[Las Vegas Sun] A 42-year-old Tibetan has arrived at the headquarters of the government-in-exile in India after cycling through Europe and Asia in a campaign protesting China’s heavy-handed rule in the Himalayan region. 

Scores of people lined the streets of northern Indian town of Dharmsala on Saturday waving Tibetan flags and ceremonial silk scarves as they greeted Rinpo Yak.

He reached India cycling through Nepal. Beginning in March, he moved through 14 European countries before flying to Japan for the Asian leg. His journey has covered over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles).

He lives in the United States and he has spread his message across 40 states since 2000.

He is due to meet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama soon.

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Let me start off by saying that I sympathize with Tibet as much as anyone. China has spent about 60 years basically systematically destroying the Tibetan culture. It sucks, and pretty much nobody cares except dirty hippies, which makes me want to care less. But it does suck. Fuck China. If there was something I thought I could realistically do to help, I’d probably do it.

But you know what I’m pretty sure ISN’T going to help “free Tibet?” Riding your fucking bicycle all across creation. I mean get a load of this fucking guy! How much do you want to bet he has a “#KONY2012” bumper sticker slapped across the back of his bike? Holy shit dude, you might as well start a petition on Facebook and mail it to the Chinese government. Where the fuck did you even get the idea to bike across half the goddamn world (by the way, I notice you didn’t bike across Africa–savvy move, first-worlder)? What’s the matter? Was your Free Tibet tumblr not working? “IF THIS POST GETS 500 REBLOGS I’LL RIDE MY BIKE FROM MILAN TO MINSK PLS LIKE PLS SHARE”

I’ll spell it out for you, dude: this isn’t even going to make it into a CCP memo. That’s how much everything you spent the last year doing does not matter. The Herculean effort you just exerted to pedal yourself halfway across the globe MIGHT have gotten seven extra dumbasses to go “wait whats tibet u guys.” And that’s if you’re LUCKY. Every single one of these “raising awareness” journeys winds up being a self-promoting circlejerk whether you believe in the supposed cause or not.

PS. Would love to be a fly on the wall for this guy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama. I mean what do you even say to a guy who basically kills himself riding 5,000 miles to achieve absolutely nothing and says it was all for you? Awkward city.

(image source)