Two very good articles:
http://www.cctv.com/english/20080418/103173.shtml
http://www.cctv.com/program/chinatoday/20080417/107718.shtml
I hadn't been on CNN.com in weeks. I'm glad I hadn't, because apparently things got rather nasty in there with the hatred of China. Jack Cafferty called the Chinese "goons and thugs". O RLY. Then what are the Tibetans who set fire to Chinese businesses then? Freedom fighters? Apparently, CNN also cropped a picture of the demonstrations in Tibet, putting the focus of the picture squarely on the Chinese military trying to control the group of rogues who were committing an act of organized violence instead of the Tibetans themselves and the destruction they had caused. CNN prides itself on being fair and accurate. Well, cropping pictures sounds awfully like something the Chinese government would do--diverting attention from the truth. The Chinese media used--gasp!--the WHOLE PICTURE. With the FIRES and everything. What does CNN have to gain from all this?
I am so sick of all this BS nonsense about China being evil. It's turning into an all-out hate-on-China fest. Sooner or later, the "discussion" is going to turn into this:
"The Chinese all work in sweatshops for pennies a day."
"They gamble, drink, smoke, and spit everywhere."
"The Chinese people are bucktoothed, dirty scumbags who eat cats and dogs."
"They shit and piss into holes in the ground, and can't see out of their slits for eyes."
"They want to poison our children with their toys and make nothing but junk [thank you Mr. Cafferty]."
"They're taking over our businesses, schools, and communities with their dirty Communist ways!"
There are already people out there accusing China of genocide and "occupying" Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Who knows what kind of arguments they'll come up with next.
I don't know the extent to which CCTV is controlled by the government. What I do know is that after reading about all these people needlessly bashing China, I'm relieved to know that people will stick up for it still. Stick up for the people, their happiness and pride. Stick up for China's future. No more of this hate and ignorance.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Some commenters on the Internet should leave their computers.
To the wonderful examples of humankind that are some of the People.com commenters:
- Get a life. You surely have better things to do with your time than to sneak around on entertainment websites just so you can post insulting comments about a public figure you happen to hate.
- Do you know Hillary/any random celebrity whom you dislike beyond what's presented in public? Didn't think so. Before you make any snap judgments about or heave personal insults at anyone, learn something about him/her. Before she went into politics, Hillary worked her ass off on behalf of women and children while working at all-male prestigious law firms. Bill was a Rhodes Scholar who had a less-than-ideal family situation, but still managed to stay on his feet and succeed. Did you bother to learn all that before you touched your keyboard?
- They are human beings, like you (though I have my doubts about you). Don't think for a second that they don't go through the same crap in their lives as we do. They worry about finances, pay taxes, raise children...just like you.
- Even the people we despise may say something or do something which would ultimately benefit us. Assuming that nothing good can come out of your enemies is doing yourself a disfavor.
- You try being constantly under national and international scrutiny. Chances are you won't like it, but if you're like Ann Coulter, you'd feel right at home basking in the glow of attention (even if it's almost 100% negative).
- Did you graduate from one of the top business/law schools in the country? Did you persevere at your work until you reached a position of prestige at your law firm/company? Did you publicly advocate unpopular positions or little-known issues? Did you run or help to run a country? Didn't think so. So don't assume you understand.
- You can't deny that Chelsea Clinton and Cate Edwards turned out to be fine, intelligent, well-adjusted, successful young women, no matter how evil you perceive their parents to be. Their parents must have done something right--how shocking!
Olympics
Due to the recent crackdown of the Chinese government on Tibetan protesters, a question was posted on CNN.com asking readers their opinions on a possible boycott of the Olympic Games in 2008. While some readers thought the boycott was a terrible idea and that politics shouldn't be mixed with sports, many arrogant, self-righteous assholes essentially proclaimed America and its allies as the beacons of morality by supporting a boycott. Boycotting the Games is exceedingly stupid, arrogant, and foolish; it is vastly unfair to athletes and to the Chinese people.
The crackdown today, the history of political and social oppression, and corruption aren't the only reasons why Americans and their allies take such a stance against the Chinese government. I have heard people mention, among all things, female infanticide as meriting a boycott of the Games. It seems as if people are more than happy to slough through all the positives that China has produced and select only the events which would help paint China as evil. Female infanticide is definitely a practice horrible beyond belief, but China's not the only country which has this, nor is it the only country which has a history of terrible oppression of females. Parts of Korea, Japan, and so many Third-World countries practice female infanticide or female circumcision, but the West turns a blind eye to them because they aren't communist or socialist dictatorships (or have nothing to offer). No one would blink an eye if India hosted the Games, yet it's hard to find a country where female infanticide in rural areas is more commonplace.
