Explaining my obsession with China

by YankeeJim | December 25, 2010 at 09:29 am

245 views | 4 Recommendations | 11 comments

Crowd-powered diplomacy

I have received various comments and questions from NowPublic readers from Mainland China. They have inquired about how NP works and about sourcing news stories to understand crowd-powered journalism. I have to admit that I am a user of NowPublic media and mechanism and cannot speak for the owners and operators because I am just one of many contributors.

I try to follow NP rules to 1) link posts to news of the day, stories written and published by mainstream media and off beat media that I find personally interesting and 2) then I add my commentary as “opinion.”

What I decide to write about is driven by personal interest and one of those topics is China. My first interest is individual freedom, as I know it founded in the American Constitution. Second, I am interested in alternatives to capitalism because I think the global economy may do better under a different model that we have yet to invent. China ranks high in my topic list for several reasons: 1) Due to size of population and geography the people and their government are important; 2) While China and the US have had adversarial history, this has been transforming to the point where China is now a principal financier; 3) When Chinese leadership and American leadership begin to communicate more closely as a matter of routine, the prospects of collaboration of diverse ideas will likely bode well for the worldly population, in my opinion; 4) Sometimes I confront both the US government and Chine government when I think their positions are not in the best interest of We the People.

I am reaching to Chinese people, including the government, to establish a dialogue in the NowPublic space. Just as the US government frowns on Governor Richardson’s freelancing to speak with North Koreans, they might frown on a US citizen freelancing in speaking with the Chinese. Yet, this is my freedom to do this and I will exercise it as a most allegiant American citizen who believes that outreach to fellow citizens in the world will lead to peaceful outcomes.

“Assessing China's E-Government: information, service, transparency and citizen outreach of government websites
Author: Xia Li Lollar - *Xia Li Lollar is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She received her Ph.D. degree in political science from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and a masters degree in public administration from Iowa State University. Her publications include articles on economic and political development and Internet use in China. She has also published a book titled China's Transition toward a Market Economy, Civil Society and Democracy

Abstract
This article examines e-government development and its impact on authoritarian rule in China. It is widely believed that e-government can help to encourage government transparency, expand the information flow, promote work efficiency and increase citizens' political participation. This may be true in open democracies, yet there is little scholarly support for this conventional wisdom applied in authoritarian societies. In this article, we review the current condition of e-government in China by a detailed analysis of 29 government websites at the provincial/metropolitan level. We look at what kinds of features are available online, such as information available and services provided. We also examine the transparency and citizen participation efforts and whether e-government in China today will result in movement toward e-democracy tomorrow.”

“Help Your Students Learn About Diplomatic History

The Office of the Historian , Bureau of Public Affairs, produces videos and curriculum packages on selected topics for use in U.S. classrooms (sorry, they are not available for use outside the United States).

To order our most recent release, Sports and Diplomacy In the Global Arena" and for information on future material, please fill out the form below. Also see the lesson plans available
at the State Department's web pages for teachers at www.future.state.gov/educators/lessons”

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend Sign In or Join to post comments

Rory Cripps

at 10:41 on December 25th, 2010

Jim: Interesting perspective. I've never been to China or any other country on the Asian continent for that matter. Thank goodness I was spared getting my ass shipped off to Vietnam in spite of my draft status simply because I turned 18 in 1972. Notwithstanding, I've had close/personal/longstanding relationships throughout the years with people of both Chinese and Japanese ancestry in particular. That primarily includes immigrants and first-generation Americans, most of whom are now in their later 50s and early 60s. Through my experiences, I can honestly say that the oriental mind-set is completely different from that of the American mind-set. It's true that both Americans and Asian-Americans like money and the things that money can buy and that they want to live in comfort and get on with their lives. But that's where the similarities end in my opinion. Americans, in general, have absolutely no idea of what they're dealing with when it comes to China especially.

YankeeJim

at 12:02 on December 25th, 2010

Rory, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit and work in South Korea and Japan. In addition, I taught Asia nation graduate students at UC Berkeley that included students from Mainland China. I developed a course called Management Styles East and West.

One of the exercises including asking students to rank order various subjects in order of importance to them.

Asia nation students always put their families first. By contrast, Americans rarely ordered their families first.

Interesting isn't it.

Former Nper (not verified)

at 11:22 on December 25th, 2010

Most the real NP contributers are long gone hence the endless posts from paid contributers in Vancouver chasing the latest Google Trends!

YankeeJim

at 11:58 on December 25th, 2010

I miss most of you former Npers. There were many, many talented contributors and I wish they were here.

