” in the recent “crackdown” by China. The TGIE, FYI, is the old elite under the Buddhist theocracy that had the most to lose under Chinese communism, who fled to India and who then have been lying in the West to get sympathy. It’s imbeciles like you who take their claims at face value and help perpetuate their lies. 120,000 desperate religious zealots who play a PR game dangerously well, are not worth half a thought, especially if it’s at the risk of starting another Cold War with 1.4bn people whose grievances against TGIE claims are never heard by the West and imbeciles like you.
Posted By: A Chinese American and a voter
Date: 2008-04-21 13:40:56
You seem to make the 1.2 million slaughter a cornerstone of your thesis. Here's an excerpt on New York Times from an author on Tibet and a former director of the Free Tibet Campaign in London--
"The European and American pro-Tibet organizations are the tail that wags the dog of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
These groups hate criticism almost as much as the Chinese government does. Some use questionable information. For example, the Free Tibet Campaign in London (of which I am a former director) and other groups have long claimed that 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese since they invaded in 1950. However, after scouring the archives in Dharamsala while researching my book on Tibet, I found that there was no evidence to support that figure."
Posted By: European living in China
Date: 2008-04-21 17:43:26
Comparing the Mao Zedong-regime to the Deng Xiaoping and Post-Deng regimes is an intellectual low water mark. China is improving and they ought to get credit for it. Cafferty's comment was out of line. I sense there are Anti-China feelings in the west, that is not fair to the real picture in this country. Kusumi's comments is just evidence of his ignorance and lack of knowledge of the complex situation in today's China.
China rewrote history for its own benefits. China took Tibet by force under Mao. Good or bad, Tibet life is for Tibetans to decide. Not Chinese. Maybe the world should go liberate the chinese people from being brainwashed by their government. That's the same reasoning China uses to justify its robbing Tibet's land in 1959. China protests against Cafferty can only underline his comment. Decent people don't rob someone property, send death threats and hack the websites. These are criminal acts. What else can we call?
China rewrote history for its own benefits. China took Tibet by force under Mao. Good or bad, Tibet life is for Tibetans to decide. Not Chinese. Maybe the world should go liberate the chinese people from being brainwashed by their government. That's the same reasoning China uses to justify its robbing Tibet's land in 1959. China protests against Cafferty can only underline his comment. Decent people don't rob someone property, send death threats and hack the websites. These are criminal acts. What else can we call?
You said you cannot find any fault with Cafferty's words, then let me point them out for you.
Although there were some defected products imported from China, that doesn't mean all the products from China are junk. Beside China doesn't force the America to export jobs, it is the companies choose to manufacture in China. Moreover, it is the Americans and the companies who get the most benefits from the low-cost product. Wages and salary might seem low to American's standard, yet you can't use the American's standard to compute the wage standard in China, which seems so navie and unreasonable.
Finally, if you still can't find the faults, I suggest you get another pair of glasses.
Cafferty's comments were pretty clearly not a racial slur. The antecedent to "they're" is "China", which is generally used to mean the country (And thus its government), not the race that populates it. Neither CNN nor Cafferty owes anyone an apology.
I can't comment on anything about the Tibet situation other than to say this: Westerners are predisposed to think ill of China because of its violent persecution of dissidents and its blatant censorship. As a result, they tend to be likely to believe anything bad they hear about China with relatively little evidence. Moreover, China has lost its ability to credibly defend itself because of its habit of classifying information detrimental to it as "state secrets" and locking up anyone who spreads such information when it can.
Note the use of "China" in the previous paragraph to unambiguously mean China's government.
I have a question for all of those who are upset over China being criticized: who are you to be above criticism? Have you done no wrong in your history, under any of your governments? You are no better than most governments and history, and the CCP is worse than most have been. You are not above reproach, and to think you are make you the racists, not those who criticize you. One of the things that distinguishes the West is that we at least have the decency to criticize ourselves -- and even to take it from others. We're certainly not perfect, but at least we try on occasion. Cafferty's complaint was that we see two attitudes coming out of the rulers in China: either carelessness or murder. Why not get upset at the fact that the Chinese government is an embarrassment to the Chinese people and is sullying your good name? A once-great culture is being run by thugs, and you're defending the thugs!
