Posted on 04/22/2008 6:31:59 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
And then there was that other, more recent, mob scene - the Cultural Revolution, where mobs of Chinese got together to humiliate and torture to death their political adversaries - at the suggestion of the late Chairman Mao. Chinese propaganda aside, there’s a reason that the Chinese empire remains intact, and way larger than it was at inception 2000 years ago - and it’s not the innate pacifism of the average Chinese.
A BTT. You brought up the Boxer Rebellion before I could. Mob mentality is a very strange thing - some of those people were attacked by their friends, who were sorry afterwards. I think they were sincere. That isn’t much comfort if you’re dead.
Wow. The Summer Olympics will be interesting.
For anyone who is as confused as I was: Carrefour is France’s answer to Wal-Mart. They are a huge discount chain with stores in southern Europe, Asia, and South America.
Even the Chinese expats here in the US got violent over someone they thought had attacked an Olympic torch carrier, and there was a large Chinese protest a day or two ago as well.
I think the Chinese government had better stop fanning the anti-Tibetan patriotism or it will kill the Olympics. Who will want to visit China and risk getting mobbed?
It goes beyond that. Carrefour is the second largest retailer in the world. Wal Mart is No. 1. Wal Mart is probably giddy that its primary competitor in China, Carrefour, is taking hits like this because Sarkozy decided to boycott the Olympics opening ceremony. WMT only has about 100 stores in China, but is hoping to expand in a big way because of the Chinese enthusiasm for its stores.
I've been to one Wal Mart and two Carrefours in China. My impression is that the Wal Mart had longer lines, better displays and less chintzy merchandise. Although the chintz factor is higher than it is stateside, because the average Chinese doesn't have much purchasing power.
that is the same name used in Brazil (Portuguese)
... and the three T's are?
Wal Mart had longer lines, better displays and less chintzy merchandise. .......... Could it be that they sell cheap but fine quality products imported from America?
I agree entirely. Great point. I've been saying this for years but nobody would listen to me.
Need to print this and send it to a couple of college students planning to go on a mission trip to China this summer.
Communists stoked the flame and incite mob violence, sending "message" to intended target audience, in this case, pro-Tibet Westerners. Once its purpose is served, they step in and put an end to it.
The same thing happened with anti-Japanese protest a couple of years ago. As with Cultural Revolution. Red Guards were put down by PLA once they outlived their usefulness(by that time, Red Guards were out of control and even in factional fights among themselves.)
I recently read Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia. One thing that came through loud and clear, was the Reds’ willingness to eliminate former allies, like the Socialists, once they had outlived their usefulness. Examples like yours and mine abound in the history of Leftist totalitarians.
...
Yes, have a young friend going to China in 2 weeks. For a long stay. I have tried to warn him. He laughs it all off. I keep telling him - to be so careful - that China is not the USA. (He is from Europe but has been living in US).
Will send him this.
Most Chinese would not know a Norwegian from a French from an American from a Brit. A waiguo ren is a waiguo ren, and can be conveniently boxed into being the nationality of whomever the Enemy of China is at the time.
Worthful advice at least 2000 years old: Avoid large, angry, irrational Chinese crowds--when they are pissed off about ANYTHING from The West.
I can understand an outsized response if France had bombed the Shanghai Naval Base, destroyed the East Sea Fleet, and killed 3,000 PLA Navy sailors (the equivalent of what the Japanese did to Pearl Harbor). But what France did was play host to pro- and anti-Tibetan demonstrators and have a President who hasn't quite decided if he will attend the Olympic opening ceremony. Pearl Harbor this ain't.
Do you know what the three T’s are (referred to in the article)? I’m guessing Tibet, Tiananmen, and ...
the Cultural Revolution
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