Rock on Man

Chinese need approval.

They seek acceptance.  They crave validity. 

Watching WeChat "channels" has shown me this trend is alive and strong.  WC as such has now become not just a venue for talking with friends, banking etc, but now is the premier avenue for the masses ability to  showcase China while also skewering the decline of the West.  This is popularity driven.  It's just a cool thing to do.  And I must admit, I like watching the videos on WC that do just that.  

But before you begin thinking I'm just gonna call out WC as a tool for belittling everything Western, you need to know WC is far more open minded than one might think. 

Only a few days ago I saw a video of Fauci and Rand Paul having a near brawl on WC.  The topic  of their conversation is very sensitive to China.  Frankly, I was surprised it was posted.   Surely I wasn't the only one wondering why China doesn't have such blunt political debate as well?

I often surf WC before going to bed.  It takes my mind off work.  It is relaxing and gets me ready for bed. I also find it an efficient way to learn more about China, and it's great for my Chinese.  It has greatly expanded my vocabulary.  My Iphone photos are now two thirds screenshots of Chines vocab from WC or pleico.

BTW, the rise of pleico has made studying Mandarin that much easier.  Have dictionaries become obsolete?

But the trend I keep coming back to is the consistent need of approval from the West, so prevalent amongst many Chinese.   Seeing these videos on WC has only reinforced this belief.   Or does WC simply pamper to its base?   Are these videos only "hot" because only people with nothing to do are watching them?

Is it a reflection of the fact that 99% of Chinese have never had a sustained conversation with a foreigner in Mandarin or English?  Still, I can't help but feel that we are in the 1980's again.  The exoticness of the laowai is increasing.  Why?  Because we've all left!  Only those married to a Chinese are still there, or are English teachers.  

It's human nature, the more we are demonized, the more intrigued others become of us.

In the beginning, with more than an ounce of superiority in the voice, laowai stuck in China(let's be honest, they had no prospects in their own country.  Why else would they stay in China when the country was in lockdown?) were beginning to say China was actually safer than America(it was) during the height of the pandemic.

Ummm.....how's that China vaccine working out now? Speak up laowai!

So now I come to the subject of this post;  Laowai making the best of it in China, via WC videos.

Recently, a couple of Brits and an American were on a train, and were interviewed speaking in English about how great China was and quite frankly, how the basis of all criticism of China in the West is rooted in its jealousy of China, pure and simple. 

I think there is some truth there.  As such, many Westerners just cannot wait to see China fall on its ass. 

Regarding these laowai, as they are still in China, I could only surmise they are single, and are English teachers.  I could be wrong.  But I doubt it.  Looking outside my window while writing yet another overdue post I look out at my pool.  A nice, beautiful pool.  I have three cars in my garage and a house that hasn't quite doubled in value, that I'll be paying off before Thanksgiving.   I have a good job that albeit border line works me to death, still allows me to renovate said house as well.  

I even grilled steak last night on my grill, in my backyard.

What am I jealous of?  What is my point?  My life is infinitely better than any of those "stuck in China" laowai.   

But that post on WC got zillions of views, and once again, confirmed to the Chinese how great their nation is, compared to the West.

Let us stop here for a moment  to add context.  American Democracy in particular isn't doing very well at the moment.  We as a nation are in a crisis.  Politically speaking, we are hijacked by a minority, led by old white men, in a country that may very well not see another white, protestant, non gay, male President in my lifetime. 

This current crisis we are in, all of us, is best solved by a strong central government.  Don't just look at China folks.   Look at France, too.  One cannot go to a theater, restaurant, club, anywhere, without a vaccination card.   Why can't we do that in America?  

America has given so much power to the States that we are incapable of action towards solving a national emergency.  This crisis makes us look bad.  You don't think China notices?  Or the West in general?

To those in China paying attention, albeit with a very filtered news filter, this crisis showed two things: How great and superior American Science is to China's, and how utterly incapable we are of solving big problems in a decisive way. 

If one were to say China's "management team" is superior to the American "management team", I would probably agree.  China plays better as a team.  Our talent as a nation is thus squandered by our inability to do as much.  

Now go back and read the zillion posts I've written about the shock on Chinese faces when they come here and don't see all those shiny buildings and subways as they have in The Heavenly Kingdom.  How can they not believe our criticisms of them is only so much jealousy? 

As for those laowai....if I was to invite any of those laowai to my  house, feed them a grilled steak, let them and any of their Chinese harem hang out in the pool, maybe even drive my car around to the local diner and get a milkshake, and than asked them how things are going in China, they wouldn't miss a beat:

"I prefer it here, I just can't find anything....."

  When Laowai say China is better than the West, they have an excellent point.  But their looking at it from a "macro" level.  Not a micro level. 

I would love nothing more than to go back to China, if they'd let me in.  Do my job, visit my suppliers.  Maybe even hit the club.  But then what?  Brag about the subway system, or another shiny skyscraper?  Talk about how convenient it is to hail a ride in China?  Dude, did I tell you I have 3 cars in my garage?  Why would I care about that?  How does any of the above effect my life on a personal level?

I live in the suburbs.  On purpose.  I DO NOT want to live in the city.   I've lived in six Asian cities, all many times bigger than the city I live in now, which is not small.  Why would I want to brag about China's subway? Or rail?  I don't need those things here.  You say I would if I lived in China, but you miss my point, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN CHINA.  No offense, but I've checked that box.  I've lived that life.  And they quite frankly don't want another laowai there either.  They want us gone, dude.  Just keep the purchase orders to the factories coming.....

Any laowai saying he prefers China on the micro level, unless he speaks excellent Chinese, is very wealthy, single or with no kids to raise, and can leave China and come back in as he pleases is kidding himself.  Trust me, your VPN isn't gonna be as good as you think it will be.  Netflix, Instagram, Youtube, Wikepedia....living in China is a cultural desert for those with any hint of intellectual curiosity.  You better bring alot of books.

I just wish the laowai demonizing of  the West had context.  Those laowai that live in China have low expectations of themselves.  They compensate by telling themselves how much better life in China is, and I believe them because they have nothing in the West. 

Ride your shiny subway.  Rock on man.