On Sunday the Twitter CEO posted a few tweets about what a fantastic time he had while on a meditation retreat in Myanmar. It was a country, he tweeted, that was “absolutely beautiful” and whose “people are full of joy.” Oh, also “the food is amazing.”
Myanmar is an absolutely beautiful country. The people are full of joy and the food is amazing. I visited the cities of Yangon, Mandalay, and Bagan. We visited and meditated at many monasteries around the country. pic.twitter.com/wMp3cmkfwi
— jack (@jack) December 9, 2018
Dorsey followed up these tweets with explanations about his time spent meditating at a silent retreat for 10 days–during which he used tech like the Apple Watch to quantify his progress. As many have pointed out, Dorsey’s attempts to track and analyze his meditation experiences miss the Buddha’s teachings on meditation entirely.
We also meditated in a cave in Mandalay one evening. In the first 10 minutes I got bit 117 times by mosquitoes ???? They left me alone when the light blew a fuse, which you can see in my heart rate lowering. pic.twitter.com/rz59Wx9yHF
— jack (@jack) December 9, 2018
I also wore my Apple Watch and Oura ring, both in airplane mode. My best meditations always had the least variation in heart rate. When I wasn’t focused, it would jump around a lot. Here’s a night of sleep on the 10th night (my resting heart rate was consistently below 40). pic.twitter.com/9fiz8s8DR5
— jack (@jack) December 9, 2018
But his inability to let go of tech at a silent meditation retreat aside, the biggest problem critics had with Dorsey’s recap of his experience was he seemed to be completely unaware that Myanmar is currently suffering from human rights atrocities and what UN investigators have called the “genocidal intent” of Myanmar’s army against the country’s Rohingya Muslim population.
More than 730,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since 2017 when the army began its campaign of terror against them. It was a campaign that was allowed to spread via social media platforms like Facebook–and yep, Dorsey’s Twitter. Since then, at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in attacks and another 2,700 others died from disease and malnutrition, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In other words, Myanmar is a country far from having people “full of joy,” as Dorsey claimed. Rather, it’s a country in the middle of a full-scale persecution against an ethnic minority–and a persecution that has been enabled by the hate spreading on Twitter.
After the online backlash grew over the oblivious tech billionaire’s comments, Dorsey took to Twitter again last night to apologize about his seeming ignorance, saying he was “aware of the human rights atrocities and suffering in Myanmar” and “didn’t intend to diminish [the Rohingya’s plight] by not raising the issue.”
I’m aware of the human rights atrocities and suffering in Myanmar. I don’t view visiting, practicing, or talking with the people, as endorsement. I didn’t intend to diminish by not raising the issue, but could have acknowledged that I don’t know enough and need to learn more.
— jack (@jack) December 11, 2018
This was a purely personal trip for me focused on only one dimension: meditation practice. That said, I know people are asking about what Twitter is doing around the situation, so I’ll share our current state.
— jack (@jack) December 11, 2018
Twitter is a way for people to share news and information about events in Myanmar as well as to bear witness to the plight of the Rohingya and other peoples and communities. We’re actively working to address emerging issues. This includes violent extremism and hateful conduct.
— jack (@jack) December 11, 2018
We know we can’t do this alone, and continue to welcome conversation with and help from civil society and NGOs within the region. I had no conversations with the government or NGOs during my trip. We’re always open to feedback on how to best improve.
— jack (@jack) December 11, 2018
Will keep following the conversation and sharing what I learn here. ????????
— jack (@jack) December 11, 2018
If you (or you, Jack) want to help the Rohingya, here’s how to do it.