Letter to Friedman

A Tibetan-American reader of the New York Times and this blog sent me a copy of a letter written to Tom Friedman in response to Friedman’s column last Friday. Friedman had called on China to initiate a new Great Leap Forward seemingly not knowing that it was a Chinese Communist Party policy disaster that cost 20-40 million lives. I was given permission to share the letter here.

Dear Mr. Friedman,

I generally enjoy your columns, but I find your attitude toward China to be far too simplistic, naive and accepting of what officials may tell you. Today’s column, however, was shocking. You state that China “tried to make a Great Leap Forward,” as if this were similar to how one might “try” to bake a turkey tomorrow. Were Stalin’s gulags a “try” at changing the Soviet Union? Can such a cavalier word capture the horror of 30 million deaths unnecessarily caused by a narcissistic dictator?

Mr. Friedman, I hope you know that in Chinese culture, there is a stark difference between what is shown to those on the “inside” and the “outside.” Combine this with Communist propaganda tactics, and you must realize that tremendous efforts go on behind the scenes whenever you visit China or speak with officials at any level. A New York Times columnist is far too important not to.

As a Tibetan-American, I see the other side of China. The oppressive, racist, violent China that holds down the Tibetan people in all areas of life, for fear of Tibetans standing up and demanding the self-determination that is their right as a people. I recently visited Tibet and the political and social oppression is subtle but pervasive and all-controlling.

Mr. Friedman, I urge you not to get seduced by the gleaming skyscrapers in Shanghai, and to realize that what you see in China is not what you really get. Please “try” to look under the surface, and you will see a complex, corrupt, and repressive system and is far darker and more manipulative than the celebratory tone of your columns.

Respectfully,
[Name withheld at the author's request]

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