See you in August....
Well, as you know, it's time for a post, and as you know there is not one.
I will be leaving for China and not back until the end of August. I've simply ran out of time to write my next post or two, which I intend to be about Jiang Qing.
I'm quite relieved to be through with Cixi, actually. It was alot of work. Quite time consuming. Jiang Qing will be easy compared to Cixi. So methinks.
I'm also just tired. The last few posts took a bit more time away from me and my family then I either intended or wanted. I need to maintain the balance. The original intent of posting was simply to find a hobby. That and to decompress a bit. Being married to a Tiger Mom isn't easy. I've written much about this topic and I'll leave it at that.
But I do want to leave you with this:
The Chinese prayed and prayed and prayed that Hillary would not become the next American President, and through the intricacies of the American Constitution, ie the Electoral College, they succeeded. Now methinks they wish they had Hillary. The enemy you know is simply not as dangerous as the enemy you don't.
In particular if that enemy is a madman.
Still, I confess to profess....most Americans really do agree with the emotional logic used by Trump, regarding tariffs.....("just don't tax my business!")
And now we have the beginnings(really? not no sure actually) of a trade war, which China by the numbers, and only by the numbers surely will lose.
But those American soybean farmers....who knows?
I think Trump's dumbest move was to initiate a Trade War in an election year.
The Boy just don't know how to deliver a message.
In conclusion I see this...a rise in Xenophobia coming out of China. Has Xenophobia risen in America or Europe recently? Of course!
But our Free Press acts as a constraint on our behavior. China simply doesn't have this "problem".
As China's economy begins to suffer, and workers lose their jobs(if you believe in this whole trade war stuff), resentment of the laowai will dramatically increase.
The Boxers come to mind.
An extreme example, I know.
Trump has created a precedent, wrong or right, for making China the boogeyman for all that ills us. Wait until the American economy goes into a recession....
As for me....stay with me. Ya'll all know where the archives are....
See you in August.
I will be leaving for China and not back until the end of August. I've simply ran out of time to write my next post or two, which I intend to be about Jiang Qing.
I'm quite relieved to be through with Cixi, actually. It was alot of work. Quite time consuming. Jiang Qing will be easy compared to Cixi. So methinks.
I'm also just tired. The last few posts took a bit more time away from me and my family then I either intended or wanted. I need to maintain the balance. The original intent of posting was simply to find a hobby. That and to decompress a bit. Being married to a Tiger Mom isn't easy. I've written much about this topic and I'll leave it at that.
But I do want to leave you with this:
The Chinese prayed and prayed and prayed that Hillary would not become the next American President, and through the intricacies of the American Constitution, ie the Electoral College, they succeeded. Now methinks they wish they had Hillary. The enemy you know is simply not as dangerous as the enemy you don't.
In particular if that enemy is a madman.
Still, I confess to profess....most Americans really do agree with the emotional logic used by Trump, regarding tariffs.....("just don't tax my business!")
And now we have the beginnings(really? not no sure actually) of a trade war, which China by the numbers, and only by the numbers surely will lose.
But those American soybean farmers....who knows?
I think Trump's dumbest move was to initiate a Trade War in an election year.
The Boy just don't know how to deliver a message.
In conclusion I see this...a rise in Xenophobia coming out of China. Has Xenophobia risen in America or Europe recently? Of course!
But our Free Press acts as a constraint on our behavior. China simply doesn't have this "problem".
As China's economy begins to suffer, and workers lose their jobs(if you believe in this whole trade war stuff), resentment of the laowai will dramatically increase.
The Boxers come to mind.
An extreme example, I know.
Trump has created a precedent, wrong or right, for making China the boogeyman for all that ills us. Wait until the American economy goes into a recession....
As for me....stay with me. Ya'll all know where the archives are....
See you in August.
Hey Kurt here,
ReplyDeleteSorry i did not write back was very busy and had nothing interesting to write, just writing again to say this is a super interesting blog, i have been in China for 6 months now and when I leave i will safely write more of my feelings regarding how I feel about this place. I can say that I have spent 5-6 years learning Chinese and what an absolute waste of time that was. In that entire time period how difficult it is to find a single Chinese person that is somewhat relate-able. And now I am so far in, I think it is impossible to ever stop learning Chinese-gamblers fallacy i guess.
Hi Kurt! Glad to see you still around. Sorry to hear though your thoughts on learning Chinese. I hope it really wasn't a mistake on your part. I'm also sure you don't believe that. Learning Chinese has two payoffs, depending upon your goal. One is the cultural satisfaction of knowing something about the worlds 2nd most powerful nation. It simply makes good sense to know more about China.
ReplyDeleteThe other reason is it will indeed payoff in the marketplace, sooner or later for you. Why be boring and be like everyone else? Learn Chinese and standout!
When you are up to it, Kurt, as it sounds like you have a lot to say, you are very welcome to write a guest post on this blog. I will be happy to read your thoughts and post it.