What a strange commentary on our time.
One of the only prominent American voices reacting with an appropriate degree of disgust to a shocking video of the Dalai Lama appearing to abuse a young boy is rapper Cardi B.
If you haven’t seen the viral footage of the Dalai Lama’s February event in northern India – you should. It’s awful and the world can’t look away.
The video shows the 87-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who is considered by his followers to be the living embodiment of the religion’s virtues and the reincarnation of a living Buddha, kissing a child on the lips and then telling the boy to do so. “Suck my tongue.”
We have to shout that this wasn’t just a blunder, it appears to be sexual assault.
Cardi B tweeted in response to the sick show, “This world is full of predators.” They prey on innocent people. Those who do not know more, our children.
What is the singer’s reward for mentioning this clear and vital fact? She was defamed on social media, threatened in her direct messages, and made into a kind of bigot.
While I may rant at her words – I applaud her courage. But I ask: where is the chorus?
Why is a WAP performer (if you don’t know him – Google it) among the few who express moral outrage and disgust?
Meanwhile, there are the crickets of pro-Tibet Hollywood celebrities, like actor Richard Gere, who attended the Dalai Lama’s 87th birthday party last year in India.
In the New York Times, there is one shoddy news report with a whimsical headline: “Dalai Lama Apologizes for Exchange With Boy.”
If you haven’t seen the viral footage of the Dalai Lama’s February event in northern India – you should. It’s awful and the world can’t look away.
Cardi B tweeted in response to the sick show, “This world is full of predators.” They prey on innocent people. Those who do not know more, our children.
‘exchange’? What a crazy twist of the English language. The stock exchange proposes equity. give and take. This was not.
This was one of the most powerful and influential men on earth, the leader of one of the five great religions of the world, and apparently treated the child as a toy.
The Survivors Network of Victims of Spiritual and Religious Abuse (SNAP), an advocacy group for victims of religious and spiritual exploitation based in the United States, hit the nail on the head: Acting out in a public place is very upsetting. We feel it is important that everyone who sees, suspects, or experiences child sex offenses, regardless of the level of the offense, contacts law enforcement to report it.
correct. But this cry may not fall on deaf ears.
It took weeks for the Dalai Lama’s office to issue a statement. They obviously wanted this to go away. This week, representatives of the Dalai Lama admitted that the leader of millions “regrets the incident,” but then proceeded to explain it annoyingly.
They write: “His Holiness often teases people he encounters in an innocent and playful manner, even in public and in front of cameras.”
It’s basically the Eastern version of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo implying that he may have touched women inappropriately, because Italian Americans are emotional and supportive people.
One Tibetan activist mentioned in US news coverage has taken to Twitter to defend the Dalai Lama, blaming the backlash on cultural misunderstanding — the imposition of Western values on Eastern traditions.
You write: “Introducing (a) narrative of other cultures, customs, and social influence on gender and sexuality to account for the Tibetan way of expression is outrageous.”
Sticking one’s tongue out is a sign of respect or agreement, and is often used as a greeting in traditional Tibetan culture, according to the Institute for East Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
However, asking a child to suck your tongue is not part of any accepted religious, philosophical, or cultural canon.
This is not Western chauvinism.
This is also not an attack on Buddhism. Christianity had its ill-wishers, as well as Judaism.
Child abuse is an evil that exists and we should not allow a veil of power, cultural sensitivity, or anything else.
One of the only prominent American voices reacting with an appropriate degree of disgust to a shocking video of the Dalai Lama appearing to abuse a young boy is rapper Cardi B.
Meanwhile, there are the crickets of Tibetan Hollywood celebrities, like actor Richard Gere, who attended the Dalai Lama’s 87th birthday party last year in India.
In the New York Times, there is one shoddy news report with a whimsical headline: “Dalai Lama Apologizes for Exchange With Boy.”
A prominent children’s rights group in India, where the exiled Tibetan leader lives, called the incident “child abuse” and rejected this twisted cultural defense.
“Some news mentions Tibetan culture about showing tongue,” their statement reads, “but this video is definitely not about cultural expression, and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable.”
Hear, hear. The bottom line is that we cannot ignore what we saw.
I do not make unfounded claims. I would argue that the explanation for this behavior is alarmingly inadequate.
Let’s be honest, if the pope told a kid to suck his tongue in public, he wouldn’t be the pope anymore. The Cardinals would remove and replace him.
Where did the American Buddhist organizations denounce the incident? Where are our politicians? Where are the internal demands for action and change?
There should be a flat line when it comes to treating children. They can’t agree the way adults can, not in drag shows or in a Tibetan temple.
If we allow ourselves to overlook child abuse because of the strength, status, cultural sensitivity, or even sanctity of the perpetrators, we are failing our children in unforgivable ways.
So, shout it from the rooftops.
A strong condemnation of pedophilia should be a prerequisite of any modern religion or movement.
The Dalai Lama needs to come clean and admit that this behavior is wrong and unacceptable. His regret is grossly insufficient.
If the Dalai Lama cannot do this, he has no place among the world’s trusted and respected leaders.
