American Crass
By James L. Secor
22 May,
2008
Countercurrents.org
It was pretty low for Americans to thwart the Chinese hosting of the Olympics on the grossest of hypocrisies, though the French took the inhumanity even lower when they attacked a young girl in a wheelchair. Perhaps the weakness of their position is shown by their losing the battle: she retained the torch.
What were the French rabble going to do with it? Anything they might do would be a desecration of the Olympic Games in toto. National embarrassment was short-lived, as was French thinking. But mob rule is like that.
Further embarrassment and hypocrisy came via the Tibet riots. Was the Dalai Lama involved? Well. . .he did nothing to stop it till after the Chinese government intervention and the situation was all but over. But we cannot forget that the Dalai Lama was on the CIA payroll in the 1950's, working to destabilize a peaceful co-existence, for he and his followers lived without inconvenience under Mao's "take-over" until 1959, at which time all the Dalai Lama's shenanigans blew up in his face, resulting in severe consequences for his people. He ran away, with the help of the CIA. Coupled with the Dalai Lama's subversion was the CIA's supplying of arms and munitions to Indian, Kashmiri and Nepalese border guerrillas, as well as insurgent Tibetans, in order to foment disaster for China.
The Dalai Lama has shown himself in other situations not to be a "committed Buddhist"; that is, he doesn't stand up against and shout out about injustice and inhumanity and he won't name names, as so many other non-Buddhists will. He's not a very good Buddhist, then, as he doesn't follow the proscriptions against violence, doing or supporting (fomenting).
The Tibet affair was politically motivated and associated with the Olympics. It generated, along with a few thoughtful and historical articles, a mass, a surge of China-bashing articles. I heartily enjoy those who know nothing about China, her people, her history or her politics ranting and raving about what's wrong with China and her people. I enjoy the self-righteous flaunting of their ignorance. . .at the same time it frustrates the hell out of me.
Of course, what's worse is that so very many people believe this blarney.
But the
height of crassness spewed forth from the lips of none other than
Naomi Klein. If you missed her "Regime Quakes in Burma and China"
you can find it at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080602/klein
and
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/16/8988/
-- but be prepared with a barf bag. Basically, as with the Dalai Lama
and New Orleans, Klein's judgment for the massive destruction and
loss of life--now at 50,000 and counting--was that it was their fault.
A few days before her bilious disgorgement, there was another article
on the sad condition of Chinese housing construction by some writer
based in the country of Shanghai and maintaining the same position:
it's their fault. Klein is a better writer, for all her lack of knowledge.
The housing construction isn't the problem; "acts of god"
are, the kinds of things insurance companies don't insure us for/against
and for which all the best works of humankind are as naught.
Let us begin with: neither writer has been in or near an earthquake. Ever. And their history is decidedly slim, to be kind. If they had, they'd know their writing was nonsense.
And. . .neither live in the country or, more than likely, ever has. Both are middle class or above and have never known any life anywhere near subsistence or in sub-gated-community housing, a common sight the world over. That is, both are privileged. Things are different in the country, where the up-to-date and modern are late additions. Worse: Klein is judging using American standards and practices of the upper classes. Klein has no idea how the great majority in China live. Klein's knowledge of mountain living is surely restricted to vacation spots. That is, she speaks from ignorance concerning mountain-country conditions. A true American! Speaking from ignorance is our forte.
I suggest Klein dirty her white hands and split her manicured nails and stain and tear her haute couture clothing and suffer through no make-up before she casts aspersions on a government for conditions in the mountains and on the farm. Just for a day, honey. No need to put yourself out. Walking around in the mountains in heels is not practical. If Klein had risen from the working class or the poor, she'd have known better. But she's just disaffected upper middle class--minimally.
How close did Klein get to the quake area? Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Wow. Within spitting distance of Hong Kong, a real backwater.
So here
it is, folks: this quake occurred on a fault-line right where the
upsurge of mountains meets the plains. This mountain fasthold is sparsely
populated, so the loss of life and destruction are much reduced from
that a city-centered earthquake would produce. . . as with Tangshan
in 1976 (a quarter of a million dead) or the Great Lisbon Earthquake
(100,000 dead) or Tokyo 1923 (100,000). This area of the country,
this kind of area in any country, is less developed than the cities,
than the industrial centres. This kind of country is poorer and agricultural-
or subsistence-based. It is ever that way. That it is, is a failing
of society, of civilization that only part of the country benefits
from economic and technological improvement.
Still, Klein says it's the people's fault because the Chinese don't
know how to build houses and roads. When earthquakes hit America,
roads and bridges are not affected, right? Tall buildings remain standing,
right? Everything is great and wonderful in America, right? Perhaps
San Francisco's most recent earthquake is ancient history and, therefore,
in accessible to Klein's keen mind.
Klein uses one moaning, grief-stricken woman's lament over tall buildings falling down and crushing lower storied housing. What this woman is moaning about is the children crushed beneath toppled school buildings--maybe even her own. She can't tell at nature, so she picks on the next authority down: the governors, the caretakers of the country. But this one woman's cry of despair is used as the basis for an attack on China, as if the building construction business were to blame.
Yes. This grief-stricken woman blames the construction--she's got to blame someone, something for her loss. Even in America, people rail above the government not taking care of its own, as if everything comes from the top down. In China, top-down government is de rigueur, having been around for about 5,000 years.
