Comments on: Which Half of the Sky?

By: Lindel

Lindel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:19:26 +0000

I have been thinking about the 200M internet users in China. That means there are 1.1B without internet access. So for every one netizen there are 6 or 7 non-netizens.

I suspect most of the people partipating in the protests are predominatly among the 200m netizens and they are also the ones who have benefited the most from the open door policy and all the economic development.

Also I bet most of the people stressed out and doing all the hard work to get Beijing ready for the olympics are among the 1.1B non-netizens.

I suspect one problem with the current “nationalism” wave and the protests in front of those french grocery stores is that the 1.1B disenfranchised non-inetizens are already resentful of those 200m doing all the protests.

For every netizen 20 something with nice clothes, a computer, a cell phone, no job, but nice allowance from their wealthy parents in the street protesting there are 6 or 7 others trying to get past them to go to their crappy job to buy their daily bowl of rice, dumplings or noodles.

The government is concerned that those 1.1B might decide they have some issues they would like to protest also and might ask “What right do those spoiled netizen’s have to complain?”

If it is okay for the netizens to go into the street to complain about CNN, then maybe the non-netizen should be allowed to complain about not getting paid last week by the goon or thug they work for.

By: dwain

dwain — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:17:59 +0000

I suppose none need look back to 1894, nor Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin in Paris re-founding the Olympic Games? Nor to his statement : “The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.”
How is xenophobia fighting well…on either side?

By: Lindel

Lindel — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:45:39 +0000

No mention of the US of A. I wonder if the behavior of the european tourists in China is a contributing factor? I am not an old china hand, but have been 3 times, once in 2002, and twice in 2006. Could not help but notice that there was a little bit of a putting on airs amongst the european tourists towards the chinese. With the exchange rate and the numerous service oriented chinese and all the 5 star hotels it is rather easy for paupers like myself to get confused into thinking your royalty when vacationing in China. Noticed a tendency amongst europeans to do this. Most americans tend to behave like everyone is in the same middle class and have a natural aversion to acting upper crust.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:14:46 +0000

Thanks to Harper who is not going to the openning ceremony as Canadian tradition dictates, Canada have this low rating. And French is one of the official languages of Canada, with one third of French speaking population, the association with France gave Canada much more complexity and richness of culture. Montreal is way to “English”. Try Quebec City, where the English and French armies dueled.

By: jg

jg — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:06:45 +0000

Thanks, Matthew, the link was broken, and it was the China Daily. Tks for pointing it out.

By: Matthew Stinson

Matthew Stinson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:15:21 +0000

I’m guessing Canada is France-by-association thanks to Montreal. Check the link to the poll, though, it seems to be broken.