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What do you want from us?
Topic Started: Aug 6 2008, 09:00 PM (103 Views)
Red Rice
HOLY CARP!!!
I was sent this poem by a friend of mine who does a lot of business in China. It was written by an anonymous Chinese poet and has circulated a fair amount on the Internet. As a political/economic/historical analysis it is severely lacking (not to mention biased), but I found it thought-provoking all the same, as it does provide some insight into Chinese frustration with the West.

What Do You Want From Us?
(Revised Version/Translation by Bevin Chu)

When we were the Sick Man of Asia, you called us the Yellow Peril.
When we are billed as the Next Superpower, you call us the China Threat.
When we closed our doors, you demanded we open them so you could import your drugs.
When we embrace free trade, you blame us for taking away your jobs.
When we were falling apart, your marched in your troops and demanded your share of the booty.
When we try to put the pieces back together, you scream "Free Tibet! Invasion!"
When we tried Communism, you hated us for being Communists.
When we embrace capitalism, you hate us for being capitalists.
When our population reached one billion people, you said we were destroying the planet.
When we tried limiting our numbers, you said we were abusing human rights.
When we were poor, you thought we were dogs.
When we loan you cash, you blame us for your national debt.
When we build our industries, you call us polluters.
When we sell you goods, you blame us for global warming.
When we buy oil, you call it supporting genocide.
When you go to war for oil, you call it liberation.
When we were in chaos, you demanded the rule of law.
When we uphold law and order, you call it violating human rights.
When we were silent, you said you wanted us to enjoy free speech.
When we are silent no more, you say we are brainwashed xenophobes.
Why do you hate us so much, we asked.
No, you answered, we don't hate you.
Well, we don't hate you either. But do you understand us?
Of course we do, you said, we have AFP, BBC, and CNN.
What do you want from us? Really?
Think hard before you answer, because you only get so many chances.
Enough is enough. Enough hypocrisy is enough.
We want One World and Peace on Earth.
This Big Blue Marble is big enough for all of us.

Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool.

I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss!

- Cecil Lewis
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Posted Image

Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb China :sing:
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
The Chinese are on shaky ground lecturing anyone about hypocrisy.
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Poor little China.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
It is interesting, if in no other way than reinforcing that there are viewpoints in the world other than the American one. China faces challenges we never imagined as a nation.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Awwwwwww..... Poor babies.... I don't think there's enough Anusol® for a case of butthurt THAT big!!
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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