I must say that I have enjoyed this class so far and actually look forward to making blog entries. And, after each post I make I look forward to reading the comments of my peers. I want to know their thoughts on my subject and also to try and use any suggestions that may be given. One thing that has been mentioned on more than one occasion is the word "history". I would like to take a few moments to explain my intent in providing a brief summary of Tibet's past. I know that this entry is not required but I figured, what the heck, this is after all a writing class so why not?
I have been an amateur student of history for as long as I can remember. Back in grade school I was the kid always reading the history books on a regular basis. Oftentimes I would just pick up an encyclopedia and start reading it, just because I enjoyed it. When one studies history, one inevitably engages in discussions and even debates on events that have occurred in the past. Sometimes these discussions are pleasant and polite, merely an exchange of thoughts and ideas on why things happened as they did. However, pleasant exchanges do not always occur.
As we all know, we humans have not always treated one another in the way we would like to be treated. In other words, we have not "Done unto others as we would have done unto us". We have been cruel and violent. We have waged wars to take possession of each other's belongings. We have fought wars just to ensure our dominance over other peoples. We have fought wars of conquest abroad just to gain political power at home. There have been wars motivated by religious beliefs. And, much to our discredit, there have been occasions where we have actively sought to annihilate each other. When we choose to discuss subjects of this nature, it is imperative that we know what we are talking about.
Let's face it, Tibet is a subject that not many people here in the United States have knowledge of. Realizing this, I decided that the best way to tackle this issue was to start at the beginning and work my way to the present. If we want to speak intelligently about the present goings on in Tibet and around the world, we must have some knowledge of the past.
Most people would agree that the subject of Tibet is an emotionally charged issue. To see this one only has to watch the news on TV or read the news articles or blogs written about it. If we allow that emotion to be coupled with ignorance, we are courting disaster. As I have chosen to write about an issue that can be accurately described as a powder keg, I felt it was the responsible thing to do in providing some historical background before discussing the present events.
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2 comments:
I wish you knew how powerful your writing is, especially in relation to how you consider audience issues. Your text here is explanitory and interesting, but it's not boring. I think some people don't know much about Tibet because (no offense to anybody in this class, but in the general population) it's not in the popular, local, cable, or entertainment news. There is no Tibetan Britney Spears or Bin Laden on the horizon.
But what there is, instead, is a beautiful country locked in a conflict with a superpower: China. And for most people, that's boring because it's not "sexy" news. I find this outlook really sad. I guess if you go to the grocery store, and you scan the checkout aisles, you'd see rows and rows of tabloid news, candy, batteries, more tabloids, and pocket diet books. Where is U.S. News and World Report or Smithsonian?
I'm a little ashamed to say that I haven't been able to read through your blog or much of anyone else's for that matter. I probably shouldn't be admitting this but I've fallen behind on my blog writing and to be honest whenever I do write it takes me hours on end and is very frustrating. I particularly liked this blog because you made it personal and gave examples of your personal experiences and it was very opinionated. I agree with Julie. 1, you are a powerful writer. Everything just flows so nicely when you write and 2, I agree that many of the youngsters nowadays (no offense to anyone) don't really take interest in subjects like these. I like how you have taken a difficult subject, embraced it and have tackled it. I think the history part of your blog is very intriguing because, I for one did not know much of Tibet's background so it was great information. Keep up the good work! And that was my Maria's bit :)
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