Rory Cripps

at 14:01 on December 25th, 2010

Former Nper (not verified): Well you know . . . it's typically the case that punks, hypocrites, bonafide mental cases, and perverts don't have a very long attention span. And they're always going around, with their big mouths blabbing and blaming others for their shortcomings. Nor do they have the mental and emotional stability and stamina to stick with anything that matters. And their egos are oh so fragile and their skin is oh so thin. Poor little babies! Kiss, kiss :)

In my case, I have been allowed to make brutally frank and honest comments here on NP that piss people off left and right and that would make truck drivers blush. And none of the NP editors sent me a nasty note and called me on it. That's free speech and that's what it's all about. If you, "Former Nper" were a "real NP contributor" at one point, or if you know any "real NP contributors", then you were simply imagining things due to your delusional thought process.You need professional help, Former Nper. And the first step to your recovery is to step out of your anonymous shadow and post your real name and identity anytime you make a comment here. Otherwise you're just a punk, or a hypocrite, or a bonafide mental case, or a pervert, or a combination of all the above. Have a nice day asshole! LOL!

Rory Cripps

at 14:24 on December 25th, 2010

As an aside: There were a bunch of you Former Npers (not verified) that got bent out of shape last year because things either didn't go your way or the way you expected them to go. Never mind that you were having a fine time posting virtually anything that you wanted to post about any subject matter at all near and dear to your hearts here on NP. And no one prevented you from continuing to do so. But unfortunately there were a couple of emotional and mental basket cases that took offense to certain business decisions on the part of NP and as a result, they went ballistic and sucked many otherwise fine, decent, and intelligent people into their little revenge scheme. Indeed two emotional and mental basket cases, here on NP, lent true meaning to the phrase "a bad apple spoils the whole bunch". The internet is a great way for people to communicate and share their views. But on the other hand--and unfortunately--it's also a great way for nut cases to convince others that they're something other than who they really are . . . .

ruby-chen

at 01:11 on December 28th, 2010

I am happy to tell you that i am a chinese girl. I can be the tour guide for you if you come to China. ^-^

ruby-chen

at 20:09 on December 28th, 2010

A village master was pinned down by five attackers and then he was crunched the wheels.

He is clean-handed, and he always thought that the crime of the corrupt officials must be exposed without any reserve. Besides, he tried his best to appeal to the higher authorities for help for several years. While the higher authorities ignored him and the venal officials wanted he to be died prepared for all contingencies. Now he was died. We are so sad and angry, but we are also helpless. Because, in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />China, we are not free to do and to say something, the constitution provides the right of free speech for us while the government prevents us using it. Some of the officials prevent us talking in the internet. It makes us so angry and so helpless, we are eager to know the truth, and we think one of our cherished privileges is the right of free speech.

I want to show a picture for you,but i am new to NP and i don't know how to send picture. What a pity!

The 1

at 15:14 on December 28th, 2010

I see all modern democracies at some level of political hypocrisy today. Communist governments and dictatorships such as China, N. Korea, Myanmar, are actually less veiled political hypocrisy with overt political human rights abuses and obvious specific legal justice corruption. But freedom and free speech are tightly controlled in all media and countries today_even America. The so called 'charade democracies' of Russia and Iran being some of democratic governments worst examples. True free speech may only be found on sites like 'NowPublic', as Rory Cripps makes that point. Political and media manipulation are the mainstream today. Mass electronic population opinion manipulation is the new game in town.

I don't see China in any particular advantageous light. I see 'rudy-chen' china synopsis as enlighten as it gets about China's truth. Dirt cheap labor and over population has actually help China's stance in this modern global economic world. Not any of it's specific political or economic freedoms, moral values, or other life style realities.

ruby-chen

at 20:08 on December 28th, 2010

Thanks for telling me that, and now i know that people in so many coutry are not free to speech.

Rory Cripps

at 04:20 on December 29th, 2010

The 1:

"Dirt cheap labor and over population has actually help China's stance in this modern global economic world. Not any of it's specific political or economic freedoms, moral values, or other life style realities."

Yes! I and many others believe that to be a fair an accurate assessment of China. I'm sure that you've noticed how the U.S. Government treats China with kid gloves. The reason being is that China, as is the case with specific U.S. corporations, securities firms, and banks, is "too big to fail". There's no question that Americans have "free speech" rights under the U.S. Constitution and that they're free to exercise those rights. The problem however is that most Americans are reluctant to exercise those rights for fear of being viewed as an extremist or outside the mainstream, or as simply not conforming to the dogma and mind-set of whatever ideological subgroup or social set they feel most comfortable with. The internet is saturated with those that are compelled to hide or mask their true identity because they're simply afraid of being criticized for what they truly believe. The irony here in America has always been that American citizens are virtually free to say whatever they'd like about any thing at all yet the American conformist mentality prevents them from doing so.