Heavy Fluff
Yes, I know it’s been more than awhile, my apologies, but
Holiday did call. You already have more than enough stuff to
read though, right? On top of that, my
summer duties as “Soccer Dad” are really taking its toll. Still, to my knowledge, I’m the only Loser
putting up 2000 word posts on a regular basis about China, in general. Nor do
I put up ads or any of that stuff. I know
I don’t always put up stories you want to read…I’d say “I’m sorry abt that”,
except I’m not. Though in all honesty
I’ve probably 3-4 stories that are more to your liking that in my view make
credible social points, you guys would without doubt want to focus on all the
“carnal content” such a story would touch on, blissfully ignoring(like feminist
nazi did last time) the social point I’m trying to make.
OK, let’s get caught up. Forgive any obvious mistakes. I'll have to edit this later as I reread it.
First of all much thanks for the Slavs showing up. Croatia, Serbia, Macedona,
Bosnia-Herzogovina….lot of views from you guys and I appreciate it! My
grandmother was a Slav and she has the facial features to prove it. (pls don’t roll your eyes)
CHP podcast #153:
It’s one of his better ones, and I had to listen to it 2-3
times to fully appreciate the detail and content. Basically, Laszlo debunks the view that England(the
worlds truly first drug dealer), forced itself and its wares upon the innocent
Heavenly Kingdom. Rather, China had more
nefarious reasons for wanting to shut out the British.
Listening to CHP is a joy.
The world needs more passionate people on China like Mr.
Montgomery. He probably has the best
podcast on China out there. I can sense
him slowing down a bit though…make sure to send him a note and stroke his ego! Most of us are simply too lazy to do the work
ourselves, that he does, to learn more about China.
Speaking of podcasts, I’m currently listening to the
Hardcore History Podcast, Wrath of the
Khans. I highly recommend this
podcast.
Dan Carlin does a lot of work and his podcasts are usually multi-episode. He covers various topics. The guy just loves history. I believe each episode has around 3 million downloads. I recently finished his 6 part series on WW1. (Let me save you the time…the Germans lose. Still, listen to the first episode) I’m currently on Episode 2, and it deals mostly with Genghis Khan and his attack on China. It’s very educational. Listening to this podcast, one is yet again reminded how little of China’s history(The Qing, for example), was actually ruled by the Han themselves.
Dan Carlin does a lot of work and his podcasts are usually multi-episode. He covers various topics. The guy just loves history. I believe each episode has around 3 million downloads. I recently finished his 6 part series on WW1. (Let me save you the time…the Germans lose. Still, listen to the first episode) I’m currently on Episode 2, and it deals mostly with Genghis Khan and his attack on China. It’s very educational. Listening to this podcast, one is yet again reminded how little of China’s history(The Qing, for example), was actually ruled by the Han themselves.
Having so profusely praised the CHP(which I do abt every 6
months or so, I believe), I find Hardcore History a much meatier listen. As it should be. He only broadcasts once a quarter, and his
podcasts can be 3 hours in length. Give
yourself a week to listen and digest each episode.
Meanwhile, I continue to read through Karnow’s book on the
Philippines…(In Our Image, America’s
Experience in the Philippines….something like that). Again, I’m impressed with the Chinese
influence on the country, not just pre Spanish times, but how they methodically
over time, intermarried and thus had a very indirect if not outright dominant
position in the country, over time. Both
the Philippines business and political elite both have Chinese blood poring
through its veins.
It is ironic that a nation as passively powerful and as
dominant as China was right up to the 19th century had so little interest in imperialism, Western style. Perhaps that would be because imperialism, Chinese style was so much
different. Tribute, not outright, formal
occupation. This former form of
imperialism was certainly cheaper. And
what is so ironic about it? As tribute
as fallen out of favor, China has now been forced to express its own perceived
gain of power through other means. Means
that are less subtle, more public, and with a “devil may care” attitude. Because when you are bigger than everyone
else, to such a degree(Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc), do you really give a
fuck?
What’s even more frightening, as I’ve alluded to in the past
is the great swath of China’s educated population that agrees with this
approach. As nonsensical as it sounds,
a great body of Chinese actually believe that international law simply does not
apply to them. It really is
fascinating. It is a direct application
of Manifest Destiny, China Style. It is
a direct challenge to the “world order” that only China could attempt to pull
off. Maybe the “world order” as we know
it is simply a farce? After all, should
not the concept of world order be a concept that everyone agrees on? Last I
looked China wasn’t at the table when the concept of World Order was created.
The entire concept of world order is a Western notion
anyway, is it not? As I’ve said in the
Past, the Chinese did not read Rousseau, or Locke, or Voltaire in college. Nor did
these writers ever visit China. But what
if they had? Would their writings have
incorporated the “Chinese Condition”?
China was a non-entity, post WW2. Roosevelt was more than gracious to include
China in the “Gang of 5”, ie the Security Council. But he didn’t know who Mao was. France and Britain are both somewhat
diminished in presence nowadays. But I’d
prefer either of them to India.
Well….guess what?
China is no longer a “non entity”.
It wants and deserves a seat at the table. But just
how much “leeway” will the world(America, basically) give it? How much will China be allowed to change the
concept of “world order”?
Like I said these are fascinating times. For the first time in 170 years, we are
seeing a China that is Strong Again.
Except the powers of those times are preoccupied. And on the other side of the globe. Let’s face it, China, if it had the will and
the design, could without the presence of the US, simply dominate all of
Asia. Such is China’s dominance of our supply
chains, and manufacturing. Such is their
understanding of our Western, Capitalistic Greed.
