I recently heard that Tibetan society was exploitative at the turn of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th, but it seems like there is a lot of disinformation out there, so you're my best chance of getting real information.
Hi there, this was the first thing I answered on r/AskHistorians, and I've answered it a few times since in a couple different ways (based on how the question was worded at the time). Just search "Tibet" and you'll find a couple different version of the question and answers from me and others!