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Testing friendship on Facebook
It is funny how some people have over 200 friends on Facebook. You would need a really good memory to keep up with the goings-on of so many people. Personally, I apply a stringent testing system to evaluate my Facebook friends – would I really want to have a cup of coffee or a beer with this person? Of course there are exceptions to this rule. For example, I would definitely avoid one of my high school classmates at all cost, but he puts up a lot of photos and has a fairly interesting Facebook profile.
I recently tested a Facebook friendship when I questioned why a friend joined a free Tibet group. The friend was a guy that I used to play cricket with as a kid. While bored at work, I searched for his name and requested that we become friends. He added me, but we didn’t have any contact until I commented on the free Tibet group.
I guess that I was a bit rude when I commented on the free Tibet group, but after looking at my friend’s profile, I knew that he is a well-educated guy with a master’s degree. I wrote on his page: ‘Hey mate, why did you join this stupid group?’ I guess that the word ‘stupid’ is a bit rude, but I was expecting my friend to bite back with a lecture about how China invaded Tibet and oppressed its people. However, I didn’t expect that he would delete me as a friend!
It probably wasn’t a real surprise that he deleted me as a friend. In fact, it is fairly typical of people who support free Tibet groups. A lot of people join these groups, but they seem to have no idea about the real state of affairs. I am the first to admit that China not only has problems with Tibet, but with all its ethnic minority groups. However, is an independent Tibet really the answer?
Free Tibet groups are extreme and fail to fill in the enormous gap between the Tibetan people and the Chinese government. There needs to be dialogue, but a lot of Western people screaming for an independent Tibet does not encourage the Chinese government to start talking. A Facebook group calling for the improvement of exchange between Tibetans and Chinese would be a lot more useful.
I have always thought that the situation in East Timor is comparable to the situation in Tibet. Since gaining independence, East Timor has been a disaster. Despite have almost no natural resources and a tiny population, East Timor still wanted to break off from its powerful neighbour. This was mostly due to the cruelty inflicted on the country by the Indonesian military. The Chinese government desperately needs to improve the way it treats Tibetan culture, but an independent Tibet is a stupid idea that needs to be quashed. I don’t care how many Facebook friends it costs me. |
Posted: 8:11 PM, 1/10/2008 in ChinaShare on Facebook |
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freedom
As seen on a T-Shirt I was tempted to buy
FREE TIBET*
*With the purchase of any Tibet of equal or greater value... |
Posted by Anonymous at 11:13 AM, 22/10/2008 |
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