Do these commenters even know what actual Chinese think? Do they have Chinese friends or family, or even coworkers? My guess is that most do not. Most of the Chinese I know dislike the Chinese government, and have personally experienced much of the oppression and suffering which came with modernization, yet they had never, ever in any way shown that they hated their mother country. We all love China with all our strength and want only what's best for the people, whom we consider ourselves to be among, still. We may have come to America to achieve a better life for our families, but that does not indicate that we ever wanted to leave China behind forever. We just hate the way the government is run, and desire change as much as non-Chinese do. These changes take time, and some significant changes have already occurred. If China's given the chance to really show itself off like it plans to later this year, the Chinese people will be better off for it. The people of China have a genuine enthusiasm for the Games, which is their chance to make all their countrymen inside and outside proud. It's only fair that we be given that chance. Boycotting the Games would amount to essentially destroying the spirit of the Chinese people, and that could only lead to negative consequences for everyone.
Do the commenters know much of anything about China, its history, its culture, or its people? We value family above all else. Chinese holidays, for the Chinese, are bigger affairs than Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving. During the Spring Festival, people take their precious two-week holidays from work and school to drive, fly, or ride trains (often for days) to their homes to be with their parents, siblings, and extended families for huge celebrations. The Chinese adore their children just as much as Americans do, and the attitudes of the more traditional families toward filial piety have softened, but children are still taught to respect their parents and elders as children should. The language and much of the culture have survived with few changes for millenia, and Chinese had invented some of the technologies we now take for granted.
The entire world is against China, it seems. The Democrats in Congress (it almost makes me want to change parties) want Bush to boycott the opening ceremony. The French and English have interrupted the Olympic torch relay, and now this tradition has been canceled. The few Tibetans who began burning the businesses of Han Chinese (thus ruining the livelihoods of innocent people) had chosen the perfect time to stage those protests, and now the entire Western world is on their side, blindly guided by their holier-than-thou attitudes of moral superiority. Even people who have no knowledge of Chinese history or people are coming to Tibet's defense, making baseless claims using information from biased media reports. Some of those people have also claimed that the Chinese are "occupying" not only Tibet, but Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, all which have been Chinese territory for centuries before the Western powers took over or the Communists took charge. Just ask any person who's grown up in China or has done extensive research into Chinese history...but of course, they're lying because the Communists made false claims on everything. I am an ignoramus because I obviously didn't watch all the American news reports.
Well, the Communist Party of China certainly didn't fabricate the experience I had when I was visiting relatives in 2001. When the IOC announced that China would be hosting the Olympics in 2008, my entire family was ecstatic, cheering and hugging. The Chinese people are absolutely enthralled by the opportunity to finally host the Olympic Games, but if the world boycotts the Games, there will be over a billion dispirited Chinese people. And dispirited citizens certainly won't help China to change its ways and become more open. What those Westerners believe they're achieving by boycotting the Olympic Games will not be what actually happens. Why must they be so damn cocky about it?
What about Western imperialism and the terrible consequences that wrought on Africa and Asia? Slavery? Are those not moral transgressions or examples of human rights travesties? How is it not hypocritical to condemn China's oppressive policies when the very countries who are threatening to boycott the Olympic Games had once committed even worse crimes against human beings in the past? All these are hidden under the covers when it comes to China's, Russia's, or Cuba's human rights travesties. It's time to step off the moral high ground, you fools. The fall from your high horse will be more painful than you think. Communist China's human rights violations will not somehow justify your country's own wrongdoings or undo them.
I know I know: "it wasn't our idea". The human rights violations in China weren't my idea (and nor were they my parents', our friends', or our families'). We know it's not your intention to condemn the entire Chinese population (though if that were your intention, shame on you), but by supporting a boycott of the Olympics, you're effectively insulting all Chinese people.
You know what? We don't want you in China anyway.
I swear, sometimes I feel like we're on par with the Jews based on how each of these groups were unfairly treated throughout history. China was carved, sliced into pieces by Japan and Western powers during the later Qing dynasty. They took so many of our national treasures, poisoned our people with opium, declared war on China in the name of expanding their empires. The Communist Party formed indirectly as a reaction to foreign imperialism. Now we're the criminals. How is this justifiable or fair?
