A Fearful and Separated World: Disinformation and Dissembling the Dalai Lama
In April 2023, CNN shared a sensationalized story based on disinformation regarding the 88-year-old Dalai Lama, causing a global spate of racism against Tibetans that lingers on today. Especially of concern are immigrant Tibetan schoolchildren experiencing harassment and Indigenous Tibetan elders experiencing trauma from the racist framing of their cultural practice and their human rights leader.
The following links are resources to help the public inform themselves of the facts and think critically about this un-corrected news story and its wider implications for the world.
CNN Truth Rally Info Sheet with sources and disinformation timeline (5 minute read)
2. ‘Truth Rally’ Protest: Tibetans Respond (8 minutes). Pema Tashi, Tricycle
3. The Dalai Lama You Never Knew (11 minutes). Dr. Tashi Rabgey, George Washington University
4. The Seeds of 2023: An essay I wrote on the 2019 BBC Dalai Lama Controversy (11 minutes)
Tibetan voices were and continue to be deeply marginalized from this issue. These resources reflect the thoughtful and informed work of Tibetan scholars, community activists, and journalists across the world.
In 2023 I gave several talks to help educate the public about this story and the various harms it caused. These talks were in partnership with libraries, community organizations, and academic departments. I also co-presented on the topic at the 2023 National Sexual Assault Conference.
Stay educated at Tibet Learning Series.
In 2024 I made the video “Listen to Indigenous People” (part of my exhibit Power, Masculinity, and Mindfulness at the Rubin Museum). The following is an excerpt from its description.
“In 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 I combine my lenses as a Tibetan American scholar and CSA [child sexual abuse] survivor to discern the injury caused by this story, an injury I regard as a microcosm for what our world is experiencing today. I center the experiences of the child, the mother, the Dalai Lama, and the Indigenous people at the heart of this story and consider the media’s silence on their own mistakes and motives, a silence that damages the prospects of genuine peace and mindfulness in the world.
By adding lenses from struggles faced by the transgender and Palestinian communities I seek to help people recognize when their fear or bias lead them to lose self-awareness and harm others, as such attitudes can benefit political agendas and profit margins but are unlikely to help humanity.”