Making Fun of Tibetan Buddhism or Just Innocent Fun?

[Mary Stuart]

Perhaps I am being over sensitive but you can be the judge.
Take a look at the new "Frosties" advert? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLufHSydCVY

I was half asleep when I saw it on TV, could not believe it, so I went to YouTube and there it was.

In my opinion it is an insult to Tibetan Buddhism & the Tibetan people. To me, it is making fun of a world religion.

If they depicted clergy from Christian, Jewish, Muslim or other faiths in this way, there would be an outcry.

I will be complaining to the Advertising Standards Authority in UK. http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/complaints_form/

You may think I am over reacting, but using adverts and caricatures of a race was once used by one of the most hiddeous regimes ever known, in order to dehumanize that race, resulting in the deaths of millions.

I would be very interested in your opinions.

Best wishes,
Mary.

[Sunrise - Flame of Tibet, Birmingham]

Hi David!

I have inadvertantly caused a problem here and we are now blocked by china :-(
my own site flame of Tibet is on a server that is owned by a company belonging to my husbands biz. On this same server is another company who we look after, who has an office in china - they are US. China has just blocked our IP because of my site, but in doing so has blocked this companies too. This has caused major problems for my husband and may affect our own finances :-( we are talking reality here, if this X comapny go elsewhere to another provider then we will lose money and then our bills, house etc will just go completely unpaid.

I never fully understood the implications of boycotting china, but is now hitting us and out family. It's such an impossible situation to decide how to progress really.

Any thoughts?
Sun


David said:

I think what we need to do is start getting our countries to block trade with China just as they have other countries for far less. Doing that (if that's even possible with how much Chinese goods are sold around the entire planet) but doing that would then force companies like Kelloggs to behave themselves more cause they can't then use the cheap way out where moral issues like human rights are involved.

[Mary Stuart]

Thank you for your comments .

I must make it clear that intolerance is something I have fought all my life.
I have many Muslim friends and it was actually one of them who mentioned the Imam.

I do disagree with your comments about the multi-nationals. It is they that prop up despicable regimes - China, Burma etc. Any economist will agree with that. Without the investment by multi-nationals, China's economy would struggle, and a struggling economy cannot afford an army of occupation the size of China's in Tibet. We cannot disassociate human rights and the multi-nationals. Just look at Iraq.

Kind regards,
Mary.

Dr Andrew McLellan said:

Yes humour and cartoons have been used to ridicule races in the past but I don't think this was the intention here. Ignorant, yes, malevolent, no.

Sadly the big companies will go wherever the money is and China is the biggest untapped market. I am not convinced there is a correlation between the advert and their activities in China. Their activities in China provide a much better reason to me to boycott their products, but then I only eat organic oats - and yes I do like lentils and have a beard and sandals ;-).
It is also, IMHO, a better subject for discussion. Money seems to lay waste to moral principles.

No, they would not have used an Imam, but they could well have used a vicar or priest. Do we really want to go down the intolerant route? As someone, Sun?, said - lets save our energy for the more important fights and go for the jugular rather than the capillary. Mary, I am grateful to you for bringing it to our attention and for inviting me back to the discussion, but lets focus on the Chinese government and leave the multi-nationals for the anti-globalisation lobby.

Andy

[Vasilis]

Mary Stuart said:

Thank you for your comments .

....... Without the investment by multi-nationals, China's economy would struggle, and a struggling economy cannot afford an army of occupation the size of China's in Tibet.....

Kind regards,
Mary.

I completely agree on that so we have to ask why we buy chiness products. Personally I cannot think of any other reason except that they are cheaper. If we boycott chiness products the regime will collapse by exactly the same reason as the regime of USSR collapsed about 20 years ago.

On the other hand I do not believe that peopledo care about human rights and such stupid things so we have to use other arguments in order to convince people to stop buying chiness products. To focus on quality would be a very good idea because almost everybody has a bad experience from a machine made in china.

[Sunrise - Flame of Tibet, Birmingham]

OK, I signed the ASA form :-)

Sun

[Mary Stuart]

The consumer has tremendous power, but the problem is getting people to care. With the economic slow down , cheap goods are appealing, so we have to target different consumer groups.

