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Dalai Lama: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
- Thread starter caliph95
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PatThePassive
Member
Hope everyone doesn't start harping on about America and what they do wrong, or start claiming the Dali Lama is some terrorist and Tibet was always a part of china.
That happened last time he was mentioned.
Kobe!
Aww your having fun at my expense but you can try to find the posts in my history I'm not imagining it.
Remember Russia threads before the election, some of gaf would counter the Ukraine crisis with America imperialism so they are both guilty and we should shut up.
That happened last time he was mentioned.
Kobe!
Aww your having fun at my expense but you can try to find the posts in my history I'm not imagining it.
Remember Russia threads before the election, some of gaf would counter the Ukraine crisis with America imperialism so they are both guilty and we should shut up.
Permanently A
Junior Member
the Dali Lama is some terrorist and Tibet was always a part of china
Don't even get me started on America and what they do wrong
Robot Pants
Member
I think this should elevate you to regular Member right away
Orbis Tabula
Member
I think he's Permanently A Junior Member.
Since forever at least a couple of years. It was suffering for everybody living outside the US.
Canadian here.
I was able to watch almost all their Youtube content until this new season.
Nah. This season is the first season people in Iceland haven't been able to watch the clips on his channel.
Really i couldn't watch any new video i think either last year or a year before that and had to use mirrors and VPNs.
Guessing it's an Australia thing.
Just finished the video.
It's nice to see a non-Trump related video. I value his perspective concerning Trump, but my favorite content usually involves the subjects like every day people are overlooking, like the Dalai Lama.
I actually did a bit of reading about Tibet and the Dalai Lama a couple months ago, because I realized I knew very little about him (though, I assure you my knowledge was less embarrassing than the people at the start of the video), so this video was a nice refresher.
It's nice to see a non-Trump related video. I value his perspective concerning Trump, but my favorite content usually involves the subjects like every day people are overlooking, like the Dalai Lama.
I actually did a bit of reading about Tibet and the Dalai Lama a couple months ago, because I realized I knew very little about him (though, I assure you my knowledge was less embarrassing than the people at the start of the video), so this video was a nice refresher.
Robot Pants
Member
Hahah didn't even notice that
You could tell how thrilled Oliver was during the entire interview and likely for weeks afterwards.
I actually have HBO but I always preferred to watch LWT on my phone while I did other things, so it's disappointing
For the record you can find unofficial uploads immediately after the show airs. They're probably taken down soon after, though.
I actually have HBO but I always preferred to watch LWT on my phone while I did other things, so it's disappointing
Cosmic Schwung
Member
Funny... Works just fine in Finland.
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
Nm
Chuck Norris
Banned
Great episode
Amazing how much shit China gets away with
Amazing how much shit China gets away with
chillybright
Banned
I always find their method of choosing Lama ridiculous. So he is basically Jesus but can be passed onto different kids, which he chooses. So he is basically thousands of years old? And they are always the leader, which is literally monarchy...?
Spuck-uk
Banned
No, because unlike monarchy it's not inherited through (thoroughly inbred) blood.
chillybright
Banned
So he is a forever living undying dictator?
Great episode. A lovely interview and so good to hear the Dalai Lama so high spirited (Hah!) about his situation. How the world overlooks what a big political dick China is regarding both trampling over Tibet and protecting a fucking hysterical maniac in North Korea, is beyond me. Must be the cheap Guchi knock-off bags.
Yes, pretty much.
I have a lot of sympathy for Tibetans and other victims of Chinese expansion like the Uyghurs and Manchus, but not for the institution of the Dalai Lama and the theocracy he represents.
I don't understand the cult status he has in the west.
The bit in the beginning when people were asked "what does the Dalai Lama do" was telling, more so John Oliver's commentary afterwards when he apologetically described him as a cross between a president and a pope, ignoring the fact he's a ruler for life.
moffattron9000
Member
Well North Korea's actually this really messy situation, where everyone involved wants North Korea to remain an independent state for their own reasons. For China, it's a buffer from South Korea and Japan (and vice versa for Japan); South Korea is nowhere near able to take the huge economic hit that a fallen North Korea would bring (not to mention the buffer from China stuff; and the US doesn't want all of that mess, along with losing its justification for military bases in South Korea and Japan.
At this point, everyone's basically conceded that reunification is not happening, and that controlling North Korea is unfortunately the best possible outcome at this point.
JonnyDBrit
Member
Basically? He's a spiritual martyr in western eyes. As stated above pro-Tibetan movements were pretty sizeable in the 90s, and even where people don't know what he's specifically about today, the influence of the image from that time lingers. It's worth remembering that with the Cold War dying down in Europe, eyes were on breaking the back of China similarly so in East Asia. Tibetan independence, whatever scale of the territory you go with, would have contributed massively to that, both for the resources drain but also the ripple it would send through China as a whole, which is not yet as unified as the government in Beijing would like it to be. The thing is, it's very easy to frame support for Tibet as, well, supporting a free and independent Tibet, instead of undermining China, so it was a pretty easy bandwagon to hop onto.