The crackdown today, the history of political and social oppression, and corruption aren't the only reasons why Americans and their allies take such a stance against the Chinese government. I have heard people mention, among all things, female infanticide as meriting a boycott of the Games. It seems as if people are more than happy to slough through all the positives that China has produced and select only the events which would help paint China as evil. Female infanticide is definitely a practice horrible beyond belief, but China's not the only country which has this, nor is it the only country which has a history of terrible oppression of females. Parts of Korea, Japan, and so many Third-World countries practice female infanticide or female circumcision, but the West turns a blind eye to them because they aren't communist or socialist dictatorships (or have nothing to offer). No one would blink an eye if India hosted the Games, yet it's hard to find a country where female infanticide in rural areas is more commonplace.
Do these commenters even know what actual Chinese think? Do they have Chinese friends or family, or even coworkers? My guess is that most do not. Most of the Chinese I know dislike the Chinese government, and have personally experienced much of the oppression and suffering which came with modernization, yet they had never, ever in any way shown that they hated their mother country. We all love China with all our strength and want only what's best for the people, whom we consider ourselves to be among, still. We may have come to America to achieve a better life for our families, but that does not indicate that we ever wanted to leave China behind forever. We just hate the way the government is run, and desire change as much as non-Chinese do. These changes take time, and some significant changes have already occurred. If China's given the chance to really show itself off like it plans to later this year, the Chinese people will be better off for it. The people of China have a genuine enthusiasm for the Games, which is their chance to make all their countrymen inside and outside proud. It's only fair that we be given that chance. Boycotting the Games would amount to essentially destroying the spirit of the Chinese people, and that could only lead to negative consequences for everyone.
Do the commenters know much of anything about China, its history, its culture, or its people? We value family above all else. Chinese holidays, for the Chinese, are bigger affairs than Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving. During the Spring Festival, people take their precious two-week holidays from work and school to drive, fly, or ride trains (often for days) to their homes to be with their parents, siblings, and extended families for huge celebrations. The Chinese adore their children just as much as Americans do, and the attitudes of the more traditional families toward filial piety have softened, but children are still taught to respect their parents and elders as children should. The language and much of the culture have survived with few changes for millenia, and Chinese had invented some of the technologies we now take for granted.
The entire world is against China, it seems. The Democrats in Congress (it almost makes me want to change parties) want Bush to boycott the opening ceremony. The French and English have interrupted the Olympic torch relay, and now this tradition has been canceled. The few Tibetans who began burning the businesses of Han Chinese (thus ruining the livelihoods of innocent people) had chosen the perfect time to stage those protests, and now the entire Western world is on their side, blindly guided by their holier-than-thou attitudes of moral superiority. Even people who have no knowledge of Chinese history or people are coming to Tibet's defense, making baseless claims using information from biased media reports. Some of those people have also claimed that the Chinese are "occupying" not only Tibet, but Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, all which have been Chinese territory for centuries before the Western powers took over or the Communists took charge. Just ask any person who's grown up in China or has done extensive research into Chinese history...but of course, they're lying because the Communists made false claims on everything. I am an ignoramus because I obviously didn't watch all the American news reports.
Well, the Communist Party of China certainly didn't fabricate the experience I had when I was visiting relatives in 2001. When the IOC announced that China would be hosting the Olympics in 2008, my entire family was ecstatic, cheering and hugging. The Chinese people are absolutely enthralled by the opportunity to finally host the Olympic Games, but if the world boycotts the Games, there will be over a billion dispirited Chinese people. And dispirited citizens certainly won't help China to change its ways and become more open. What those Westerners believe they're achieving by boycotting the Olympic Games will not be what actually happens. Why must they be so damn cocky about it?
What about Western imperialism and the terrible consequences that wrought on Africa and Asia? Slavery? Are those not moral transgressions or examples of human rights travesties? How is it not hypocritical to condemn China's oppressive policies when the very countries who are threatening to boycott the Olympic Games had once committed even worse crimes against human beings in the past? All these are hidden under the covers when it comes to China's, Russia's, or Cuba's human rights travesties. It's time to step off the moral high ground, you fools. The fall from your high horse will be more painful than you think. Communist China's human rights violations will not somehow justify your country's own wrongdoings or undo them.
I know I know: "it wasn't our idea". The human rights violations in China weren't my idea (and nor were they my parents', our friends', or our families'). We know it's not your intention to condemn the entire Chinese population (though if that were your intention, shame on you), but by supporting a boycott of the Olympics, you're effectively insulting all Chinese people.
