必先若其心志，勞其筋骨，
餓其體膚，空乏，其身，
所以動心忍性，
以增益其所不能。」
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
「醜陋的中國人」
今天我們最後一堂課時，一位波蘭的學生提出一個奇怪的現象。她說別的民族會害外地來的人民，但中國人或台灣人反而最愛害自己人。然兒舉了例子，她說她的朋友具有台灣人的臉，但在美國出生的。那位女生去面談時被拒絕，因她看起來向台灣人。那家補習班反而請了一位不會說英文的歐洲人當因問老師。
這個變態的形態怎麼回事呢？
我最近讀了柏先楊的演講在美國愛荷華大學叫「醜陋的中國人」：
「有許多朋友同我所：如果頂頭上司是中國人時，你可要特別注意，特別小心，他不但不會提升你，裁員時還會先開除你，因為他要表示他大公無私，所以我們怎麼能跟猶太人比？」
華人最可能互相被判，最大的敵人也就是別的華人。
為何華人之間有那麼多仇恨？
那華人能依靠誰呢？不能依靠以養民族的民眾，也不能依靠外地來值得人民。那只能依賴自己了。
這個變態的形態怎麼回事呢？
我最近讀了柏先楊的演講在美國愛荷華大學叫「醜陋的中國人」：
「有許多朋友同我所：如果頂頭上司是中國人時，你可要特別注意，特別小心，他不但不會提升你，裁員時還會先開除你，因為他要表示他大公無私，所以我們怎麼能跟猶太人比？」
華人最可能互相被判，最大的敵人也就是別的華人。
為何華人之間有那麼多仇恨？
那華人能依靠誰呢？不能依靠以養民族的民眾，也不能依靠外地來值得人民。那只能依賴自己了。
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Amerika
So after a year or so of hearing from various sources about America's lack of healthcare, religious fundamentalism, rampant racism, poor educational system, hypocritical Neo-cons in positions of power (e.g., Larry Craig scandal), authorized torture in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, Patriot Act, illegal NSA wire-tapping, racial profiling, pork-barreling, Sarah Palin, "Dubya," declining economic superiority, etc. my N. Irish friend, Conor S., naturally asked the question: "Why would anyone want to live in America?"
At the time we were discussing America's lack of universal healthcare, so I just answered that there are other things in life that matter besides healthcare . . . but I was swimming earlier and so I had some time to think about it.
1. The Lotto Theory
I liken it to why so many people buy lottery tickets day after day, even after a lifetime of not winning. Even though statistically it is more likely for them to be struck by lightning, they still continue to spend their money on a dream that doesn't come to fruition because of that minuscule chance that they may strike it rich. I think people abroad buy into this American dream. They think that they have the best opportunity to become a wealthy baron in the US of A. These people might not even be that naive and know how corrupt the system is--that odds are stacked against them since the rich, white Republicans are in a tight-knit, incestual circle and without the networking relationships, despite your talents and skills, you'd be hard-pressed to rise above the middle-class threshold. Still, blind hope drives them.
American society has long been famous for its social mobility. Unlike India, there is no caste-based society and its not your background or race that counts but your bank account figure-in other words, money talks. Well, that's what they say anyways. I like how the indie movie, "Igby Goes Down," addresses this in a humorous way. By painting Upper East Side folk as soulless and bankrupt of human emotion.
2. Hollywood/Media
American TV and movies are what kids around the world grow up on. Hollywood really sells America. Just take a look at movies like "Die Hard 4.0" or "Rambo." The tough American hero saves the day by killing the enemies and bringing American-style democracy to the world. I don't even think it's really a conscious decision. It's only natural that American Hollywood execs and the like would want to paint their homeland in an idyllic manner. After all they do live in the US, so they also want to buy into the notion that America is one-of-a-kind, special, and better than any other place in the world.
