Keeping Tibet Free

Nasty demonstrations in China, and the Chinese government even having to rein them in -- although of course, they're the ones inciting the rent-a-crowds to start with! And in miniature in our tiny Second life...

Another griefer in Free Tibet, this time, putting up a WELCOME TO THE OLYMPICS sign in Spanish, which completely blocks the entrance to the Tibetan monastery in Wakeley.

Since the group is open, people can do that. So I have to come through and remove the griefer prims now and then. There are actually very few, even now, with emotions running high. By and large, I find that most people treat this area respectfully. In fact, as I noted, I get mainly not anti-Tibetan pro-Chinese-government protesters, but hangers-on to the Tibet cause who are terribly vain and terribly attached to the notion of themselves "helping the cause" -- or just shoddy t-shirt and junk peddlers.

I usually have to boot at least 10 people a week from the group who are just there to hang out and grab the title and feel cool. The group charter explicitly states that you have to either rent a house or be organizing an event to stay in the group (which is open, and therefore periodically pruned).

Each time I do that, 2-3 squawk loudly and scream about me being a rapacious greedy landlord. None of them ever, ever, says "Oh, ok, well I do want to organize an event/art show/meditation/discussion/awareness-raiser on behalf of Tibet, can I use this space?). Lol -- hardly ever.

Ok, whatever. Somebody has to pay for Free Tibet. Might as well be me : )

Comments

[cat magellan]

Altought I have nothing against your effort, I find it quite amazing. I recall you writting a very good post about the internet efforts to put Darfur and other stuff on sites and such (including SL) and you considered that almost worthless, because political will and nothing else, will change these things. Maybe I misundertood that post.

[Prokofy Neva]

It's true, only political will of those in a position to make or break it really solves these things. The rest is merely a climate of change, some mild form of pressure. You can't Twitter something away that gets Antonovs from the Russians and oil pipelines from the China, geez.

[cat magellan]

And still you pay for Free Tibet in SL? Mind you, I totally agree with you, the rest is not very effective pressure and something else that makes me puke: "fashion", as in all blogs putting up pictures of Darfur as to sound very concerned. However, as I said: paying for Free Tibet in SL, does not sound very Prokofysh to me...