Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Commenting Guidelines

Overlooking Tibet is moderated based on the following guidelines, adapted shamelessly from another blog, in the interest of establishing and maintaining a safe space. These guidelines are not set in stone, but open to discussion and evolution as OT grows and gains readership. Comments on the guidelines themselves are welcome.
  1. Non-Tibetans, be aware of your role in this space. Regardless of your actions, experiences, and involvement, Tibetans don't owe you anything. Don't behave as if they do. We, especially Western/white folks, are all part of a worldwide system of power structures and ignorant beliefs and attitudes towards indigenous peoples that disadvantages Tibetans from attaining the things we take for granted. Own up to that in your posts and expect to get called out when you don't. If you want to interact here with Tibetans, please be sure you're listening respectfully to their experiences.
  2. Remember that we are here to address the problematic things non-Tibetan “supporters”, journalists, academics, etc. say and do in relation to Tibet, in the interest of positive change. We're not here to denounce or demonize individuals or groups who have behaved in problematic ways. Sometimes a problematic tendancy will intersect with the explicit or implicit policy of one or more Tibet support groups, and in these cases, please be especially conscious not to descend into attacks or “infighting” which can themselves be disempowering.
  3. Compared to the larger anti-oppression blogosphere, the Tibetan and Tibet-support community is much, much smaller. That translates to a lot less anonymity to be had. Please bear this in mind when considering the effects of what you write. If you want a story to be “anonymous”, don't just leave out the names. Leave out the place, the date, the particular occasion, etc. too.
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  5. Address the topic in the post. Comments that are off-topic or derailing will not be published. Avoid nitpicking that could distract from the real issue being discussed, and don't try to hijack discussion with your own agenda. Productive tangents are sometimes acceptable, if they stay within the topic of the blog as a whole.
  6. Focus on what people say instead of who you think they are. Avoid ad hominem attacks.
  7. If you write to express disagreement, please avoid strawman arguments. Carefully cite the exact point you're disagreeing with. Direct quotation is best.
  8. Don't threaten anyone. Even if you think it's a joke.
  9. Don't bother pointing out that “Tibetans do that too”. The power dynamics, connotations, and effects of a behavior differ radically depending on who is doing it, and the situations are rarely comparable.
  10. If you mess up in a comment and feel you should apologize, please do, but don't make the apology about you. “I'm sorry, but...”, or “I'm sorry” followed by an explanation of why you said what you said, almost always means you're not actually owning up to your mistake.

4 comments:

  1. Author of the text above, you surely have a good point. I'd like to think that learning and translating both classical (Dharma related)and modern Tibetan language could go hand in hand. Some do one thing, some do the other, and some do both which is what I'd like to do! Sadly, I don't know Tibetan language.
    English not being my first language, I hope I've expressed this view without offending anyone, Tibetans or Westerners.
    (My name is Armanda but I'll post as anonymous)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Armanda, I think you intended to post this on 'The Perils of Translation' instead of the commenting guidelines. I've reposted it for you there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. HI There!
    I am a white person who recently completed a dissertation on the topic of white people and Tibet. I appreciate your blog! I recently published an article that you all might be interested in. Here is some info

    Start saying “White”, stop saying “Western”:
    Revitalizing the vocabulary on development and Tibet in English language literature

    It is difficult to talk, read or write in English about development in Tibet without running into white people. At international conferences, our names dominate the lists of panel presenters and organizers. In the work of Tibetan and Chinese scholars, our writings and theories materialize on reference lists. The preliminary list of presenters for 2010’s International Association of Tibetan Studies panel “Social Political, Economic, and Environmental Change Amidst Development in Tibetan Areas” provides an excellent example of this phenomenon. Of seventeen panelists scheduled to present, only four are non-white. Indeed, one need not look further than the list of contributors and editors of this very volume to understand the significant role that white people play in shaping the English language discourse on development and Tibet. Paradoxically, despite the ubiquity of white people in English language literature on Tibet, when white scholars talk about development in Tibet, we most usually do not talk about race, and we most certainly do not talk about white people. In this article I will use literature analysis to explain why this may be the case, and argue for a revitalized vocabulary and framework for English language scholarship on development in Tibet.


    C. Michelle Kleisath
    Transforming Anthropology, Volume 21, number 1, 2013

    ReplyDelete
  4. HI There!
    I am a white person who recently completed a dissertation on the topic of white people and Tibet. I appreciate your blog! I recently published an article that you all might be interested in. Here is some info

    Start saying “White”, stop saying “Western”:
    Revitalizing the vocabulary on development and Tibet in English language literature

    It is difficult to talk, read or write in English about development in Tibet without running into white people. At international conferences, our names dominate the lists of panel presenters and organizers. In the work of Tibetan and Chinese scholars, our writings and theories materialize on reference lists. The preliminary list of presenters for 2010’s International Association of Tibetan Studies panel “Social Political, Economic, and Environmental Change Amidst Development in Tibetan Areas” provides an excellent example of this phenomenon. Of seventeen panelists scheduled to present, only four are non-white. Indeed, one need not look further than the list of contributors and editors of this very volume to understand the significant role that white people play in shaping the English language discourse on development and Tibet. Paradoxically, despite the ubiquity of white people in English language literature on Tibet, when white scholars talk about development in Tibet, we most usually do not talk about race, and we most certainly do not talk about white people. In this article I will use literature analysis to explain why this may be the case, and argue for a revitalized vocabulary and framework for English language scholarship on development in Tibet.


    C. Michelle Kleisath
    Transforming Anthropology, Volume 21, number 1, 2013

    ReplyDelete

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