Just take a look at Fox News. Despite widespread allegations of inaccuracy and bias, it is still the most watched news station in the nation. Precisely because it ignores its own tag-line of being "Fair and Balanced," instead they give the people what they want. People don't want the truth, they want to be deluded and told that they are living in the no. 1 country in the world and that the only problems affecting America are coming from outside the country. Fox News viewers like to live in a simplistic black-and-white world, where there is an easy to identify enemy, Muslims. And the neocons even explain away critics by painting liberals as treasonous, "anti-American" traitors that may or may not be sympathetic to terrorists.
Of course there are other factors that may contribute to people seeking American residence. For instance, a cleaner environment . . . that is unless you live near a pig farm: Rolling Stone article.
People also look to America as a paragon for civil liberties . . . that is unless you care about the environment, animal rights, or in general social activism: NY Times article.
Author's note: Don't get me wrong. America has its faults but all countries do. I write this mostly because I fear America is sliding into another McCarthy era. Nazism started in Germany when the economy was in shambles and a charismatic leader appealed to the mob, namely people's base emotions (i.e., fear and hatred of minorities). Fascism doesn't develop overnight; an entire nation must be lulled into accepting these policies and essentially demand for them to be implemented.
At the time we were discussing America's lack of universal healthcare, so I just answered that there are other things in life that matter besides healthcare . . . but I was swimming earlier and so I had some time to think about it.
1. The Lotto Theory
I liken it to why so many people buy lottery tickets day after day, even after a lifetime of not winning. Even though statistically it is more likely for them to be struck by lightning, they still continue to spend their money on a dream that doesn't come to fruition because of that minuscule chance that they may strike it rich. I think people abroad buy into this American dream. They think that they have the best opportunity to become a wealthy baron in the US of A. These people might not even be that naive and know how corrupt the system is--that odds are stacked against them since the rich, white Republicans are in a tight-knit, incestual circle and without the networking relationships, despite your talents and skills, you'd be hard-pressed to rise above the middle-class threshold. Still, blind hope drives them.
American society has long been famous for its social mobility. Unlike India, there is no caste-based society and its not your background or race that counts but your bank account figure-in other words, money talks. Well, that's what they say anyways. I like how the indie movie, "Igby Goes Down," addresses this in a humorous way. By painting Upper East Side folk as soulless and bankrupt of human emotion.
2. Hollywood/Media
American TV and movies are what kids around the world grow up on. Hollywood really sells America. Just take a look at movies like "Die Hard 4.0" or "Rambo." The tough American hero saves the day by killing the enemies and bringing American-style democracy to the world. I don't even think it's really a conscious decision. It's only natural that American Hollywood execs and the like would want to paint their homeland in an idyllic manner. After all they do live in the US, so they also want to buy into the notion that America is one-of-a-kind, special, and better than any other place in the world.
Just take a look at Fox News. Despite widespread allegations of inaccuracy and bias, it is still the most watched news station in the nation. Precisely because it ignores its own tag-line of being "Fair and Balanced," instead they give the people what they want. People don't want the truth, they want to be deluded and told that they are living in the no. 1 country in the world and that the only problems affecting America are coming from outside the country. Fox News viewers like to live in a simplistic black-and-white world, where there is an easy to identify enemy, Muslims. And the neocons even explain away critics by painting liberals as treasonous, "anti-American" traitors that may or may not be sympathetic to terrorists.
Of course there are other factors that may contribute to people seeking American residence. For instance, a cleaner environment . . . that is unless you live near a pig farm: Rolling Stone article.
People also look to America as a paragon for civil liberties . . . that is unless you care about the environment, animal rights, or in general social activism: NY Times article.
Author's note: Don't get me wrong. America has its faults but all countries do. I write this mostly because I fear America is sliding into another McCarthy era. Nazism started in Germany when the economy was in shambles and a charismatic leader appealed to the mob, namely people's base emotions (i.e., fear and hatred of minorities). Fascism doesn't develop overnight; an entire nation must be lulled into accepting these policies and essentially demand for them to be implemented.
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