Job Discussion Forums

[rickinbeijing]

In the spirit of the astonishing passage of a law to invade Taiwan in the event of a secession attempt, permit me to enumerate the 10 No-No's of classroom discussion on the mainland:

1. No discussion of Taiwan unless you hold to the Party Line; even the hint of a suggestion that there may be an alternative perspective even for the sake of debate is verboten. As a corollary: no admission of any good works on the part of the Guomindang either in the past or present.)

2. No discussion of Falun Gong (unless you hold to the Party Line that it is a nefarious cult bent on destroying Chinese civilization as we know it OR you are a survivor bearing witness to its horrors and praising your government rehabilitation)

3. No discussion of Tibet (shouldn't even say the word but refer to it as Xi Zang unless you focus on the economic progress of the region and the tyranny of past Dali Lamas)

4. No discussion of Japanese government efforts to voice its war guilt or otherwise rehabilitate itself in the searing eyes of the Chinese public (unless mentioned in passing after giving a long litany of offenses committed during the War of Resistance.)

5. No discussion of the virtues of capitalism (at least not by repeated use of that very word: you may say market economy, socialism with Chinese characteristics, opening and reform policy and Market-Leninism but do not gloat about capitalism even though Chinese merchants practice it in a cutthroat manner.)

6. No discussion of Jesus as the Savior of Mankind (Western religion should only be referred to in a historical context, pointing out its many shortcomings and hypocrisies, of course, and as a matter of comparison to Eastern religions in the most philosophical degree or certain holiday rituals but never by way of proselytizing).

7. No discussion of sex in its carnal manifestation (except as a matter of biological necessity and in accordance with the one-child policy or for the purpose of moral example to combat HIV and other diseases) unless deviously devised as part of a talk on sin in Hawthorne or tomfoolery in Shakespeare--certainly not in praise of Henry Miller or D.H. Lawrence.)

8. No discussion of the present American government especially with direct reference to one G.W. Bush (unless in purely negative tones with tediously negative examples of his ineptness, arrogance, and maliciousness and always accompanied by profuse mention of the word 'hegemony'.)

9. No discussion or even hint of dismay over the current or past CCP leadership (especially by naming names, except in the case of Li Peng, on whom it remains open season). One may indict provincial leaders and impugn the motives of nameless government officials but the Standing Committee (which usually sits with a collective grimace) is sancrosanct.

10. No discussion of Henry Kissinger's diplomatic shortcomings. Henry is still the closest thing to God in China other than Mao.

Please feel free to add to this short list.

Note: Of course there are exceptions to every rule (and you may have more leeway in college than middle school classrooms, to be sure) and some of you may have a peculiarly enlightened or massively indifferent administration that allows you discussion of these topics.
_____________

"What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?"
-Harry Truman

[Madmaxola]

Three cheers for the happy appeasement of the darkening of human thought!

hip hip
HOORAY!
hip hip
HOORAY
hip hip
HOORAY!

[7969]

i've actually given a few of these a go, but not in class. when talking with students privately, i've discussed taiwan. having lived there for six months, and having read a few good political histories of the island (obejctively written ones), i'm well-armed for the political rhetoric i might get from the chinese people. it seems that quite a few chinese could care less if taiwan ever became part of china again, at least given what i've heard in my small circle of friends. about the kuomintang, they're taiwanese, and if taiwan is part of china, and the KMT is part of china, how can they possibly be bad? in fact, the KMT is the party that the chinese government would prefer to deal with on cross straits issues, many of their legislators still are pro unification. unfortunately for them, President Chen doesnt see things that way.

[ChinaMovieMagic]

Funny--incisive
My nomination for R.I.B. as official/protected Court-Jester
As a preventive tool against dangerous GroupThink
==============================================
BUT...on-the-other-brain...

SHADOW exposed to the light...ready or not!!!
Rip off the sensitive psycho-cultural scabs!!!

To get a sense of Shadow-empathy, from my-USA's past/present history..
IMAGINE you're a school teacher in Mississippi...
Early 1960s...and you're from Scandinavia...seeking to promote discussion......about Civil Rights of Blacks...
===============================================

RE: "hegemony"...the word is "ba quan zhuyi"
The word is well-known in Chinese, Spanish, French...but not in USEnglish...among thinkers, however, the concept/experience is well-discussed...

