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That's ridiculous; China will of course emphasize their positive values for the Western world. That veil is all they have to maintain legitimacy on its people.

That's ridiculous; China will of course emphasize their positive values for the Western world. That veil is all they have to maintain legitimacy on its people. A country that severely limits on what you can and can not see in media, a country that forcibly removes its own citizens with causes that makes American imminent domain laws like child's play, a country that has consistent human rights violations, a country with a ruling oligarchy that has time and again shown it's willing to barter political power with the incentives of capitalistic greed. Yeah, of course that country is going to put out its best face. It bans people from spitting in the streets and have shuttled the homeless and the beggars from the cities just so that a piddling game can be held so that the world can be dazzled and fooled. I'm also not quite sure why people in foreign countries liking Jet Li somehow makes it that Chinese culture is spreading. That's equivalent to saying people like Schwarzenegger and equates that as American culture.

bilbo0s 19y ago
The spread of pop culture is one of the reasons that many anti-American zealots latch onto as justification. So yes, Schwarzenegger, Michael Jackson, McDonald's and Starbucks, they all have a great deal to do with the perceived American cultural hegemony. As Jet Li, Jackie Chan and, foolish as it may seem, Chinese restaurants, all have a great deal to do with Chinese cultural hegemony. The question that confuses me is this. Why worry ONLY about American cultural hegemony, when CLEARLY the Chinese cultural hegemony is also an issue? Why worry ONLY about American cultural hegemony, when Japanese cultural hegemony is also an issue? I maintain that there is something subtle here that we are somehow missing. There HAS to be. Why do the French blow up McDonald's and not the restaurants in the Chinese section of Paris over by Le Marais? There are as many instructors of Chinese martial arts in Munich as there are hip hop clubs. Why single us out? There are MORE girls playing with Tomagotchis than there are listening to Hannah Montana. Why does she need so much more security? Everything you wrote in your post as touching China is (somewhat) factual. Yet most non-Americans consider the United States and Iran to be the prime threats to global peace. Why? In short, what I am saying is that none of this makes sense to me. That this situation is very disconcerting. If there are non-Americans reading this thread, I would REALLY like your opinion on these matters.
- corentin 19y ago
  First, let's get this clear: as far as I know, we only have two cases of McDonald's restaurants attacks in France. One non-violent, symbolic dismantlement by leftist leader Jose Bove and one bomb attack by right-wing independendists in Brittany (it killed one person). As far as I'm concerned, I mostly listen to US music, read US authors and watch US movies so basically I can't speak against your culture (well, OUR culture that is). It's so much rich and broad than what we have here. And most french people (secretly) agree; but they're way too proud to admit it. What europeans and basically the rest of the world really hate is your leaders. Not that ours are better, but at least they don't use massive fire power against other countries (I'm talking about western europe here; Russian leaders are certainly as crazy as the hawks in Washington). Oh, by the way: french people don't really like China in fact; they blame it for "stealing" our jobs.
  - bilbo0s 19y ago
    Just to dig a little deeper I wanted to ask a few questions. I assume you are Franco-American. Is this true? Secondly, I am certain that you are aware that your own leaders are rattling the sabers for war with Iran right now as well. Why is it that the French would elect Sarko, and continue to bash Bush? (I am no friend of Bush by the way, it's just something I have been wondering). Next, you say that you love our culture, and from what I see in Paris I would have to agree. You also seem a little sino-phillic as well, with martial arts, Chinese medicine, and the Chinese film industry doing as well as it is in France. Would it be fair to say then that CULTURAL hegemony, either American or Chinese, is not what is so galling to the rest of the world. Rather the, military hegemony in the case of the US, and the financial hegemony, in the case of Japan and China? Do you believe it is the military and financial hegemonies that spook others? Lastly, the wording of my post was probably poor. When I said that the French blow up McDonald's restaurants, I was referring to the incident in Brittany. I only mentioned Paris because I wanted to point out a well known place, in a well known city where another cultural hegemony had a foothold.
    - davidw 19y ago
      I can't quite pin down what it is, but I think this is the most reddit-like thread I've read here in a while. Perhaps it's words like 'hegemony', mentioning of Bush, war, and so on.
ph0rque 19y ago
>> A country that severely limits on what you can and can not see in media, a country that forcibly removes its own citizens [...], a country that has consistent human rights violations, a country with a ruling oligarchy that has time and again shown it's willing to barter political power with the incentives of capitalistic greed. Wait, I'm confused... are we talking about China or America? :~)
- bilbo0s 19y ago
  Just as an example. This reply by ph0rque is just the type of response we invite when we point out the shortcomings of others to prove a point.
- alaskamiller 19y ago
  While it's cute to make a witty retort such as that, it's such a cheap shot. When your grandparents are dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night, when your brothers and sisters are jailed for simply showing up at a big crowd, when your family's estate is taken without any questions or answers, when you don't have enough money to buy your way out of a citation and you get lost in the jail system, when all that happens at the whim of a Communist party, you can then come back and draw parallels.
  - ph0rque 19y ago
    Maybe not as cheap as you think. You see, my family immigrated from the former USSR, and my relatives and acquaintances did have... complications similar to what you describe. Guess what? America is drawing nearer and nearer to the situation you describe. Here's a link, for example: http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/8a01efa4-d980-4ec7-8e1e-986f93e0a0b0 http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/8a01efa4-d980-4ec7-8e1e-9...

