Dragons

Last week I spent my time writing thinly veiled propaganda about China for a French multinational. Never could I have imagined that the French would be such suckers for the "China will rule the world" concept. After all, the Chinese have always outnumbered the French and they've always been better at math. Same goes for India. So what are they so afraid of? The dragon wakes but then what? (Afraid the dragon will come steal the croissant from their hands I suppose?)

I spent about half a school year in China lodged with a host family when I was 15 going on 16 and that was long enough to figure out that I will never truly understand the Chinese enough to imitate their modus operandi. I believe in the individual; I'm enough of one to know that I hate blending in and did my best not to, especially at that age. My head was shaved at the time I lived in China. I had the walls of the lobby painted in the derelict government project that was the swank edifice of my host family. I bought the "e-ge-she-du" (eggshell) paint in sea foam green and sky blue. Everyone joined in. Students then took the black paint and made fish and other images in an "under the sea" motif. My favorite was the "big fish eats littler fish eats littlest fish" image, which I am certain disappeared even before I did from China.

I was profoundly attracted to this country with 5000 years of illustrious history, mostly to their scientific advancements (re: stuff I like: ice cream, fireworks, astronomy) and their philosophy and how it applied to the earth: taosim and feng shui. Yet, I was equally repelled by this obsession they have with justifying the most inhuman parts of their ancient and modern history, the way they casually slide over human rights as if it's far below the list when it comes to achievement and industry.

Russians are quite similar. Political correctness put safely aside, I like to explain Russian socio-political behavior as their being "white chinese" because of their particular relationship to human life and liberty. I recently read an article by a Russian professor at the New School New York (perhaps it was Kruschev's great-granddaughter?) claiming that Russia will never advance if they don't manage to admit to the injustice of the past. I think this was re: Medvedev apologizing for something ghastly that happened many decades ago. She seems to say the his particular brand of apologizing is just not going to cut it. She also says that safely from New York.

Long story short, I don't care if China builds more skyscrapers and has more cell phones. Skyscrapers are hideous and even when smattered with solar panels they are totally incongruous to humanity and the planet. Cellphones give headaches which I am allowed to say only because I'm not allowed to say they give tumors but I wouldn't doubt it. Science has not sufficiently advanced on the issue of frequencies and their effect on health and/or sanity and if they have, they won't admit because there's too much money in it. I really don't believe that China will be able to sustain its growth and given that human lives are no object, nothing will stop them except themselves, or their own chaos within. It's happened before.