Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Scary
Looks like France and Germany want to make some more cash, and are willing to eliminate the arms ban on China (result of the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989) so that they can 'help' the Chinese modernize their military with arms and communications, intelligence and surveillance equipment (further submitting Taiwan to domination). Read this.
This scares me. China is a huge power in the world economically, and eliminating this ban will help them climb the ranks militarily.
Well, why not let them come up to snuff with the other major powers, you might ask.
I am loathe to get too detailed with my observations since I am still here, but I'll toss out a few things. The Chinese people are scarily xenophobic. Most peoples have prejudices against other countries. The people here are prejudiced against anyone and anything not full-blooded Chinese. Half Chinese? Not good enough. The region I am in right now is historically not Chinese. They were 'liberated' by Mother China (many [most?] people actually believe that there is no history for this region before it was liberated, by China, in I think 1949! That it didn't exist! This is what their schools are teaching) and now the minorities here are treated like garbage by 'their' govt. The Chinese people that are infusing this place also treat them terribly. Not a surprise based on what their school teach them.
Tibet was 'liberated' and was a terrible place before. Inner Mongolia the same, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and I don't know how many other regions and peoples.
Anything not Chinese is sneered at as inferior, even if physical proof is in hand.
I've heard China describe like this (keep in mind-this description is based on a couple years spent not around or in Beijing or in the east, but primarily in the west): they are everything negative about the US (consumer driven, materialistic, imperialistic, arrogant [I'll get more adjectives later]) exacerbated tremendously. And it's true, I've witnessed it myself.
I think every country is guilty of some history fixing and brainwashing (disguised as 'national pride')(taught to believe that your country is the best in everything and should be admired by all), but the scale on which it is done here and the lack of any access to contradictory information has created a frightening situation. Especially, if China is headed towards being the next great superpower.
People I've talked to who aren't fans of the US and their approach to the world are not shy about wanting me to kick my country in the ass so that it remains on top instead of letting China take that position.
Out here, the govt makes sure that people are allowed no time to have free time. That would allow thinking. Work hours are ridiculous and pay low. Children are in school ALL day and always have a ton of homework. After classes, they 'do' their homework together all night. They are not taught to think. They are not allowed to make decisions (govt, teachers, or parents make decisions for them). This creates quite a dilemma around 20 years old or so when all of a sudden even the simplest need for a decision creates tremendous stress because they don't know how to do this. Suicide and depression, are rampant. You think teasing in US schools is bad? Try being non-Chinese in a Chinese school. Minorities are taught (even in their own schools) that they are inferior, stupid, dirty and worthless and lived horrible existences before China liberated them. This is in their books! Can you imagine reading that? And the older folk know the historical stuff is bunk because they were around.
Ugh. Good thing I wasn't going to say anything. Keep in mind that this is a bit rambling, is not inclulsive of everyone in this country (or abroad), and is not comprehensive.
A govt that has complete control has the power to not let information in or out. That means the people here have no idea what is going on elsewhere in the world, and the rest of the world doesn't really know the truth about here. I'm told that the monitoring system in place in China is the tightest and most comprehensive in the world. Can't let people learn. They might begin to suspect that all is not as they are taught.
This scares me. China is a huge power in the world economically, and eliminating this ban will help them climb the ranks militarily.
Well, why not let them come up to snuff with the other major powers, you might ask.
I am loathe to get too detailed with my observations since I am still here, but I'll toss out a few things. The Chinese people are scarily xenophobic. Most peoples have prejudices against other countries. The people here are prejudiced against anyone and anything not full-blooded Chinese. Half Chinese? Not good enough. The region I am in right now is historically not Chinese. They were 'liberated' by Mother China (many [most?] people actually believe that there is no history for this region before it was liberated, by China, in I think 1949! That it didn't exist! This is what their schools are teaching) and now the minorities here are treated like garbage by 'their' govt. The Chinese people that are infusing this place also treat them terribly. Not a surprise based on what their school teach them.
Tibet was 'liberated' and was a terrible place before. Inner Mongolia the same, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and I don't know how many other regions and peoples.
Anything not Chinese is sneered at as inferior, even if physical proof is in hand.
I've heard China describe like this (keep in mind-this description is based on a couple years spent not around or in Beijing or in the east, but primarily in the west): they are everything negative about the US (consumer driven, materialistic, imperialistic, arrogant [I'll get more adjectives later]) exacerbated tremendously. And it's true, I've witnessed it myself.
I think every country is guilty of some history fixing and brainwashing (disguised as 'national pride')(taught to believe that your country is the best in everything and should be admired by all), but the scale on which it is done here and the lack of any access to contradictory information has created a frightening situation. Especially, if China is headed towards being the next great superpower.
People I've talked to who aren't fans of the US and their approach to the world are not shy about wanting me to kick my country in the ass so that it remains on top instead of letting China take that position.
Out here, the govt makes sure that people are allowed no time to have free time. That would allow thinking. Work hours are ridiculous and pay low. Children are in school ALL day and always have a ton of homework. After classes, they 'do' their homework together all night. They are not taught to think. They are not allowed to make decisions (govt, teachers, or parents make decisions for them). This creates quite a dilemma around 20 years old or so when all of a sudden even the simplest need for a decision creates tremendous stress because they don't know how to do this. Suicide and depression, are rampant. You think teasing in US schools is bad? Try being non-Chinese in a Chinese school. Minorities are taught (even in their own schools) that they are inferior, stupid, dirty and worthless and lived horrible existences before China liberated them. This is in their books! Can you imagine reading that? And the older folk know the historical stuff is bunk because they were around.
Ugh. Good thing I wasn't going to say anything. Keep in mind that this is a bit rambling, is not inclulsive of everyone in this country (or abroad), and is not comprehensive.
A govt that has complete control has the power to not let information in or out. That means the people here have no idea what is going on elsewhere in the world, and the rest of the world doesn't really know the truth about here. I'm told that the monitoring system in place in China is the tightest and most comprehensive in the world. Can't let people learn. They might begin to suspect that all is not as they are taught.
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