Without a doubt China is an emerging nation. But when it comes to contentious issues, the government controlled media invariably resorts to name calling. They dish out insults of the variety that would make the meanest of tabloids blush. Well, you’d be embarrassed too if you found yourself repeating today ideological slurs that are reminiscent of the the Cultural Revolution era. You remember that one? The page in history that China doesn’t like to talk about?
China calls the Dalai Lama a “cat’s paw of international anti-China forces.” Protesting monks are labeled the “scum of Buddhism,” and foreign critics are said to have a “dark and despicable mentality.”
In responding to recent anti-Chinese protests in Tibet, Beijing has revived shrill language from past decades, displaying the communist regime’s extreme sensitivity over the issue and enduring authoritarian nature.
Three decades of market-oriented economic reforms and an increasingly vibrant society have little impact when it comes to core issues of sovereignty and state power, experts say. Not even the impending Beijing Olympics seems to have moderated the tone.
“‘China’ is several things,” says Princeton University China expert Perry Link. “The sizzling economy and flashy cities are real, but so is the tired old political-rhetorical culture that sits on the shelf and is pulled out when needed.”
Read more in the International Herald Tribune: China’s anger over Tibet revives harsh terminology of yesteryear
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