• alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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    4 months ago

    Eradicating local culture in Tibet and Xinjiang

    Except they still have their culture. We know what eradication of a culture looks like, it looks like schools that ban the use of native languages, instead of teach in them.

    ~98% of Tibetans speak a Tibetan language.

    Enforcing Mandarin

    Everyone in China learns Mandarin in additional to their local language, how else are they supposed to communicate with people from other parts of China?

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        4 months ago

        https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3100112/inner-mongolia-doubles-down-chinas-plan-teach-key-subjects

        The regional government announced last week that primary and secondary schools that originally taught in the Mongolian language would shift to Mandarin to teach three core subjects: literature, ethics and history

        Turns out it’s hard to teach Chinese literature, ethics, and history when you can’t interact with the primary sources.

        • Match!!@pawb.social
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          4 months ago

          That’s the core question then: should Mongolian children be made to learn Chinese literature, ethics, and history instead of Mongolian literature, ethics, and history?

          • alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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            4 months ago

            They should learn both. But as an American, it’s laughable for me to have an opinion on the matter given the way indigenous people are treated here.

            • Match!!@pawb.social
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              4 months ago

              I have real strong opinions about how indigenous people are treated here, why wouldn’t I have those opinions about other nonruling groups?

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                4 months ago

                2 reasons:

                1. The reletive silence suggests most people who talk about minority rights in China don’t actually care about minorities rights, because I see >100 “but what about the uhigars or women in Iran” or w/e for every post about the poisoning of Hawaiian or Dakota water.

                2. We can actually have positive impacts on native Americans, when it comes to minorities in enemies of America, it’s just carrying water for hostile action that hurt those people as much as anyone else. A productive context for that discussion wouldn’t involve Americans.

                Same when articles trot out LGBT rights in Gaza or Iran or Russia as if those groups don’t suffer from hunger and lack of medicine due to western sanctions.

                • Match!!@pawb.social
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                  4 months ago

                  Disagreed with #2. I think it’d be pretty nice if Canada or Europe pushed on America to grant more rights and justice to its indigenous groups (see things like the UN special rapporteur on poverty in the US). We’re pretty powerless against our government and external sources, for as little as they can penetrate the US media bubble, give us some ammunition to use to coerce the local governments.

                  • alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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                    4 months ago

                    Canada

                    Canada is just as bad, and not just the basic stuff like poisoning their drinking water and the state stealing children. Ask an old first nations person to tell you about the history, things like starlight tours and child abduction that make it into the official narrative is just the tip of the ice burg.

                    But Canada or Europe pressuring America would be completely different, since Canada or Europe aren’t using it to make their population more accepting of sanctions, bombing, or invasion of America.

                    We’re pretty powerless against our government

                    That’s true, but we’re infinitely less influential of other governments. Mohammed Mokhber isn’t gonna log on, see americans furious with the Iranian government’s treatment of gay people and say “Oh shit gays are just as deserving of human rights”, nor will Biden read it and announce all gay Iranians are eligible for asylum. Rather Americans log in, go “look at those barbarians”, and support sanctions, bombing, and invasion.

                    The same mechanism is why media outlets that support the the genocide of Gaza also run articles decrying the plight of gay people in Gaza.