Yes. This woman has a right to call out and curse the government, for it is, in any country, the government's responsibility to take care of its own. But her complaint is not a symptom of the failure of the Chinese government or the construction industry. Klein has forgotten all about humanity here, all about human nature in her need to bash China.
That the low-storied buildings didn't collapse is odd because long ago the Japanese discovered that taller buildings fare better in earthquakes as they are more flexible. But, then, in 1995 all of their know-how tumbled down around their feet with the destruction of Kobe. The government regrouped and rethought their thinking.
In China, according to Klein, it's corruption that caused so very much devastation and loss of life. As if there's no corruption anywhere else. As if in America, government is clean and responsible. Yes? In fact, housing construction the country is superior to the houses and hutongs in the cities, if for no other reason that the houses are single dwellings. Tall buildings--3+ stories--are for schools, mostly. But, in reality, it is of little moment: if the ground opens up beneath any building, it will come crashing down. Even Klien's superior up-scale Western technologically advanced home and office building.
I might-could understand Klein's misguided imagination except that she doesn't write fiction--but for this particular article. It's make-believe. Klein needs to read a little deeper in history than a US civics textbook or world history book or propaganda- and paranoid-of-communism-inspired popular books allow. Knowledge is a wonderful thing.
On 15 May,
when Klein's panegyric was published, images were just beginning to
come out of the affected area. . .but no one was able to get into
the worst hit towns to help: the roads and bridges were destroyed.
That's the Chinese government's, the construction industry's problem/fault?
Puh-leeeze, Naomi! Earthquakes don't give a damn about mankind or
woman kind or whatever it is we manage to make. If a road's taken
out or a bridge is taken down, how are you supposed to traverse the
area? You want poor construction, go to Michigan. All man-made disaster.
When she wrote her story, there was precious little coming out of
the area. How could she know these things she alludes to as if they
were facts irrefutable?
Did the Olympic torch continue to run? Yes. I was there, at the foot of Shaoxing's Lang Qiao getting caught up in the fervor of China's long coming out party. And then the torch's run was stopped, on Sunday. But you know, all life must not come to an end when Mother Nature strikes a small area and people are killed, much less when humans create disaster. Why are Americans living high off the hog and buying this or that convenience and furiously seeking after sensual release, sensual relief when millions have died because of its government's behavior? Why is Klein globe-trotting in first class seating on airlines most people in the world cannot afford to ride in in an economy seat while so many millions are dying at the hands of her government? Her life should stop? The rest of China's life should stop?
China is mourning. China is mourning more than America mourned New Orleans. China began, on Monday, 19 May, her mourning, when the true toll of nature's might was becoming fully known: every day for three days at 2:28 PM for three minutes the country--the country, Ms Klein--comes to a standstill in remembrance of the dead. Or, as my students said, they all pray for the dead, the not yet found and the living. Sirens of all sorts and horns blare. Flags are flown at half-mast across the country, even at some foreign embassies. All recreational activity has stopped. Even CCTV-5, the national sports channel, is not broadcasting spots or games. Local TV stations, too, have desisted in their usual programming. Everywhere, every day there is only earthquake-related reporting. And the Olympic torch is not running. The coming-out party has been put on hold.
In Chinese tradition, the first three days of mourning are very important; the seventh is the most important. What will happen on the 26th?
But Klein, before humanitarian aid can reach the stricken region, is ready to spew forth crass China-damning rhetoric. What a fine example of humanity she is. What has she given to help in this situation, I wonder. . .
Did the
US government hop-to and do for the victims of a hurricane in New
Orleans? A natural catastrophe not nearly so destructive as an earthquake
and definitely not so sudden a surprise.
No. And, in reality, it still hasn't.
Further. . .the fascist, racist police aggravated the situation, even shooting people. Not only did the police refuse to let people out, they refused to let humanitarian aid in. And then George Bush, the man elected to be responsible for the American people, refused international humanitarian aid. The only difference between Bush's civil and Burma's military junta is that the latter acquiesced.
Did US governmental officials show up on the ground in New Orleans?
No--but Bush flew over in a helicopter. And then did. . .nothing. Wen Jiabao and Hu Jintao and Li Keqiao and other government bigwigs were there, on the ground, talking to the people, exhorting the rescue workers, being human. During the blizzard, these people actually helped. God help us if a US governmental magnate helps!
Did the US population respond as the Chinese populace did?
No. No
such solidarity. Solidarity that is not related to politics or misguided
American ideas of one country-one mind, of tyranny and dictatorship;
for these people are well aware of what goes on at the top and not
everyone agrees with the government's policies. The solidarity here
is related to humanity, to empathy--an emotion sadly lacking in America,
to be sure.
The supplies and the blood and the money are still pouring in--was
pouring in when Klein penned her panegyric.
While people are suffering, she is belching forth blame. Did she give money? Did she give blood? Did she send in supplies?
No. Bitch,
bitch, bitch.
I'm certainly glad she's not my mother.
She owes these people an apology--and maybe some blood.
Jimsecor
is an expat writer and teacher and dramatist living in China. He has
lived and worked in the country as well as the city. He has been in
China for six years. As an activist, he ran afoul of state governments
and found it advantageous to move abroad. He can be reached at [email protected]
or [email protected].
