http://www.revolution.org.nz/ Ride my Lama? Linda Kearns asks "does that have one 'L' or two ? revolution 10 - August / September 1999 Late last year the Christchurch chapter of the "Friends of Tibet" held a screening of Martin Scorsese's film Kundun. The film, written by Melissa Mathison Ford, wife of actor Harrison Ford, concerns the early life of the Dalai Lama before his exile into India and follows a spate of movies on the same subject including Seven years in Tibet and Red Corner. It seems that the Dalai Lama and the plight of Tibet has become very fashionable amongst the Hollywood elite and when the film had a rather muted release critics were quick to cry conspiracy as Disney, the company backing the movie has economic and commercial interest in China. The real explanation for the limited release of the movie has more to do with the economics of the film industry than the politics of Tibet. As the Palace Film Distributor Tait Brady commented, "Remember, it's a pretty heady film - Brad Pitt isn't in it." Accusations of Chinese oppression of the American film industry serve to highlight how far removed these Hollywood celebrities and their portrayal of the Dalai Lama are from the real world. Tibet, for most of these people, serves as the archetypal spiritual place where people live simply and in accordance with the religious teaching of Buddhist monks headed by the peace-loving Dalai Lama. This imagined paradise has been trampled under the boots of Chinese communist oppression. While I have no sympathy for the Chinese government I find the actions of these Hollywood types and the "Friends of Tibet" even worse. In struggling to restore the Dalai Lama these Hollywood humanitarians and their liberal counterparts are hoping to reinstall a feudal mode of production and a religious oligarchy that served only to exploit and oppress the people of Tibet. It's no wonder the former Nazi Heinrich Harrer, whose book was the basis for the movie Seven Years in Tibet, was so attracted to the country and its slave-owning, obscurantist leader. Prior to 1949 Tibet was governed by a religious aristocracy with the Dalai Lama, the god king, presiding over the government. Next in line was the Panchen Lama. The Tibetan government in Lhasa was composed of lamas selected for their religious piety. The charter of law provided no rights for women. The clergy were among the biggest landlords, one monastery near Lhasa owned estates with some 25,000 serfs. The monasteries were supported by contributions from the nobility which means, ultimately, by the labour of the peasants. The concepts of democracy, human rights and universal education were unknown. The Dalai Lama and the majority of the elite agreed to give away Tibet's de facto independence in 1950 once they were assured by Beijing that their oppressive theocratic political system and the exploitative semi-feudal economic system would be maintained. Nine years later, only when they felt their privileges were threatened by a tax from Beijing, did the elite manage to win some poor Tibetans to their cause and stage a revolt. This revolt was led by monks from the Lithang Monastery in eastern Tibet. Chris Mullin, writing in the Far Eastern Economic Review, described Lithang's monks as "not monks in the Western sense many are involved in private trade; some carried guns and spent much of their time violently feuding with rival monasteries. One former citizen describes Lithang as 'like the Wild West'." Prior to the outbreak of the revolt the Dalai Lama issued an appeal for gold and jewels in order to build himself another throne which he claimed would rid Tibet of "bad omens." 120 tons of gold and jewelry were collected and over 60 tons preceded the Dalai Lama on his flight to India in 1959. Between 1956 and 1972 the CIA armed and trained Tibetan guerillas and provided an annual subsidy of $1.7 million dollars throughout the sixties. Before the 1959 uprising, the CIA parachuted arms and trained guerillas into eastern Tibet. The Dalai Lama maintained radio contact with the CIA during his 1959 escape to India. This Lama has no problem aligning himself and his 'cause' with the largest imperialist power in the world, while cynically dragging along a whole bunch of well meaning pacifists and hippies in his wake. This he does in the name of human rights. This same Lama has no compunction in declaring divergent Buddhists heretics for following the wrong saint, who, he claims, is actually a demon. Give me a break. The only Lamas I'll be supporting are the kind with hooves and bad breath. ----------------------- Yours in solidarity Per Rasmussen Denmark Familien Rasmussen http://home0.inet.tele.dk/pera/ Cuba SI! http://w1.1559.telia.com/~u155900388/ Viden er Magt! - Magten til folket! http://w1.1559.telia.com/~u155900373/
