[Riddil]

The "average" monk indeed wasn't wealthy at all. However, the estates that the organization occupied were palatial, and aside from the monks there were the wealthy land-owners. And even so, for the sake of argument let's say that I concede this point. These facts still remain...

The Tibetan life of ~60+ years ago wasn't an idyllic paradise. They were still living under the ancient feudal system. There was no chance for self-improvement, there were no schools, there were no hospitals. If you were born a slave, you stayed a slave, if you were born a serf you stayed a serf.

Phew, Ok, I just deleted like 10 paragraphs because I'm getting off the point I wanted to make. I went back to discussing the (my perceived) misunderstood history of Tibet and the relation to China, but in all honesty it's immaterial to my argument. So, after this reset, my real point is...

Truthfully, I really, really don't disagree with you. I think the cultural "cleansing" is despicable. I *DO* firmly believe that Tibet should have it's own nation. My point isn't to argue that Tibet shouldn't be free.... my real argument is to point out that by focusing only on Tibet you're actually hurting both causes... life won't get dramatically better for Tibetans, or for the general Chinese populace.

Chinese are incensed against the West over the perceived "attack" on China. (Do a Google news search for "china carrefour" to get a glimpse). The continued pressure regarding Tibet will only push the general public to become more and more nationalistic.

If, however, the world were to follow the Dalai Lama's suggestion... to push for a "more autonomous" Tibet (one that would allow their cultural preservation, and greater personal freedoms), then you have an attainable goal. And if that can come to pass then the rest of Chinese might start standing up for themselves, since they can see what is possible.

And my extended argument is that the best way to attain that goal is to focus not exclusively on Tibet, but rather to focus on the country overall. If China loosens control over the whole country, then Tibet will follow suit. Consider this... if China were somehow to shift to a democracy, then all the "cultural purification" would disappear overnight.