Comments on: Through a Blurry Cellphone Video, Darkly https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/ Jamyang Norbu's blog Thu, 09 Nov 2023 13:46:54 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.25 By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7686 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:26:53 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7686 Bdheychen la, thank you – much appreciate the insight!

]]>
By: BDheychen https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7684 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:15:03 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7684 Sheila,
It is subtle.
Kerik sounds more potent. Good job @ WordSmith!

]]>
By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7683 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:25:20 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7683 I noticed two versions of the language protest slogans:

མི་རིགས་འདྲ་མཉམ། སྐད་རིགས་རང་དབང་།
མི་རིགས་འདྲ་མཉམ། སྐད་ཡིག་རང་དབང་།

In the now-infamous picture of the student holding up the blackboard with the slogan, it’s kérik…does anyone think there’s a difference between using kérik or kéyik, politically, or is it interchangeable? Sometimes rebellion can be so subtle. Unless it’s Cantonese, lol.

]]>
By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7674 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:38:40 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7674 Here’s a video of our local kids standing up (literally) for the Tibetan language. So proud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75nQSAN8-4s

“In October 2010 thousands of Tibetan students protested against China’s one language policy, which would phase out the use of the Tibetan language in schools by 2015. The members of Madison SFT and RTYC Wisconsin compiled this video with the help of local children to show their support of these students in Tibet.”

]]>
By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7673 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:33:30 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7673 Time-line of Student Protests:

October 19: Protests in Rebkong

Students from 6 different schools (First Tibetan Middle School/Teachers’ Training School/Yifu National Middle School are among the 6)

Demands/Slogans: “Equality of People, Freedom of Language”

Participation: More than 1000 people

October 20: Chabcha
Over 2000 students protested from 6-10am

Demands/Slogans:
1. Return the authority of the Tibetan language
2. Equality Among Nationalities
3. Expand the use of Tibetan language

Protests in Chenza; Khrigha; Drakar also

October 21: Golok

Three schools, 3000 students (Teachers Training College, Town Middle School, County Middle School)

Demands/Slogans: “Equality of People, Freedom of Language”

Rebkong Gedun Choephel Middle School- around 700 students-

October 22:

Beijing, Minzu/Nationalities University.

Demands/Slogans: “Preserve Nationality Language and Expand National Education”

Participation: around 400 students

October 23:
Chabcha- Gonghe dzong – 20 students of the Tibetan Middle School were arrested

October 24:
Several hundred students and teachers from high schools in Chentsa county, in Malho, took to the streets in support of the continued use of Tibetan in local schools.

(Courtesy SFT Blog)

]]>
By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7545 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:57:05 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7545 Uyghur schoolteachers have been told they will have to immediately take a surprise exam; if they pass, they may continue teaching. If they fail, they will be fired, and Chinese teachers will take their place.

If you put the pieces together in this particular pattern–fire Uyghur teachers, replace them with Beijing imports; fire Cantonese broadcasters, replace them with Beijing imports; fire Tibetan teachers, replace them with Beijing imports…doesn’t it seem that this whole thing could be a “jobgrab?” Appease some of the masses of angry, jobless Beijing graduates by kicking out “minority” teachers and handing out their jobs like candy?

]]>
By: HTGT https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7526 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:16:39 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7526 Chinese engineer, you really are an engineer: full of iron and steel!

]]>
By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7525 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:47:34 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7525 It’s so timely that famous sports hero Liu Xiang just caused an uproar hours ago by speaking only Shanghainese after his competition lol

]]>
By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7524 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:39:01 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7524 P.S. Disrupting the existing Tibetan curriculum and replacing every single book takes more resources, not less. Razing the existing Cantonese programming and replacing it with a complete overhaul takes more resources, not less. Dealing with the resultant mass incidents takes more resources, not less. Heaven forbid this whole thing catches fire nationwide, because then the government will learn what “taking more resources” truly means.

]]>
By: Sheila https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2010/11/10/through-a-blurry-cellphone-video-darkly/#comment-7523 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:32:31 +0000 http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/?p=1496#comment-7523 There are a lot of points to address in your response, but I think there’s one thought which strikes me above all: now, of all times, is the wrong time to launch an unnecessary, agressive Mandarin Only campaign.

Every schoolchild is already studying Mandarin. There is no emergency. I don’t hate Mandarin; I had Mandarin in school, too. It’s not a big deal.

But on top of the people’s rising emotions on inflation, housing prices, food prices, corruption, never mind the tinderbox west of Lanzhou…now is exactly the wrong time to send in a Party Language Army swarming over the towns beating uncles and aunts senseless with a Mandarin Stick.

This is yet another Bad Idea from the neo-con clique. It’s no accident Cantonese was threatened at the same time as Tibetan. Some group in Beijing suffering the pudgy discomfort of their Rolexes made yet another uneducated, rash “decision.” Did they consult linguists?? Did they consult sociologists?? Did they really take advantage of modern research into what works and doesn’t work to affect language change?? Did they account for regional differences in temperament? Hell no, they just rolled the dice again an prayed to their baomas. “Hey guys let’s try this.”

Can you truly say it was a good idea? Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing, Rebkong, Gepasumdo, Tsolho erupted into protests. That’s not a good sign. Right now, there need to be fewer mass incidents, not more.

In the modern age, local smolderings can instead become a rapidly-spreading wildfire fueled by a common issue to rally around. It’s completely careles to risk this, because Mandarin education is already happening in every single school under CCP control. Again, there is simply zero emergency; Mandarin is being learned.

When I hear bigwigs pleading, “Let China develop at her own pace, gradually and naturally!” as a way to postpone reform, I don’t believe those words for a second. Because out of the other side of their mouth they are hissing, “Immediately enforce Mandarin! Damn the consequences!”

The problem with the 2010 Needless Mandarin Offensive is that it is not actually designed to promote Mandarin; it is clearly designed to smother other languages. This is far too inflammatory and therefore not a good idea at the moment, or maybe ever.

]]>