An American’s Advices

DO write a polite letter to the editor to point out the problem, giving a logical argument to support your position. （Letters to the editor are a respectable, civilized way to express your opinion—and you can get it published for free）

DO make a calm, informative video that explains why a photograph or media clip is wrong or misleading. （People are willing to listen to and learn from calm, reasonable videos）

DON’T write an angry, irrational protest letter with an argument based upon ad hominem attacks and Communist political mantras.（If you write an angry letter, your opinion will not be respected. Ad hominem attacks (irrelevant criticism of a person’s character) will be rejected as desperate. Communist language is very easy to spot, and people will disregard you if they think you are simply repeating government propaganda.）

DON’T make a video that makes angry, illogical statements and tells the Western viewer he is an idiot. （It is difficult to accept correction from a person who insults you, especially if he does it illogically. This video on YouTube is a perfect example of what NOT to do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QNKB34cJo. It insults the viewer and makes unsupported and illogical claims, such as saying the CIA still provides support to the Dalai Lama.）

DON’T call for bans or violent attacks against publications or broadcasters who make unfair statements. （It is very important to remember that since Western media are not controlled by the government, their errors and biases should not be taken so seriously. Freedom of speech even covers speech that is unfair or wrong; this is an important protection against government tyranny.）

DO respect the fact that the person’s culture is different, and that he views political and moral issues differently. （For example,Americans often have a positive view of “independence” movements because they think of all the good things that came from American independence. Also, people from some countries are more suspicious of government, especially authoritarian governments like the central government of China）

DO realize that since he didn’t grow up in China, he has access to different information about Tibet, some of which is more accurate than what you learned in China. （Chinese people have the advantage of having better opportunities to study and experience Tibet. Foreigners have the advantage of learning about Tibet without the interference of Chinese government propaganda, censorship, and deceit.）

DO have a friendly debate based on facts and logic.（Have a little debate. Don’t get emotional. Hopefully you will both learn something.）

DO have a friendly debate based on facts and logic. （The person is probably not wrong about everything regarding Tibet, and it is more polite to gently correct than to tell him that he is ignorant.）

DON’T make absolute statements that you cannot readily support.（”Tibet was, is and always will be a part of China” is not a complete argument. You must provide convincing historical evidence of the ties between Tibet and China.）
DO talk about your differences of opinion respectfully and learn why some people disagree with the official Chinese position. （Once again, I think it is best to try to learn from someone with different opinions.）

DON’T denounce the person as a “traitor” and threaten him or his family with violence. （Disagreeing with the Chinese government is different from betraying China. Violence or threats of violence are never excusable, and they make China seem nasty and uncivilized. I was appalled at the way Grace Wang at Duke was treated by her fellow Chinese citizens.）
DO express your dismay that a small number of people have decided to disrupt the torch relay for political purposes. （You will probably find many people who are also disappointed that the Olympics have become so political—but many people also think that the Chinese government deserves to be embarrassed.）

DO ask your friends if they think these disruptions are acceptable,and have a respectful discussion if your opinions differ.Since the Olympics have already become so political, the attacks on the torch provide a good starting point to discuss what the limits to this politicization should be.

DON’T behave as though disrupting the Olympic torch relay is an unforgivable sin on the part of an entire city or nation.（The fact that the torch relay was disrupted in Paris and San Francisco doesn’t mean that most French or most Americans are anti-China. Most of them don’t really care. You can’t blame the French or American governments, either, without serious evidence.）

DON’T try to “punish” foreign companies with boycotts and violent mobs.Not only is wrong to try to “punish” a country for an insult made by some of its citizens, boycotting Carrefour will not hurt Carrefour much and will mostly hurt Carrefour’s Chinese employees, and the Chinese companies whose products are sold at Carrefour. Forming violent mobs at Carrefour makes China look really backward and stupid.
DO think carefully about whether the person means “the Chinese central government” when he says “China” or “the Chinese.” （It is very common to say “China” when speaking about the Chinese government, just like one would say “the US” when talking about the US government. Furthermore, when Westerners criticize China’s government they are not
blaming all Chinese; they realize that the Chinese people do not choose China’s political leaders.）
DON’T feel like you need to respond if the person frequently makes outrageous statements on other topics. （People like Jack Cafferty, Lou Dobbs and Bill O’Reilly are paid to be provocative. They say silly, offensive things all the time because more people will watch them. So when they say something silly and offensive about China, the best response is to roll your eyes, not to call for severe punishment.Americans think it’s ridiculous how sensitive the Chinese are about one man saying some dumb things about China on TV.）