JDG wrote:
�Well, let's clarify this further by going back to the original proposition:
Kristin Ruhle suggested that: "(the conservative viewpoint
tends to take *pride* in emphasizing so called American values) when
AMerica has only five percent of the world's billions (Does that mean 95
percent of the planet is, well, Un-AMerican? Not necessarily undeomcratic,
but UN-AMERICAN! horrors!)"
I replied that we have no idea whether or not the Chinese share American
values, as their opinions are inscrutable.�
I am afraid the inclusion of Kristin�s statement didn�t really clarify your
comment. You see, whether or not the Chinese are share American values [and
we really ought to enumerate what exactly these are], they�d still be
Un-American. And that was Kristin�s point, if I am not mistaken.
JDG:
�Do you have any idea how incredibly demeaning these questions are?�
I don�t know about Christopher, but I certainly don�t have any idea. I
thought that these questions were a reasonable attempt to understand a
baffling statement.
JDG:
�The People's Republic of China is very efficient in preventing the free
expression of opinions by the vast majority of their 1 billion + citizens.
For example, anybody know what the approval rating of Jiang Zemin is?�
No, but I don�t know what the approval rating of Vajpayee is either. Opinion
polls are a regular feature of western political dynamics but they have just
started here in India and we tend to concentrate their use on cricket and
societal issues. :o) As far as I know, they are not really used to determine
the political opinion in too many Asian countries [and this does include
democracies like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Korea]; unless, of
course, the elections are around the corner. :o)
JDG:
�Having talked with some citizens of the PRC in the past, I have found that
their viewpoints on most political subjects are inscrutable. The matter,to
them, was simply taboo.�
Maybe that had something to do with cultural differences � maybe you did not
know the right questions to ask, maybe they thought that you would be
unequipped to understand their answer, maybe you just met those few who were
neither interested in political theories and had never thought much about
the matter [such people do exist, you know :o)]. I have met a few citizens
of the PRC who are quite willing to discuss politics and, [Surprise!] their
views are nothing I haven�t heard or read before.
JDG:
�I feel like the average defendent in a Chinese Court right now � apparently
the verdicts have already been written.�
And, of course, you have never ever presumed anything to further an argument
:o)[like not even the state of their criminal system when you find their
politics �inscrutable :o)]
JDG:
�There is no way of knowing if an opinion expressed by a citizen of the PRC
that agrees with the official government position is genuine or coerced to
some degree.�
Is there EVER any way of knowing if anybody�s opinion on anything is genuine
or coerced? [Of course, we will assume that no weapon is visible and the
person in question doesn�t look like he/she has been beaten recently.]
:o)
Ritu
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