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>>To be completely blunt, paternalism is very deeply embedded in Chinese society, and its roots go back a couple thousand years to Confucianism. I don't see any

>>To be completely blunt, paternalism is very deeply embedded in Chinese society, and its roots go back a couple thousand years to Confucianism. I don't see anyone seriously acknowledging or discussing that fact, nor the major changes that have happened since the 50s (often under an explicitly Communist ideology, where the only allowable conflict is between the classes). Not sure where you're going with that... are you saying because it's part of the culture for 1000s of years it should be acceptable? Or, that because it's been around for 1000s of years some affordance should be made for it taking time to work through? I'm confused. I looked up "paternalism" on wikipedia - sure enough, there's the example of white racists using it the days of slavery to justify slavery's existence

smallnamespace 8y ago
I'm saying that feminism comes from an explicitly Western viewpoint, and many (most?) traditional cultures are explicitly patriarchal. Culture isn't just non-white people eating exotic foods, speaking other languages, and dressing in strange ways. It goes deeper to what is important, what is meaningful, what is right and wrong. In that case, just be honest with yourself about what you're doing: asserting that 'We (the West) are right and moral and and these values values are superior, and your values are wrong and inferior'. If you choose to go that route, just be careful and remember that this is the same sort of cultural chauvinism that the Spanish conquistadors (the Aztecs practiced savage human sacrifice) and the English in India (some Indians would burn windows after the husband died?) used to justify their rule. This also means that a naive and morally relativistic multiculturalism is untenable (all cultures can't be equally accepted or respected). You're being a Westerner judging non-Western peoples.

smallnamespace 8y ago

I'm saying that feminism comes from an explicitly Western viewpoint, and many (most?) traditional cultures are explicitly patriarchal. Culture isn't just non-white people eating exotic foods, speaking other languages, and dressing in strange ways. It goes deeper to what is important, what is meaningful, what is right and wrong. In that case, just be honest with yourself about what you're doing: asserting that 'We (the West) are right and moral and and these values values are superior, and your values are wrong and inferior'. If you choose to go that route, just be careful and remember that this is the same sort of cultural chauvinism that the Spanish conquistadors (the Aztecs practiced savage human sacrifice) and the English in India (some Indians would burn windows after the husband died?) used to justify their rule. This also means that a naive and morally relativistic multiculturalism is untenable (all cultures can't be equally accepted or respected). You're being a Westerner judging non-Western peoples.