Hi Michael - maybe I am biased <embarrassed>. But here in the States, you ve heard of the term "redlining." It is much easier for TAR govt to design the bus route [bus tour?] Or, put it the other way. I live in an old suburb bordering the city. I could go to the city using the direct route thru the innercity projects, or, a slight detour to the hiway via a section of town favored by the lawyers and doctors. Incidentally, my area of town is a nice mixed neighborhood.
That is the potential inequality. Indeed, many tibetans have benefitted but some more than others. Before I am called a reactionary <g>, the old Tibet was mighty feudal. So, Shangri La exists only in the mind of James Hutton's set! But I digress.
I am not sure if the tour guide told you about the intrigue of the old theocracy [or maybe you have known about it prior to the trip,] but TAR certainly tries its best to further sectarian rivalry, even while the Dalai Lama tries to patch things up in India, at the expense of getting a lot of flak from his own sect.
So, at a certain level, indeed there are improvements. At another level, the seed of destruction is sown. If I were a strategist a la Sun Tzu, I would think TAR was doing the right thing by destroying something from the inside, y'know, "united they stand, divided they fall."
btw, I am not sure it is only my observation, but denouncing the Cultural Revolution is the party line these days [note: I ve witnessed indirectly the horror, and it was hell on earth!] Interestingly, it serves the party well. The message? Don't get involved! Make money, be happy. I guess I ve mixed emotion about that.
best, Bosco |