Balance of Power or Benign Hegemony
... Scholars in the field of political science start to believe that the USA uses the
notion of benign hegemony in order to justify their expansionist goals ...
home.aubg.bg/students/SIG020/ - 22k - Cached - Similar pages

USA in Decline
... At that point 'benign hegemony' turns into a highly aggressive effort, fuelled by those ... In the USA, the communist threat during the cold war was deployed for ...
www.globalcomplexity.org/USA%20in%20Decline.htm - 19k - Cached - Similar pages

Hate of the USA?
... During the 1950s and 1960s, the USA, not unexpectedly, was content to
exercise a benign form of hegemony. It was on the way up. ...
www.globalcomplexity.org/Hate%20of%20the%20USA.htm - 15k - Cached - Similar pages

Asia Times Online Community and News Discussion - FASCISM emerging ...... A benign hegemon or hubristic hegemonstill seeks to keep other nations subservient to it. Go to Top of Page. ...
forum.atimes.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=325 - 86k - Cached - Similar pages

World Economic Forum Knowledge Navigator - Update 2005: US ...
... is a benign hegemon and can this stance be maintained?" Barney Frank, Congressman from Massachusetts (Democrat), USA, responded that American hegemony ...
www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/ Content/_S13533?open&event_id= - 40k - Cached - Similar pages

CFR Publications: New World Order: Not Only One Will Win
... America's benign hegemony is no longer so benign. ... an era of geopolitical transformation,not one of continued US hegemony. ... www.cfr.org/pub6005/charles_a_kupchan/ new_world_order_not_only_one_will_win.php - 41k - Cached - Similar pages

Global Learning Outreach - News
... WAR & PEACE : Embracing Empire USA: how some conservatives see the New World Order. ..."I think that people who talk about 'benign hegemony' and 'accepting an ...
www.glo.org/article599.html - 25k - Cached - Similar pages


===============================================
RE: Kissinger...maybe--after he's dead--he'll be on the walls of the schools...along w/the current Stalin-in-the-mustache...
...key point for China, w/Kissinger and Nixon...
...the focus is "He was good for the Chinese people/economy/nation"

In English Corners I talk about these 10 issues...with discretion...but no less effectively...
Key elements which I emphasize...are the differences between:
*being "a good citizen"...and..."a good consumer"
*culture being seen as part of the economy...and...the economy being seen as part of the culture
*national interest...and...corporate interest
*sustainable society/culture/economy...and...ecocidal corporatism

[rickinbeijing]

MOVIE-TRAGIC,

WHY GO OFF ON SOME ANTI-AMERICAN TANGENT HERE? PLEASE TRY TO FOCUS ON THE TOPIC AT HAND. FOCUS. FOCUS. THERE YOU GO.

[ChinaMovieMagic]

R.I.B.
RE: WHY GO OFF ON SOME ANTI-AMERICAN TANGENT HERE?

It sounds like one of your TABOO Topics...

As you wrote:

8. No discussion of the present American government

For a teacher to effectively introduce/promote
intelligent dialogue/discussion in the Chinese classroom
it's quite useful to have an AWARENES of the others' perspectives
rather than practicing
Mang.........ren.........mo................xiang
Blind.......people.....touch............elephant

Zuo.....jing......guan....tian
Sit....in the well..see...sky
That is, tunnel vision....

In your original OP, you wrote:
"In the spirit of the astonishing passage of a law to invade Taiwan in the event of a secession attempt, permit me to enumerate the 10 No-No's of classroom discussion on the mainland:"

Anyone in touch w/the China Mainland perspectives/developments could not possibly be astonished by such a law...nor by an invasion, as I'm told, in 2006.

Back in history, over 50 years ago, as rabid anti-Communist US Gen. approached the China border w/the "UN Army" in Korea, pulling on the Truman/constitutional leash, "Let me at the Godless-Socialist-Commies..."China diplomatically warned: "Don't come near the Yalu River Chinese border w/Korea." Wild-dog Mac did...and China's "volunteer defense" soldiers crossed over to confront the "UN soldiers."

