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Originally Posted by pug_ster
When you and the Western Media mention 'human rights' is a vague word.
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You are correct that there are several interpretations given if you look on the net. I guess I would go along with ' Universal rights to which every person is entitled because they are justified by a moral standard that stands above the laws of any individual.' Clearly then you are left with the question as to who decides what these rights are. I am happy to go along with Amnesty International. It deals with these same rights through out the world and hence can be seen as a general standard for all.
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Originally Posted by pug_ster
First of all, it happens in every country. The other day I saw a video of about 10 cops stopped a car getting 3 black people out of a car and giving them a beatdown.
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Yes, and this does get widespread media attention here. If this happens in the US it is on our headlines here in the UK. The Rodney King incident in 1992 gave rise to riots when the police were let off by the jury ignoring the evidence. These things are bad and people get well upset about them, but at the present time they are not the norm. If they were there would be a lot more marches and publicity and people working for them to change.
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Originally Posted by pug_ster
Chinese media don't politicalize this nor do they usually mention this in the news because China respects this as an internal issue.
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I don't agree this is an internal issue. This is an issue about human rights and so is of interest to us all due to us all being human.
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Originally Posted by pug_ster
Outside Human Rights Groups are more than happy to point out when cops manhandle its own Chinese citizens.
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We don't see Chinese cops manhandling their own citizens here in the UK, but if they do and human rights groups get to hear about it then it is correct to note it, in the same way as it is correct to note what is happening in Guantanamo Bay and any other abuses that it finds in any country in the world.
I accept that China is not used to this, but if it is going to become part of the International community it cannot avoid it, just the same as every other nation cannot avoid it.
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Originally Posted by pug_ster
So Westerners are more than happy to point out of human rights abuses when Chinese police went around beating Tibean monks about 10 years ago, but don't think it is human rights case when monks are manhandled and beaten in Nepal and India 2 months ago.
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You are right that these issues were not given much mention on the news and I think that was wrong. I have to be honest though I would have thought China would have been pleased about this as it would have brought more attention and interest about the situation in Tibet.
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Originally Posted by pug_ster
That's why I think when you and the Western Nations join the chorus to complain on China's record on human rights, but fail to back up on any of China's recent misgivings.
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I don't understand what your getting at here. Honest, I just don't.
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Originally Posted by pug_ster
As I have studied American History and watch Western Media from a point of view of a layman, we see things as good and bad, black and white, cops and robbers, us and the terrorists. What I see is that The Western Nations are the always good guys because we want always want to point out why the communists like China are bad guys without pointing at ourselves at fault.
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Well this could be what you have been seeing, but I doubt if this is how most people with any level of education would view things.
There are though some fundamental differences. These are so strong that they cannot be left alone...and I guess they belong to a person's right to choose how they live their lives - hence the support for free Tibet, people's rights to speak their minds and their rights to be treated in a humane manner. As I said these are Internationally accepted norms and all countries which do not live by them will be criticized.
That is not to say there is not a wealth of good in China and that that there are not things which the world could benefit from, it is just that some things are just so basic you cannot pretend they are not happening...wherever they are happening, in China or anywhere else.
China is going through a sort of non violent revolution at the moment. That includes beginning to have contact with the outside world. In the next 20 years China like other countries will change a great deal. None of us knows how this will happen, but it will.