You know what? We don't want you in China anyway.
I swear, sometimes I feel like we're on par with the Jews based on how each of these groups were unfairly treated throughout history. China was carved, sliced into pieces by Japan and Western powers during the later Qing dynasty. They took so many of our national treasures, poisoned our people with opium, declared war on China in the name of expanding their empires. The Communist Party formed indirectly as a reaction to foreign imperialism. Now we're the criminals. How is this justifiable or fair?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Everyone complains about parking...
...me being one of them. Now I don't like to complain (at least publicly or even just to friends), but this has been an ongoing source or frustration for me as well as almost everyone who owns a car on campus. Driving around for 20 minutes searching for a place to park where I would not get ticketed wastes gas, and that gas isn't cheap (and I could go on forever). It's even been suggested that we park on the grass if we can't find a single open space, since parking in a handicapped space would result in a far heftier fine ($20 vs. $250). Oh, and some people park their scooters or mopeds in spaces designated for cars--one per space, even. Extremely insulting, especially considering how much we pay for decals.
Students paid $110 for the privilege to park on campus this academic year, and we are subjected to a game reminiscent of "musical chairs" or "searching for a job" every time we take our cars out for a drive. If I weren't graduating this semester, I would have to face competition from an enormous 2008-2009 freshman class. They're letting more freshmen in than ever before, yet they build over old parking lots?
My Business Chinese instructor must park at the mall several miles away and take the bus to campus, so this problem is not restricted to students. Most students, anyway. In Fraternity Row, there must be a pretty low ratio of students to parking spaces compared to the rest of campus because that parking lot is enormous. Despite that, there is no way hell I would park in Frat Row. A parking lot of roughly the same size, which isn't far from where I live, is nearly always full.
The parking lots surrounding my residence are are not 24/7, so that means after a certain time anyone could park in them and avoid tickets as long as they move before 7:30am the next day. Something's being done to change that, but the changes probably would not occur before I leave for good.
The Administration doesn't seem to take this seriously, but they each have their reserved parking spaces, so how would they understand?
Students paid $110 for the privilege to park on campus this academic year, and we are subjected to a game reminiscent of "musical chairs" or "searching for a job" every time we take our cars out for a drive. If I weren't graduating this semester, I would have to face competition from an enormous 2008-2009 freshman class. They're letting more freshmen in than ever before, yet they build over old parking lots?
My Business Chinese instructor must park at the mall several miles away and take the bus to campus, so this problem is not restricted to students. Most students, anyway. In Fraternity Row, there must be a pretty low ratio of students to parking spaces compared to the rest of campus because that parking lot is enormous. Despite that, there is no way hell I would park in Frat Row. A parking lot of roughly the same size, which isn't far from where I live, is nearly always full.
The parking lots surrounding my residence are are not 24/7, so that means after a certain time anyone could park in them and avoid tickets as long as they move before 7:30am the next day. Something's being done to change that, but the changes probably would not occur before I leave for good.
The Administration doesn't seem to take this seriously, but they each have their reserved parking spaces, so how would they understand?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
And you wonder why these things happen.
School shootings, suicides, etc.
You may or may not have heard of Megan Meier, a girl who committed suicide last year due to being personally insulted by a MySpace "friend" (whose account was actually created by an adult neighbor). She had been diagnosed with depression and ADHD, had always had some self-esteem issues, and was trying to lose weight. At the time she met this "friend", according to her parents, she had never been happier, and was thrilled beyond belief that a cute boy actually thought she was pretty. After several weeks of communicating, the messages from "Josh" became more and more mean-spirited and insulting. The icing on the top of the cake was a message that insinuated that the world would be a better place without her. After she read this message, she took it to heart and hung herself.
You may or may not have heard of Megan Meier, a girl who committed suicide last year due to being personally insulted by a MySpace "friend" (whose account was actually created by an adult neighbor). She had been diagnosed with depression and ADHD, had always had some self-esteem issues, and was trying to lose weight. At the time she met this "friend", according to her parents, she had never been happier, and was thrilled beyond belief that a cute boy actually thought she was pretty. After several weeks of communicating, the messages from "Josh" became more and more mean-spirited and insulting. The icing on the top of the cake was a message that insinuated that the world would be a better place without her. After she read this message, she took it to heart and hung herself.
