China: Tibet Burns, But Where Are the Chinese Public Intellectuals? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Since 2009, there have been at least 17 Tibetan self-immolation incidents in China. The latest case was reported [zh] on January 15, 2012. The public discussion about the protests of Tibetans has been manipulated and monopolized by state controlled media outlets who blame the Dalai Lama and western media for inciting to violence and terror [zh].
Honoring seven Tibetan monks who self-immolated – Dharamsala, India (Oct 14, 2011) Copyright © Demotix
The reaction among Chinese public intellectuals and netizens is practically indifferent when compared to other self-immolation incidents, such as the Yihuang demolition case. Some netizens wonder, where have all the public intellectuals gone?
Profile image of @degewa
Tibetan poet Woser (@degewa) is always among the first people on Twitter to bridge Tibetan news to Chinese communities. On January 15, after she read news of the self-immolation of a Tibetan monk near Ge'erdeng Temple in Aba, Sichuan, she wrote [zh]:
今晚，我们都在哭泣。。。先是我，与一位喇嘛说起同胞自焚，不禁落泪，他也哽咽。。。这么晚了，你欲言又止，终于哭出了声。。。
Is it because of sadness that people don't talk about it? Twitter user, @lotusseedsD, who lives outside China wondered, where have all the Chinese netizens gone? And why don't Han Chinese help bridging out [zh] the information? Han Chinese are the biggest ethnic group in China.
中国汉人为自焚的藏人做了什么？@wh_z @old_wine 相较国外的呼吁和翻墙出来的少数声音，除了会骂人傻逼互相掐架互相瞧不起，中国网民对藏人自焚的冷漠让人背脊发凉，让人不屑，让人引为齿。
藏人频繁自焚，请问中国民间舆论做了什么？ @wh_z @old_wine 我的意思是，中国网民有没有像乌坎动车追尾校车事故512地震等各种事件发帖，被删了又发，各个论坛删之不及制造舆论压力？中国汉人为自焚的藏人做了什么？？？？
She challenged Chinese netizens to look beyond their nationalistic feelings [zh] and reach out to help a group of human beings [zh] who are in pain.
换个方式：把 “藏汉”二个字从民族情结里去掉。17个生命用一种惊天动地的，在你居住的土地上以自焚方式求救呐喊想让人们听到他们的声音。您和您土地上的人，能为这17个宝贵的生命做些什么？继续要听不见呢还是用您微小力量把他们的求助声传播出去？
关注自焚不是渲染鼓励。同是生活在一片土地上的人，都被欺压。你汉人或无法对藏人伸出援手，然而于人类最本能的感情上，是不是应该做到最起码的关心，让他们知道你们听到他们的求助呐喊痛苦？
Also on January 15, @cecilcoe pointed out [zh] that the online public sphere is highly manipulated by the web censors:
我可以作证：自焚者照片在新浪上一贴就删， 快得无法形容。 后来我改成贴台湾自焚者照片， 在文字中提到西藏自焚， 就比较慢。 在哪短短时间里有12个评论。当然，总人数没乌坎多， 但说汉人不关心， 也不尽然。
Human rights activist @tengbiao concurred [zh] that public intellectuals are playing dumb regarding the repression in Tibet:
藏人自焚这件事上，除了极少数几个例外，中国公共知识分子们集体哑火、装聋作哑。房间里的大象，沉默的共谋。他们和行凶者一样无耻。
Prominent blogger @yanghengjun agreed [zh] with Tengbiao:
他们点燃自己，照亮黑暗。怎奈我们在黑暗中太久，甚至变成了黑暗的一部分。
The above discussion does receive some proactive responses, dissident @zhaoyang8964 also spoke out on Twitter [zh]:
藏人自焚是源于对中共暴政的愤怒和绝望，也是以死明志的反抗！我身为汉人而为这个无耻的政权感到羞愧。所谓“西藏自古以来就是中国的领土”纯粹扯淡！尊者一向表明愿留在中国版图内但希望获得真正的自治，而无赖政府根本不尊重尊者，也从来不把藏人的诉求当回事。
Upon reading @degwa's tweets, Crazy Crab drew a cartoon to mock the Chinese government:
The Politburo Standing Committee on Fire. Cartoon shared by Crazy Crab on CartoonMovement.com
