China Asks: "What do you really want from us?"

by Rhonda J Mangus | August 8, 2008 at 02:41 pm
1140 views | 50 Recommendations | 22 comments

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China Asks: "What do you really want from us?"

China Asks: "What do you really want from us?"

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uploaded by Rhonda J Mangus

China-based CNReviews author elliottng in a post entitled, "Is the West impossible to please?" proposes that "...we just take the time to try to understand the feeling expressed in the poem [following] and figure out how we can all take this feeling into account in our behavior with each other."

The poem, entitled "My Friends, What Do You Want From Us?", is in response to the protests against the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and is part of an original text entitled, "Chinese Grievances", by Robert Daly, Center for Global Chinese Affairs Director at University of Maryland.

What do you want from us?

When we were called “sick man of Asia”, we were called peril.
When we billed to be the next superpower, we’re called the threat

When we closed our doors, you smuggled drugs to open markets.
when we embrace free trade, you blame us for taking away your jobs.

when we’re falling apart, you marched in your troops and wanted your fair share.
when we’re putting the broken pieces together, “Free Tibet” you screamed! “it was invasion.”

So we tried communism, you hated us for being communist.
So we embraced capitalism, you hate us for being capitalist,

Then we have a billion people, you said we’re destroying the planet.
Then we limit our numbers, you said it was human rights abuses.

When we were poor, you think we’re dogs,
When we loan you cash, you blamed us for your debts.

When we build our industries, you called us polluters.
When we sell you goods, you blamed us for global warming,
When we buy oil, you called that exploitation and genocide.

When we were lost in chaos and rampage, you wanted rule s of laws for us.
When we uphold law and order against violence, you called that violation of human rights.

When we were silent, you said you want us to have free speech.
When we were silent no more, you say we were brainwashed.

Why do you hate us so much? We asked. “No”. You answered, “we don’t hate you”.
We don’t hate you either Bud, do you understand us?? “of course we do”, you said, “We have CNN, BBC, and CBC”.

But why, we still feel, your western people are not happy with us.

What do you really want from us??

My friend, What do you really want from us??

Perhaps, "the people [China] wanted to impress the most, the western media and the general public from the western countries, are impossible to please."

 

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danesller0127
danesller0127
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:15 on August 8th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. It's good stuff.

0
Rhonda J Mangus

danesller0127, thank you very much for the Flag and photos!

0
Rhonda J Mangus

Thank you, John!

0
danesller0127

The XXIX Olympiad, costing an estimated $40 billion and shrouded by political controverses, burst into life Friday with a spectacular start to the opening ceremony...

Fireworks light up the sky above the National Stadium of China, also known as the "Bird's Nest" stadium, as the XXIX Olympic Games open, President Hu Jintao officially declared the Games open at 11:04 p.m. local time (1504GMT) on August 8, 2008, in front of 90,000 spectators and a worldwide television audience of up to four billion.

In the next 17 days, some 10,700 Olympians from all over the world, including 11 from the Philippines, will be competing in 302 events in 28 spots...  

More than 100,000 security personnel have been called in to police the Games, amid fresh warnings of terror attacks from 'separatests' while Beijing airport was also closed just ahead of the start of the ceremony.

The streets were unusually quiet as many of the Chinese capital's 17 million residents stayed at home after the city government declared a public holiday.

 

Karen Hatter
Karen Hatter
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:04 on August 8th, 2008

Good stuff, Rhonda.

0
Rhonda J Mangus

Thank you, Karen!

Sanjay Jha
Sanjay Jha
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 17:05 on August 8th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. It's good stuff.

0
Rhonda J Mangus

Thank you very much, Sanjay!

0
Rhonda J Mangus

Luiz and Gh0s7, thanks for the Flags!

Emilio Lizardo
Emilio Lizardo
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 18:40 on August 8th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Of course what we want is access to their markets ... that's really it. There's nothing particularly humanitarian about it or otherwise particularly nefarious going on - in those famous words of Don Vito Corleone, "It's only business."

 

0
Rhonda J Mangus

Thank you for your comments and the Flag, Emilio! I think many would agree: "It's only business."

Criticom
Criticom
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 18:43 on August 8th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. It's good stuff.

duo
duo
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 18:44 on August 8th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. It's good stuff.

0
Rhonda J Mangus

duo and Criticom, thank you for the Flags!

0
ybbswc

good stuff:

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Rhonda J Mangus

Thank you, ybbswc!

Amy Judd
Amy Judd
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 22:54 on August 8th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. It's good stuff.

A great find!

0
Rhonda J Mangus

Amy, thank you very much for your comment and the Flag!

SOLARLIFE
SOLARLIFE
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 01:48 on August 9th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. Like always charming challenging! China is the new Superpower, if we like it or not. Many chinese tourists I see at the Riviera this year. They are friendly, self-conscious, good dressed, well educated and interested in the Future. Sometimes they say we are a museum in Europe, they are right. We gave up to turn the wheel of live, lay back to much, america not leading the world culture any more, created a vaccum filled with Chinese advanced olympic architecture, clean Hydrogen buses and more. Let's enjoy it.

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Rhonda J Mangus

Solarlife, your comments and Flag are always deeply appreciated. Thank you!

Uwe Paschen
Uwe Paschen
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 23:35 on August 8th, 2008

Rhonda J Mangus, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Very good question, nice post! and I really like the conclusion, nice rap up!

0
Rhonda J Mangus

Paschen, thank you very much for your comments and the Flag!

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