“To hell with Hong Kong, or this or that, can you yet again cut the price of socks by
another penny?”
We have indeed like Marx promised provided the rope with
which we shall perhaps hang ourselves with.
A Quick Tale
A few weeks ago before we went on Holiday, I noticed the
friend of my wife had received a package, albeit at our residence. She gets lots of these actually. Finally, I actually looked at the label of
one of these and it was from a high end clothing store. A dress.
The next day my wife mailed it off to China. I couldn’t help but ask what the deal was.
“It’s for one of my friends” in China, she replied.
Knowing that she has many, many friends in
the textile industry in Zhejiang, ie making clothes, I tongue in cheek chastised her about
violating design patents, etc. It was
so obvious that she was sending the dress back to China at her friends’
request, so that some mysterious factory could copy its design and in turn sell
it within China, without fear of penalty.
“You know you are cheating the system, right?” I mockinglyy chastised
her.
China Wife simply shot back with an air of indifference……
“Everyone is always cheating someone in this world,” was her
reply.
And that my friends, is China in twenty seconds. This is the new world we live in. It’s probably gotten to the point where
online retailers probably have put out secret, albeit racist directives warning
their sales teams against sending out new items, or sensitive, innovative
products to people with a Chinese last name.
More than once, the buyer has simply been a front for a company in
China.
Chinese in this country have over time, as a group,
developed the unfortunate reputation of “potentially untrustworthy”. Sorry.
Yeah, it’s unfair. But
stereotypes are quickly created and only so slowly dissolve.
Education
While traveling on Holiday, we did of course make the rounds
at several well established universities.
We just happened to “come across” them.
And Chinese were everywhere.
Tours, individual tourists, etc.
The cultural appreciation Chinese have for Education remains
impressive. Americans when in China may
focus on the food, or historical monuments like the Great Wall. In Europe architecture and art.
China’s focus on meritocracy, albeit rote learning, over the
past several centuries leading up to the 20th was both a positive
and a negative. A boon and a bane. A rock of China’s millennia long
superiority(tell that to the Mongols, right?), China’s inability to “Change” or
“adopt” new ideas compares in great contrast to Japan’s decision to “learn from
the West”, and probably coincides nicely with Japan’s Rise and China’s Steep
Fall. There is no doubt Japan’s
societal flexibility is what eventually lead to its domination of China.
It is ironic while China’s vaunted reputation for education
remains intact, cheating on the Gaokao remains stubborn, and corruption has
long since defeated any positive advantage China’s tradition for meritocracy
may have given it.
“Shame our Ancestors”
China has apparently stopped its reclamation activities on
the islands. This was proudly
announced. No doubt that was only in
preparation for Xi’s visit to meet with
Obama. However, as we teach our kids,
it’s not what you say, as much as what you do.
They are now slowly militarizing the islands. Radar, lots of radar. The rubber is soon, very soon to hit the
road.
Withdrawing from these islands would in effect “shame our
ancestors”, claims China. Once again,
history will show China painting itself in a corner. Should someone call its bluff. Give China credit. It has put its cards on the table for all to
see. It knows the West well enough to
understand that the West simply isn’t ready to disrupt world trade and commerce
over a group of rocks.
And who could blame the West(ie America)?
Would not drastic action simply create a 20 year period of
open hostility? A freeze in the world
economy perhaps? A new arms race? China is all in folks. It has no choice. To leave those islands now the CCP would
suffer far greater humiliation back home than it ever could to a Battle Fleet.
I’m thinking Xi will wait until after the Summit with Obama,
before actually upping the ante. This
may turn out to be one of the more interesting summits(and downright
contentious) an American president has had with a foreign leader since
Gorbachev and Reagan sit down. All the
same, Obama will spend his time twenty five years from now explaining and
justifying to all why he felt Iran was more of a focus than that country with
nuclear weapons and a navy, with a population of over a billion people.
As regards Zhou Yongkang
Trial? Was I the only one to notice Zhou Yongkang’s
hair? It was all white. The guy is over 70, so obviously his hair
should be white. (my assumption is here that most of you know how well groomed,
and coifed his very healthy, black hair was)
The propensity for Chinese to dye their hair 染头发 has
always been somewhat amusing, to say the least.
My inlaws do it, nearly everyone in China does it.
It’s easy to see: usually a white streak down the middle with
jet black hair on either side, is a dead give away.
I cannot explain this custom. While I saw a few Japanese do such a thing,
it was not many. With Chinese though,
it appears to be universal. As usual,
the obsession with appearances overwhelms everything else.
Zhou Yongkang being sentenced to life was nothing
unusual. What would be unusual would be
his receiving a death sentence. (again
for reference, go back to my “The first Monster” post for reference. Sad commentary) All the same I can only wonder…..why did he
not just run? Leave China like so many
others? Methinks he simply did not
believe it could happen to him. After all, how could a man so powerful
actually be put in jail? Like many other
powerful, rich people, they live shrouded in a veil of disillusionment. They are surrounded by sycophants. In a society where freedom to criticize
someone has powerful as Zhou simply does not exist, someone such as Zhou is never forced to eat
the proverbial “humble piece of pie”.
It would have been the richest of ironies for Zhou to flee
overseas. (I find it hard to believe
his family had a billion dollars in assets.)
But if he had, he’d no doubt be walking freely on the streets somewhere
today.
Needless to say, Zhou YongKang's dun goofed, lol
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