Saturday, April 29, 2006
America and China
The average American takes America's superpower status quite seriously. At the same time, she is uncomfortable with it. All this has been poll-tested+documented.
The Bush 43 team came in and tried to create fears of a Chinese takeover of the world. Then came 9/11 and they shifted their focus. In between, China's status changed remarkably in the US, and now the Chinese are regarded roughly the same way as the Japanese were in America in the '80s.
The smart, well-heeled American is so convinced the Chinese will take over the world, that he is paying 6-figure-salaries for nannies for his kid who are fluent in Mandarin.
In an article on Slate about lip-syncing on YouTube, for example, you see this random line:
The Two Chinese Boys' emergence as the best lip-syncers in the world may be the surest sign yet that we are passing the superpower torch.
In this article, the line is strictly tongue-in-cheek; but this meme is going to get stronger over time...
Link
The Bush 43 team came in and tried to create fears of a Chinese takeover of the world. Then came 9/11 and they shifted their focus. In between, China's status changed remarkably in the US, and now the Chinese are regarded roughly the same way as the Japanese were in America in the '80s.
The smart, well-heeled American is so convinced the Chinese will take over the world, that he is paying 6-figure-salaries for nannies for his kid who are fluent in Mandarin.
In an article on Slate about lip-syncing on YouTube, for example, you see this random line:
The Two Chinese Boys' emergence as the best lip-syncers in the world may be the surest sign yet that we are passing the superpower torch.
In this article, the line is strictly tongue-in-cheek; but this meme is going to get stronger over time...
Link