US intelligence/diplomatic sources were ASTONISHED.
As with 9/11...as with fall of Berlin Wall/USSR...ASTONISHED
More appropriate adjectives: "Deaf...Dumb...Blind..."

Just for an interesting research, search on Google News stories:
>>Taiwan "island nation"...<<

US newspapers often report----to historically-illiterate US laubaixin----that Taiwan is an "island nation"...just as Singapore. Certainly the US reporters/Editors cannot be ignorant of the reality, can they?

China's govt. is lousy at PR. I've suggested to folks that China should have an international conference on Lincoln and the anti-secession War against the Confederacy...NOTE that States within the "United States" have much more independence than Provinces w/in China.

Fundamentally, R.I.B., the dynamic I sense...
is that it seems you,
as a non-Chinese apparently unaware/unconcerned
regarding Chinese perspectives/sensitivities/neuroses/SHADOWS
you want to forcibly/unsubtly open their minds...
while yours remains closed...
...either consciously or unconsciously...

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

What's the reaction towards Taiwan?

Do students pull out the knives they've been sharpening since they were in kindergarten?

[rickinbeijing]

Movie,

I was about to settle for the eloquent retort of a fellow American, John Travolta, in Welcome Back, Kotter, which is as follows: "Up your nose with a rubber hose."

But then I thought better of it. Such a response would merely have confirmed your already myopic sense of who I am and what I'm about. By the way, from whence do you hail, oh American basher? Please, do tell. It's only fair that I see behind the chink in your cardboard armor.

For someone with such a sophisticated mindset I am surprised that you did note the sarcastic intent of the word "astonishing." My, my, but you are a literal one, aren't you?

First off, most of the so-called volunteers for the PLA were pressed into service. I've met a couple of them myself at the famous English Corner at Ren Da. But then you knew that, right? On the other hand, American forces did work in concert with Australian forces, and those of other nations in the Korean War. So I certainly hope you are not so cavalier as to dismiss the sacrifices of the other U.N. soldiers who fought and died there? As for MacArthur, indeed he was something of a loose cannon in that war but perhaps if his counsel had been heeded China wouldn't have needed an opening and reform policy, eh? But then Truman would have none of it, proving that he was more prudent, being very aware of the Soviet alliance still in effect at the time.

Now, secondly, do you really believe that the PRC Navy is ready and able to mount an amphibious assault on Taiwan at this juncture--or in two years? They can hardly organize themselves out of a rice bowl much less out-fox American naval technology with Soviet-era technology. But as an amateur military historian, I'm sure you know this as well.

Thirdly, you seem to be rather down on the CIA forecasts. Actually, both the CIA and NSA briefed the Reagan White House during his first term that a Soviet economic collapse was likely if not imminent. True, no one (that would include the apparatus of other Western intelligence agencies) predicted it to happen so soon and suddenly but then what does this have to do with the price of tea in China?

As for the ignorance of the American public on matters of foreign policy and geography, well, I'll leave you to your prejudices and stereotypes. Just remember that the vast majority of the world's top universities are in the land of the red, white, and blue. Ruminate on that for awhile. As for our journalists, they come in all stripes.

The Chinese government is lousy at PR because it has the authoritarian position to do so. Ultimately it doesn't care what you or I think or it would have relaxed its iron grip on the state media years ago.

My post was not intended to open any Chinese minds. Most Chinese college students already know these ten dictums regardless. My post was and is merely intended to caution zealots like you who wish to ignore the Prime Directive and carry on your crusade for a more sensitive China. It's not their minds that I hope or need to open but yours.

I do believe you are the (rusted) pot calling the kettle black once again.

I conduct qualitative research in China and have for years. I'm now in the process of writing up this data in a book. Undoubtedly, it will have flaws as I am at best an insider-outsider. But assuredly I am not the unconcerned rowdy cowboy you caricature me as.

Now spare us your pseudo-Freudian insights and run along and disrupt someone else's thread or else this elephant may sit on you, (metaphorically, of course). But then you knew that.

[ChinaMovieMagic]

RE: Reaction to Taiwan...