However, political statements could not help challenge the official discourse about the immolation incidents. So far Wang Lixiong is the only Chinese intellectual who  has offered [zh] an elaborate and counter-official view of the Tibetan immolation incident. Below is a partial translation of his article written on January 12 on Tibetan immolation:
施暴于自我，除了是出于绝望的抗议或对尊严孤注一掷的捍卫，若有对实效的企望，就如甘地所说：“通过我们所受的深重苦难，可以影响政府”；或马丁·路德·金所说：“我们将以自己忍受苦难的能力，来较量你们制造苦难的能力…耗尽你们的仇恨…唤醒你们的良知”。
这种企望的实现，前提是需要存在良知。专制政权的机器只有刚性结构、冷酷逻辑，以及官僚利益。当年几千孩子在天安门广场濒临死亡地绝食，有谁看到过它的良知？
以往非暴力抗争的局限就在此——结局不是取决抗争一方，而是政权。抗争方只能起压力作用，权力不让步就不会有进展，因此目前的西藏落入困境是必然。
走出困境，方向在哪里？我觉得是目前首要回答的。没有方向就只能盲目。哪怕是自焚的壮烈献身，也让人感觉更多是绝望。而各方面对自焚，除了情绪动荡，也是就事论事的茫然。
说自焚者有勇气没有智慧，是不公平。智慧不是苟且偷生的技巧，是能够带领西藏走出困境的高瞻远瞩。那不是普通民众应该和能够承担的。而把已退出政治的达赖喇嘛当作一切智慧的来源，则是不负责。达赖喇嘛确定了非暴力原则和中间路线，如何实现应该是政治家们的智慧。
目前还看不到这种智慧。中国方面只有一手钞票一手屠刀；西藏方面——假如流亡政府是代表的话，也看不出除了发表声明，还知道该做什么。
请告诉勇敢的藏人，他们可以做什么。知道了应该和能够做什么，他们就会活下去，而不是用惨烈自焚仅换来媒体的短暂一瞥。
To exercise violence upon oneself, apart from being a desperate protest and defense of one's dignity – their expectation, if any, is similar to Gandhi's teaching: “Change the government through our sufferings” or Martin Luther King's saying: “We will wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day… we will appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process.”
The premise of such an expectation is the existence of a conscience. The machinery of the authoritarian government has only an iron structure, cold logic and bureaucratic interests. Many years ago, thousands of young people were on hunger strike in Tiananmen Square. Who saw any conscience then?
The limitation of non-violent struggle is that its end depends on the state power, not the protesters. The protest will only create pressure, it doesn't go anywhere if the power does not compromise. That's why Tibet is trapped in the current situation.
How to step out from this dead end? This is the most important question we have to address. Without direction it will result in nihilism. The self-immolation will bring more desperation. Apart from triggering emotions, it offers no solution.
It is unfair to say that the self-immolating are not wise. To live without dignity is not wise. The true wisdom is to bring Tibet out of the dead end with a vision. Ordinary people cannot lead the way out. However, it is also irresponsible to rely on the Dalai Lama who is slowly stepping out from the political scene. Dalai Lama has put forward the non-violent principle and a middle way, but it depends on the politicians’ wisdom to actualize it.
We can't see such wisdom at the moment. What the Chinese government has is a pile of paper money and a butcher knife; As for Tibet, if the exile government is the representative one, so far it doesn't know what to do apart from issuing statements.
Please tell the courageous Tibetans what they can do. If they know what they should/can do, they will live rather than use their own lives in exchange for a blink of media attention.