It had since been revealed that the mother responsible for creating this account did so to monitor Megan's attitude toward the woman's own daughter, who had a falling out with Megan not long before. Soon, other neighbors got the password and began to correspond with Megan on MySpace through the "Josh Evans" account...and they definitely did not have kind words for her. They knew she had these disorders, and that her self-esteem was extremely vulnerable, but instead of trying to be understanding, they thought it would be entertaining to bait her and see her reaction. They called her ugly, among other things, even though she was actively trying to lose weight to improve her self-image.
Her parents monitored her MySpace activity, and only let her access her account with their permission. It's not clear whether her mother knew of the age limit for MySpace account-holders, which was 14 years of age (Megan was 13 when she died). On the day she hung herself, her mother had forcefully asked her many times to log off her MySpace account, but she wouldn't, and Megan became more hysterical the more comments she read insulting her character and weight.
Not surprisingly, many bloggers have posted about this, and most of the ones I've read were highly sympathetic to Megan and her parents. On one sympathetic blog post, the blogger asked for justice for Megan's family and harsh punishment for the woman responsible for the fake account. One commenter (unsurprisingly, who remained "anonymous") posted an unbelievably cruel, insensitive comment:
Insulting a recently-deceased 13-year-old girl, calling her a "liar", and insinuating that it's a waste of space to ask for justice when the girl would've committed suicide eventually anyway is not just insensitive...it's downright cruel. The person who wrote this would not have been out of character posting demeaning messages about Megan on the "Josh Evans" account. This is the kind of "human" being who thinks making fun of, mocking, teasing, baiting, and insulting people less fortunate or "normal" than him/herself (fortunate to be an insensitive bastard?) is horribly entertaining and boosts his/her own self-image. These are the people who directly or indirectly contribute to many of the problems with modern kids, including the school shootings and suicides like Megan's, by being prejudicial, intolerant, hateful, and less than understanding. All these kids with low self-esteem want is for someone to pay positive attention to them, accept them for who they are, and overlook their physical/emotional conditions. It's sad how superficial modern society's become.
There is justice to be sought in Megan's story. The message about the serious effects of bullying should be spread to every corner of the Internet and every community in the real world. Whether the mother who created the fake account and her collaborators should be persecuted is not the big issue--the big issue is bringing to light the facts, forcing people to pay serious attention to them and to prevent things like this from ever happening again.
Her parents monitored her MySpace activity, and only let her access her account with their permission. It's not clear whether her mother knew of the age limit for MySpace account-holders, which was 14 years of age (Megan was 13 when she died). On the day she hung herself, her mother had forcefully asked her many times to log off her MySpace account, but she wouldn't, and Megan became more hysterical the more comments she read insulting her character and weight.
Not surprisingly, many bloggers have posted about this, and most of the ones I've read were highly sympathetic to Megan and her parents. On one sympathetic blog post, the blogger asked for justice for Megan's family and harsh punishment for the woman responsible for the fake account. One commenter (unsurprisingly, who remained "anonymous") posted an unbelievably cruel, insensitive comment:
"Anonymous said...
Justice? What a waste of space you people are. If a girl is that messed up in the head to where "breaking up" with a guy she had never met sent her over the edge; she was going to off herself sooner or later, no question about it. I mean, what if, God forbid, she got a rejection letter from a college?
What is this garbage about "things a 13 year old girl should be interested in?" Myspace does not let 13 year olds have accounts. She was an online liar too!!"
Insulting a recently-deceased 13-year-old girl, calling her a "liar", and insinuating that it's a waste of space to ask for justice when the girl would've committed suicide eventually anyway is not just insensitive...it's downright cruel. The person who wrote this would not have been out of character posting demeaning messages about Megan on the "Josh Evans" account. This is the kind of "human" being who thinks making fun of, mocking, teasing, baiting, and insulting people less fortunate or "normal" than him/herself (fortunate to be an insensitive bastard?) is horribly entertaining and boosts his/her own self-image. These are the people who directly or indirectly contribute to many of the problems with modern kids, including the school shootings and suicides like Megan's, by being prejudicial, intolerant, hateful, and less than understanding. All these kids with low self-esteem want is for someone to pay positive attention to them, accept them for who they are, and overlook their physical/emotional conditions. It's sad how superficial modern society's become.
There is justice to be sought in Megan's story. The message about the serious effects of bullying should be spread to every corner of the Internet and every community in the real world. Whether the mother who created the fake account and her collaborators should be persecuted is not the big issue--the big issue is bringing to light the facts, forcing people to pay serious attention to them and to prevent things like this from ever happening again.
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