Then China became the industrial backbone of almost every major developed economy on Earth.
As a government, lamaism (or whatever you want to call it) was fucking awful from top to bottom, the way the supreme leader was chosen is just an aspect of that. And yes, independent Tibet was a theocratic absolute monarchy.
Luckily, the Dalai Lama is not advocating a return to it.
Obviously, it's either returning to the past, or living as Chinese citizen with no unique cultural identity of their own, fully loyal to one-party communism. There are no alternatives here. Black or white.
So I don't think we can blame China (the continental one, not the other China on Taiwan) for choosing the best future for people living in not-Tibet.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
John, you're already a Demon.
Me too, I just haven't been watching because I'm so tired of Trump. I hate even thinking about the things he said, which should just be the meaningless thoughts of some sad, bitter asshole but instead wind up determining the course of the news for the week.
I really enjoyed the interview, especially when the Dalai Lama stares with a big smile and does a laugh
The reason he has a cult following is as simple as he is anti-Communist so he must be a good guy, right? The British Cold War era clip Oliver showed seemed to indicate that it's just propaganda from western governments back then that he is proof of how awful the commies are.
The reason he has a cult following is as simple as he is anti-Communist so he must be a good guy, right? The British Cold War era clip Oliver showed seemed to indicate that it's just propaganda from western governments back then that he is proof of how awful the commies are.
Hydrophobic
Member
Roughly 10 months ago when the Dalai Lama visited my city for an event, someone flew a plane with one of those posters trailing behind it. It simply said 'Dalai Lama stop lying!'. People are serious about the Dalai Lama lol
The only people that was a meme to was butthurt 4chan kidlets, he said it like once or twice over the course of three seasons, and usually to medieval-regressive policies or events.
ManDudeChild
Member
WrenchNinja
Member
And then John was a zombie
"This year was a disaster" is not "it's current year", they're actually the opposite.
Probably because his spiritual and philosophical teachings are quite nice.
I don't understand China's inability to have anyone hear him. Actually I do understand it because of their incredible fears of anyone undermining their authoritarian government and its questionable territorial/political goals, from Tibet to Hong Kong to Taiwan to the Spratly Islands.
Which makes it all the more important to listen to someone like the Dalai Lama.
See, here is the thing: the Dalai Lama is not the ruler of the Tibetan people. He was only so revered by the Tibetans he was an opposite power pole to the emperor de facto, never de juro. He is not emperor or dictator and his word is in no way binding even for Tibetan Buddhists. In terms of power he is far below the pope.
People in the west have seem to have a hard time grasping that a man can be so influental when his word isn't really binding.
TBH if China let him do shit all over people would be over him so quick, like he'd gain popularity for a while and then people would eventually move on to the next big thing lol. Them acting like they do is probably Streisanding the shit out of the situation, which might ultimately be a good thing, in some bizarre twist of fate. Granted, I know jackshit about geopolitics and this issue, just musing.
The Cool One
Member
can we talk about mare milk for a second
From what reasoning and arguments do you detest his institution so much?
Please do not equate America with the west. I can assure you that if you ask people on the streets in Europe quite a lot more will be able to tell you that he is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
Quite a few western Buddhist appreciate him for the values he has espoused and the words he has written. I personally lean more to traditional Chinese Ch'an Buddhism (Huángbò Xīyùn was my 'first teacher') but I myself very much doubt the legitimacy of modern Chinese Buddhism as governed by the Chinese Panchen Lama.
Not as simple as that.
The mechanism for the reincarnated Lama originated sometime in the 13th to 14th century in order to establish a firm line of lineage (and ownership) for monastic power and property.
I'd say that in terms of temporal power, yes he is below the Pope because he technically doesn't control his own territory. In terms of spiritual power, he is on the same order as the Pope as he is the leader of the Gelugs.
Man, I was worried with him being the target of this episode, that they were going to tell me that the Dalai Lama was actually some evil piece of shit or something.
Instead, I can continue loving the Dalai Lama. I've always wanted to meet him in person. I've heard it's quite the experience.
Instead, I can continue loving the Dalai Lama. I've always wanted to meet him in person. I've heard it's quite the experience.
That seem's to be what the Dalai Lama was discussing, let China see the Dalai Lama as a demon. It will only backfire on them if they pick their own Dalai Lama as the future Lama might be seen as a demon.
nelsonroyale
Member
Great interview by John Oliver, and good to see the Dalai Lama game. While I have my serious reservations about the institution that was Tibetan Theocracy, I think the Dalai Lama is a pretty good bloke over all, and somebody whose life path has led him to a certain grace and insight.
Pancake Mix
Copied someone else's pancake recipe
John Oliver and the Dalai Lama are both absolutely right about China. 100 percent.
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