Muse of 2008 Olympic torch relay
Updated: 2008-05-06 20:28
One of the first things the current Republicans administration did was to announce "China is not a strategic partner, nor an unpalatable foe". Do you have to say that and publish the statement in the front pages of all the major newspaper after taking office? How many other countries out of the 200 plus in the world fits the "not partner, not foe" profile? Why single out the Chinese? We are Chinese and we are moderate. As you Western folks know, we grew up under the propaganda of the Culture Revolution. Don't you think we can tell it's propaganda engine working when we see one? When food prices go up world wide, Chinese are somehow implicated in prime time TV. Other side of the arguments takes the TV spots of a graveyard shift, or public broadcasting, or do not get reported.
When gas prices go up worldwide, Chinese are somehow implicated in front pages of newspapers. The other side of the argument goes to back page opinions columns, if any at all.
As to the proofs and detailed supporting evidences, it was just "some" experts said with inconclusive studies and ambiguities, Chinese are doing something weird with "food" and "gas". If "some other" foolish experts dare to stick their necks out for China, they will be branded "part of the liberal think tank representing the leftist mainstream media", as the rightist mainstream media would like you to believe.
When Chinese people become richer, even though Chinese average GDP is still way less than 1/10 of the American average today, China has been this "the coming threat" in business magazines for the last 10 years, which implied doing business to China is helping out the "largest standing communist army in the world".
Chinese getting richer just isn't natural, even if your text book says hard work should bring prosperity. Because when it's Chinese, let's demonize.
For the Tibetan youth who had threatened China with violence in the effort of "freeing Tibet", ask yourself whether your leader is some kind of Western born and educated organizer, knowing little about Eastern way of life? What kind of odds do you think you've got against China today comparing to that of 1959. His Holiness is now well established in the United States. That is where he goes for family reunions, and even donate moneys here and there to appear charitable, and win people's heart. My advice to the young followers of his Holiness is, don't make the same mistake that our generation have made in 1989, when we were young and indiscreet. If you can't work out problems with your family members, don't expect help from this so-called international community. As a Chinese from the Han ethnic group, I do admit there are religious differences between us. There are some non-worthy low-lives of the Han family would laugh or scorn at your customs or religious practice, but that is their disgrace. If you believe your custom or cultural heritage would be better respected by Westerners, you are deadly wrong. Read the history of the West or observe the everyday life of people in the West, take US for example, who can say Northerners do not laugh at Southerners, or East coast folks do not kill West coast ones, and vice-versa. Speaking of people with different faith, or religion, Europeans have much worst records in religious tolerance, from Biblical times to War against Terror. One does not need to look further beyond how Christians are getting along with Muslims these days in Europe and America. But when Han Chinese laugh at Tibetan Chinese, it would be reported by BBC, CNN in the religious oppression column. When Tibetan students can enter Chinese college with a lower grade then their Han competitors, that would not be reported. When Tibetan couples are allowed to have two children comparing to Han couples who were only allowed to have one child, that would not be reported. When I was young, I also remembered Tibetans were allowed to carry knives walking in the streets, but Han residents would be questioned by police when carrying knives. Such trivial detail definitely would not be reported. Because in this Western media, when it is Chinese, let's demonize.
Living in the West, if your appearance remotely looks like that of a Chinese, it will be difficult for you to truly have freedom. Noticed how much longer you have to stay in the customs, borders and airports, while others could just whisk by? How difficult it would be for you to apply for visas to travel to the West?
Notice how Virginia Tech shooting was first reported as conducted by "Chinese". Notice how "Wen Ho Lee" story was blown up to the headline news by so many newspaper and TV stations? And then, when Mr. Lee got his name cleared, the stories came in the sizes of an announcement of a multi-family garage sales -- that is if any news organization cared to report even that.
Dr. Lee's only convicted crime was to take "classified" documents from work to his home to work over-time. And the irony of the whole thing was that the entire investigation was triggered by Dr. Lee sincerely trying to report a "do you know how to make the bomb?" joke on a trip to China, a decade earlier with his relative. Because reporting too late in his sensitive office was a "security breach".
To most of the American public, they still think China stole their secrets of nuclear weapons, through this guy named Wen Ho Lee. How else would Chinese know how to make nuclear weapons? They are backward in education, women's rights and many other fronts. If first lady Hillary Clinton did not go to China to stress the self-esteem of professional women, Chinese women would all be stay-home moms, Western media sounded like. The fact is, China has much lower percentage of stay-home women than US, but that won't be reported. Because when it's Chinese, let's demonize.
You can spend your time and energy "working your way up" as an Asian in the West, but the best position for you most Asians to achieve would be getting a "team lead" position in some office with double amount of degrees and credentials than your managers, directors and VPs, because Chinese believe in moderation, force of nature and harmony, all that stuff. "Oh, please don't call me a doctor, I don't know whether you are admiring me or mocking me" a PHD holder of something with a clerical position would say -- that is the profile of an Asian looking person working in the corporate America. For educated Asian or Arabians wanting to work for governmental agencies, there is always that three word warning: "Wen Ho Lee".
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