The Whole Tibet and China Thing

I know I'm a little late to respond to the whole China vs. Tibet argument thing that's been happening for quite a while now, but, hey, better late than never.

Anywho, with the 2008 Bejing Olympics just a few months away, the conflict between Tibet and China has been put on the public stage, especially with the protests in Tibet and China's all-too-violent response to that protest.

Lately, I have heard many arguments from the Chinese side about how the world shouldn't make such a "spectacle" of this issue simply because it's:

a.) None of the world's business.

and

b.) Western countries are just as guilty as China when it comes to taking over other people's land. So Western countries shouldn't point fingers.

Okay, so here's my take on these two pro-China arguments:

a.) Hey, China, since you always wanted to be the center of the world's attention, you got it!!! Oh wait? You only want the world to focus on the good things about you and ignore the bad things? Well, tough $#@#. When you put yourself up to attracting the eyes of the world (like you do when you advertise yourself as the host of the freakin 2008 Olympics), everyone sees everything about you, whether good or bad. And, when people see everything about you, they're entitled to their opinion. This is reality, China, take it or leave it. You're the one who placed yourself in this position, not anyone else.

b.) Yes, America had it's share of doing things that it was never proud of doing, like seizing land from the Native Americans. But you know what? This is old news to us. People have pointed this out to us millions of times and we're used to being accused left and right. And, you know what? At least we've tried to do something to make ammends for it (reservations, recognition of some autonomy for the Native American people, etc.). So, in short, here's the deal:

- Just because Western countries have their own baggage in their history, doesn't make what you're doing to Tibet any better.

- Again, China, welcome to our world. America's been laughed at and accused countless times for its mistakes. It's all part of being a popular country. But we're used to it by now. So, China, you better start getting use to it too and stop throwing a hissy fit.

Just my two cents.