John, before you properly research a topic, please do not BS. Please check the truthfulness of the claim by the Tibetan Govt in Exile (TGIE) about 1.2m Tibetan dead under Chinese rule. Even Tibet section under Wikipedia.org suggests the number is wildly exaggerated and the 1.2m included only 23,000 women, which would imply 90% of the Tibetan male population was wiped out. Also the TGIE was never able to come up with a list of the names for the 1.2m “killed”, just like they are unable to come up with the names of the 140 “killed” in the recent “crackdown” by China. The TGIE, FYI, is the old elite under the Buddhist theocracy that had the most to lose under Chinese communism, who fled to India and who then have been lying in the West to get sympathy. It’s imbeciles like you who take their claims at face value and help perpetuate their lies. 120,000 desperate religious zealots who play a PR game dangerously well, are not worth half a thought, especially if it’s at the risk of starting another Cold War with 1.4bn people whose grievances against TGIE claims are never heard by the West and imbeciles like you.
Troy Camplin writes: A once-great culture is being run by thugs, and you're defending the thugs!
Troy, I think you have the case that the Chinese Communists were thugs once upon a time. However if you go to China, and most people critical of China have never been to China, you can see real changes are made and the people there do support the Govt. There are burgeoning human rights in China...people criticize the Govt all the time for corruption, city projects, etc. Just the other day there was a big rally in Shanghai against Govt rail project that cut through people's neighborhood. The Chinese Govt is a contract Govt and their tenure on power is dependent on progress. Today, economic progress is what Chinese people demand. Tomorrow, they will ask for universal suffrage: 15-20 years is what it takes I think for China to gradually become a democracy.
China's model is far better than phoney democracies that I see the US is trying to promote around the world. You look at India who tried democracy for 60 years and it's only gotte its act together and is way behind China even though China has only been a path to capitalism for less than 30 years. The welfare of 1.3 bn people in a country is not necessarily well served by Western style democracy so soon. Everything takes time. Western style democracy took 100s of years to mature and was far from perfect.
The problem with the West is it has very little credibility when it criticises China. Most of the world's tensions, whether Iraq, Palestine-Israel, India-Pakistan, etc, are caused by the West's total regard for human rights in those countries, and the West's self absorbing concern with SELF INTEREST. Colonism perpetuated by the West over 100s of years have caused problems that even today cannot be solved.
Furthermore, too many times I've seen "human rights" and "democracy" as a catchcry rhetoric that the West uses to advance its own interests. Tibet Govt in Exile, for example has been funded by the CIA since 1959 as a strategic destabilizer to China. Even today, Dalai Lama gets paid $180,000 per annum from CIA or an affiliated organization. Even today, the Tibet Govt in Exile is supported by US organizations. Not that they care about Tibet and its dirt poor and land locked 3m people, but as a strategic bargaining chip against China in the upcoming competition for natural resources, trade and global political leadership.
So when anyone in the West start criticising China or other countries, perhaps they should first look at their own Govt and see the rotten core...examine oneself before criticize others
Here's a product we should give to a lot of people. A thicker skin.
Are your feelings hurt by something someone else said? Congrats, and welcome to the human condition. Look at the bright side, you weren't shot in the head. Time to grow up.
The biggest reason we have racism is because we have a buch of people willing to whine about it, and point it out. Vote for a candidate who fights for minorities? I'd like a candidate who fights for humans. Identify everyone as human with no extra label, you're not a racist. That goes for people who say african american just as much as for those who say nigger. If the label means something, you're a racist. If a label is needed, you live in a racist society. Use the label, you're a racist. Even if you use it to refer to your own race.
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