bilbo0s 19y ago

The spread of pop culture is one of the reasons that many anti-American zealots latch onto as justification. So yes, Schwarzenegger, Michael Jackson, McDonald's and Starbucks, they all have a great deal to do with the perceived American cultural hegemony. As Jet Li, Jackie Chan and, foolish as it may seem, Chinese restaurants, all have a great deal to do with Chinese cultural hegemony. The question that confuses me is this. Why worry ONLY about American cultural hegemony, when CLEARLY the Chinese cultural hegemony is also an issue? Why worry ONLY about American cultural hegemony, when Japanese cultural hegemony is also an issue? I maintain that there is something subtle here that we are somehow missing. There HAS to be. Why do the French blow up McDonald's and not the restaurants in the Chinese section of Paris over by Le Marais? There are as many instructors of Chinese martial arts in Munich as there are hip hop clubs. Why single us out? There are MORE girls playing with Tomagotchis than there are listening to Hannah Montana. Why does she need so much more security? Everything you wrote in your post as touching China is (somewhat) factual. Yet most non-Americans consider the United States and Iran to be the prime threats to global peace. Why? In short, what I am saying is that none of this makes sense to me. That this situation is very disconcerting. If there are non-Americans reading this thread, I would REALLY like your opinion on these matters.

corentin 19y ago
First, let's get this clear: as far as I know, we only have two cases of McDonald's restaurants attacks in France. One non-violent, symbolic dismantlement by leftist leader Jose Bove and one bomb attack by right-wing independendists in Brittany (it killed one person). As far as I'm concerned, I mostly listen to US music, read US authors and watch US movies so basically I can't speak against your culture (well, OUR culture that is). It's so much rich and broad than what we have here. And most french people (secretly) agree; but they're way too proud to admit it. What europeans and basically the rest of the world really hate is your leaders. Not that ours are better, but at least they don't use massive fire power against other countries (I'm talking about western europe here; Russian leaders are certainly as crazy as the hawks in Washington). Oh, by the way: french people don't really like China in fact; they blame it for "stealing" our jobs.
- bilbo0s 19y ago
  Just to dig a little deeper I wanted to ask a few questions. I assume you are Franco-American. Is this true? Secondly, I am certain that you are aware that your own leaders are rattling the sabers for war with Iran right now as well. Why is it that the French would elect Sarko, and continue to bash Bush? (I am no friend of Bush by the way, it's just something I have been wondering). Next, you say that you love our culture, and from what I see in Paris I would have to agree. You also seem a little sino-phillic as well, with martial arts, Chinese medicine, and the Chinese film industry doing as well as it is in France. Would it be fair to say then that CULTURAL hegemony, either American or Chinese, is not what is so galling to the rest of the world. Rather the, military hegemony in the case of the US, and the financial hegemony, in the case of Japan and China? Do you believe it is the military and financial hegemonies that spook others? Lastly, the wording of my post was probably poor. When I said that the French blow up McDonald's restaurants, I was referring to the incident in Brittany. I only mentioned Paris because I wanted to point out a well known place, in a well known city where another cultural hegemony had a foothold.
  - davidw 19y ago
    I can't quite pin down what it is, but I think this is the most reddit-like thread I've read here in a while. Perhaps it's words like 'hegemony', mentioning of Bush, war, and so on.

ph0rque 19y ago

>> A country that severely limits on what you can and can not see in media, a country that forcibly removes its own citizens [...], a country that has consistent human rights violations, a country with a ruling oligarchy that has time and again shown it's willing to barter political power with the incentives of capitalistic greed. Wait, I'm confused... are we talking about China or America? :~)

bilbo0s 19y ago
Just as an example. This reply by ph0rque is just the type of response we invite when we point out the shortcomings of others to prove a point.
alaskamiller 19y ago
While it's cute to make a witty retort such as that, it's such a cheap shot. When your grandparents are dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night, when your brothers and sisters are jailed for simply showing up at a big crowd, when your family's estate is taken without any questions or answers, when you don't have enough money to buy your way out of a citation and you get lost in the jail system, when all that happens at the whim of a Communist party, you can then come back and draw parallels.
- ph0rque 19y ago
  Maybe not as cheap as you think. You see, my family immigrated from the former USSR, and my relatives and acquaintances did have... complications similar to what you describe. Guess what? America is drawing nearer and nearer to the situation you describe. Here's a link, for example: http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/8a01efa4-d980-4ec7-8e1e-986f93e0a0b0 http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/8a01efa4-d980-4ec7-8e1e-9...