Comments on: Is the West impossible to please?

By: What Do We Want From China? « Eric Gonzalez

What Do We Want From China? « Eric Gonzalez — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:45:17 +0000

[...] and there is an increasing perception in China that the west is impossible to please. In reading this post by blogger Elliott Ng and commenter CninDC at CN reviews, I’ve begun to understand this lack [...]

By: Paul Denlinger

Paul Denlinger — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:34:17 +0000

It’s unfortunate that the most ignorant on both sides seem to be the loudest, and it’s going to take time for these views to change.

In the western media, this is going to change when people who have actually lived in another country, and speak a foreign language, sit at editors’ desks. It’s an unfortunate fact that those who know less have the bigger megaphones.

In China, it’s the reverse. Those who sit at editors’ desks most frequently do speak a foreign language and may even have lived in a foreign country. But what they can say is limited because of their government affiliations. This accounts for the rise of the fenqing, who think that the Chinese government-controlled media does not push back enough against some of the wilder statements of the western media.

The more measured and nuanced voices of those who have actually lived in China generally have a hard time getting heard, but blogging is a very valuable tool. The situation is gradually improving.

By: CnInDC

CnInDC — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:48:20 +0000

Well, different opinions surely exist in the “west” but there’s no doubt that the general tendency is quite negative towards China. We don’t need to rely on the poll numbers to know this. Just a few personal encounters:

1. Several years ago I was walking on the main street of a plain looking town in the middle of the New Mexico desert. A perfectly friendly guy who if labeled should be a “redneck” came over and said hello, then asked, “Are you from China?” then went on telling me “There’s going to be a war between US and China and we are gonna win it” because “China is still communist, isn’t it?”

2. All the “Free Tibet” labels we see attached to the young and trendy generation.

3. China bashing on all public channels, quite popular and safe these days, and apparently generated a lot of concerns. My colleagues asked me if my parents and relatives are safe back home.

By: Meg Stivison

Meg Stivison — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:38:00 +0000

The idea of “the west” as a cohesive group seems to be the reason why “they” are impossible to please. Lumping so many people, with so many different values, religions, nationalities, priorities, etc., into one group has to make that group impossible to please.

By: Paul Denlinger

Paul Denlinger — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:39:17 +0000

There is a very good Chinese saying: 一山不容二虎 or “one mountain cannot have two tigers”. Of course, western critics of China cannot come out and say that: it would unmask them as hypocrites who want to completely dominate the world without any opposing views, or challenges to their domination.

That’s why all the criticism.

However, there is a great deal of validity to their criticism, especially re development, environment, etc.

The mature way for the Chinese to look at the criticism is to look at the criticism, but ignore the critics. So far, the Chinese have fallen into the trap of taking the criticism way too personally. The Chinese don’t have a tradition of separating the message from the messenger; now is the time to learn that skill.

The criticisms should stand or fall on their own merits, and the Chinese should act accordingly. That is the best and smartest way to deal with the western critics.

By: CnInDC

CnInDC — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:08:57 +0000

I know there’re times that Chinese people sounds way too defensive. If someone criticized China one could immediately jump on countering with the examples of the similar things had happened in the US or elsewhere in the world. But look at this differently, deep down the message is not that China is always correct, but China is not that DIFFERENT. Why is this message important? Because the majority of the western opinions are focused on how China is so different, communist, depressive, 1984 orwellian, etc etc, while we see us as fairly normal country, with a little bit specialties here and there, but dare you would be the same if put in the similar situation.

Many China observers take great pain to depict the bizarre differences, and seldom take time to digest the similarities and the contexts. That’s where the communications break.

By: Kai Pan

Kai Pan — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:10:30 +0000

Ugh..the fallacies are overwhelming…