Safety of products is one area worth looking at - drugs, food products, clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, toys, furniture,electrical goods - all have caused concern or have been withdrawn by the FDA or the EU.

Conditions of workers is another - cheap means slave labour. Here inthe UK, Primark recently was exposed for using child labour. Their profits have taken a hammering.

Animal cruelty is yet another - dog and cat fur passed as faux fur.

Most consumers would respond to at least one of these areas, I suggest.

Many of us wrote to the sponsors of the Olympics, only to receive the expected replies.
However, individual shareholders are different. They are more easily influenced, and prone to feelings of guilt.
With the numbers of people involved with this site, we have the potential to do something rather special.

I suggest we use a multi prong approach. I once found it difficult to believe that letter writing was a useful and powerful tool. However, many years ago, and again more recently, I have had proof that it can be a very powerful tool indeed.

We owe it to all those children who have crossed the Himalayas to freedom.

Kind regards,
Mary.

[Sunrise - Flame of Tibet, Birmingham]

no problem lol! I was asking everyone here, generally... about the situation of boycotting and the wider implications - part of another debate I guess. If we stop all trade does this affect the chinese worker? who may need the wages? how does it affect smaller companies who provide services to china? is it better to work with them and have our voice in china?

Personally, I avoid where ever possible! Chinese goods are inferior imho. Any comments about chinese workers and boycotts?
Sun

David said:

Sorry am confused here. First as this is happening alot here but if you think I am David the site owner you have the wrong David. Otherwise not sure how I can help being unsure how to to unblock a site hosted or run through China

[Vasilis]

Since my previous message I decided to materialise an idea I have for few days. What do you think of this poster?

[František Řehoř]

I am for Tibetan Buddhism

[Rèmy]

Bonjour Mary, merci de m'avoir invité à partager ce débat. (en français je suis désolé)
Pour ma part j'ai pris le temps de regarder à plusieurs reprises cette vidéo.
A mon sens ces images sont destinées à un public non chinois (européen - américain) qui ne connait pas particulièrement le Tibet et bien que très maladroit, je ne pense pas que la volonté ait ici été d'injurier les moines ou le peuple tibétain en souffrance.
Cependant, qu'en arrière plan il puisse y avoir une démarche de politique de séduction orientée vers les investisseurs chinois, compte tenu de l'époque que nous traversons pourrait être un autre sujet!
Les images de cette vidéo publicitaire qui se veut humoristique ne m'ont donc pas dérangé outre mesure et je ne pense pas que cela vaille la peine que l'on y accorde trop d'importance, au risque de nous écarter du sens principal de notre action commune .
Je suis d'avis qu'il faille conserver son énergie en orientant nos actions sur des axes porteurs et partage en ce sens votre opinion sur le fait que nous ne pouvons pas dissocier les Droits de l'Homme du rôle implicite que jouent les multi-nationales dans les pays ou sont violés ces droits, que ce soit en Chine ou dans tout autre pays au monde, où souffrent des populations opprimés.

[Tibetan_Photo_Project]

Let's see if this changes the perspective on this topic.
Today, the Dalai Lama, who is the voice recognized around the world for the Tibetan people, canceled touring due to exhaustion. Following the Dalai Lama, where will the Tibetan voice come from?


Please ... if you can help... help... tell other people... Give if you can

[John and Gillian Richards]

Hi mary.

I myself and John, my husband are both Buddhist Practioners and took our Oath a long time ago,
I have looked at the advert, but found it quite funny, as a Buddhist I have learnt to have a great
sense of humour, I think that The Dalai lama would have a laugh due to his great sense of humour.

Try not to take it to seriously, just let go! I wish you well and may all sentient beings be happy
Gill

[Tibetan_Photo_Project]

Can we suggest that the material that is well documented and that has source links be taken into the general discussion to help educate and grow awareness across the Internet?

For Starters, We would like to suggest CNN iReport. You will need to register and need at least a photo to make a post. Keep it accurate and provide source links. the website is http://www.ireport.com Not everyone will look in on your post, so make it an informative headline... the viewers are there and they are looking in ... in huge numbers.

Another very easy site after registering is Al Gore's Current TV At this site, you can add any website address you come across and toss it into the general discussion. Just register, go to the news page and click the Submit a story button.