NOTE...that China's TV shows many shows from Taiwan...including comedy Quiz shows...

YES...many folks here state at English Corner etc.:
"We Chinese hate Japan/Japanese..."

BUT...w/subtle inquiry, they often real-ize/dis-cover
that a more correct explanation of their feelings is:
"We hate the Japanese govt. for...
*Nanjing
*not changing the lies/whitewash in the Japanese history books (can you offer INFO on Japan's history books regarding War Crimes against China?)
*strategically supporting Taiwan's Japan-friendly "independence movement" as a means of keeping China on the defensive
*etc.

I haven't sensed a 'demonization" of folks-in-Taiwan...

It's also said the China will have 20 million folks immigrate across to Taiwan after the 2006 re-unification...

[dearbarbie]

[gmat]

Do not ask: which leader caused the most misery to humanity in the 20th Century?
a. Hitler,
b. Stalin, or
c. Mao.

This will not go over well.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

Taiwan

[ChinaMovieMagic]

R.I.B. Sincerely...I'd appreciate INFO on F.A.C....answers to the questions I asked. I'm don't see myself as an "America-basher." I see USAmericans as being bashed by THE SYSTEM...just as the 90% of the planet's population...as well as the eco-systems.

A key principle for me is:
COMFORT the AFFLICTED
AFFLICT the COMFORTABLE

Here-in-China, I see my role as a Comforter/Healer/Cultivator/Awakener.
Are you aware of the classic Proverb:
Ba.................miao....zhu.....zhang
Pull upward....shoot...help....grow

"Help grow"... as in...WTO...Russian democracy...US invasion of Iraq...
==============================================
China has a long-standing official Foreign Policy:
"All countries should seek the point
where their common interests converge
expand mutually beneficial cooperation
and work together
to take up the challenge facing mankind
for survival and development."

This is in harmony with the UN General Assembly...but NOT with the policy/practices of US or other powers-that-be. Yes, it can be easily said: "Words only. Show me the actions." The same critique has been made against US preached principles...of democracy etc." My strategy is ENGAGEMENT...promoting evolution...rather than demonism, promoting reaction by "the Other."
==============================================
RE: PRC and PR. I just came across this speech by Premier Wen Jiabao at the CFR.


Next I will start reading the text of my speech, but before I do that, I remembered something else. Today President Bush took me on the tour of the White House. He knew that I have a great deal of respect for President Lincoln, so he specially took me to the office which used to be the office of President Lincoln, and he showed me the Gettysburg Address -- actually, the personal handwriting of the fifth -- the fifth manuscript of the Gettysburg Address, which was really a wonderful speech, because without the principle that the Union is perpetual, established by President Lincoln, probably America would not develop to the country of today. I think you know this history very well.

In fact, the Gettysburg Address is very short. So I feel that in comparison, my speech is very long. (Laughter.)

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

dont talk tabout Taiwan!

[ChinaMovieMagic]

RE: Japan...and promoting Critical Thinking...beyond the-frog-in-the well

In English Corners etc. I typically say...
"Well...the current US powers-that-be are happy to see
tensions between China and Japan...
and between Mainaland and Taiwan...
they operate according to Machiavelli: "Divide and Conquer...
The Japanese youth are different from the older generations. International polls asked young adult men:
"Would you fight (or was it "die"...or "kill"?) for your country?"
...the country that scored LOWEST was Japan.
And the country that scored HIGHEST...was USA.)
(BUT...see http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/mar2005/mili-m12.shtml
Opposition to Iraq war hitting US military recruitmentBlack and female enlistment down sharply)

We're in this together...living on a fragile planet, as JFK said in his anti-"PaxAmericana" speech at American University...featured at the beginning of Stone's movie 'JFK"...as well as warnings by Eisenhower about the US "military-industrial complex" destroying the democratic and even spiritual foundations of the US. That's NOT "America-bashing."

R.I.B....I'm originally from Boston MA. area...Quincy, revolutionary city of Presidents...where auto bumper-stickers have said:
"Quincy: From Adams to Atoms"...nuclear-powered submarines were(are?) produced there for military-industrial Raytheon.