5 ms·
Interesting line re: this from last year's moviee Crazy Rich Asians: "There is a Hokkien phrase, 'Gar gee nang.' It means, our own kind of people. And you're n
by microdrum 8y ago
Interesting line re: this from last year's moviee Crazy Rich Asians:
"There is a Hokkien phrase, 'Gar gee nang.'
It means, our own kind of people. And you're not our own kind."
"Because I'm not rich? 'Cause I didn't go to a
British boarding school, or I wasn't born into a wealthy family?"
"You're a foreigner. American. And all Americans think about
is their own happiness.
"Don't you want Nick to be happy?"
"It's an illusion. We understand how to build things that last. Something you know nothing about."
Funny thing is that I feel like it is indeed rare for cultures-countries to think about building things that last. But the US is actually one of the few countries that does---whereas China can't float this level of debt at attractive rates because it is NOT long term focused. It keeps doing insane, credibility-destroying things. Yet always talks about how it is a long term actor.
- Stryder 8y agoDouble-standard is the oldest trick in the book for establishing and maintaining power dynamics.
- microdrum 8y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18821202 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18821202
- jhwang5 8y agoWay to get cultural insights into China from a Hollywood movie bro
- krapp 8y agoTo be fair, it's a Hollywood movie based on a book written by a Chinese author based on his childhood in Singapore. So not entirely without legitimate cultural insight.
- jhwang5 8y agoIt's written for the western audience. And I think you just made my point for me. At best it reflects the rich Chinese people's attitude - since when is HN rampant with small sample generalizations?
- krapp 8y ago> since when is HN rampant with small sample generalizations? Since always. I can't count the number of generalizations I've seen which begin with "in my experience," for which the poster's experience likely includes a sample of one at least, or half a dozen at most. And to be perfectly fair, it seems to happen a lot when China or Japan come up.
- jhwang5 8y ago>And to be perfectly fair, it seems to happen a lot when China or Japan come up. Right, I wonder why.
- nate_meurer 8y agoOP just said it was interesting, that's all. Do you have any insights of your own to add?
- whynotminot 8y agoChina likes to project an aura of inevitability brewing for eons and now thundering forward, but the ruling party is very aware of how tenuous its grip truly is. The short term economic decisions highlight how much they fear a downturn could upend the party's control.
- rfreytag 8y agoThe PRC is playing a long game with the Belt and Road initiative as well as incrementally building and claiming islands within the South China Sea laying a real claim to the waters there-round. The PRC inroads in Africa are significant. With a minimum of grandstanding China as moved quite far geopolitically over the last decade and more.
- jcranmer 8y agoIt was the same thing in the movie. Immediately after that exchange, Rachel explains how she turned down Nick because it would mean cutting him off from his family, at which point Eleanor berates her for turning down a winning hand. For as much as Eleanor talks about the importance of suborning happiness for things that last, Eleanor is just as quick as she accuses the Americans of being of pandering to happiness.