I will boycott the Olympics

[aliasyzy]

Originally Posted by miketrees

I know my tiny little amount of spending power is not going to worry anybody, its the thought that counts.

I think the Olympic industry did some dirty dealing with China to get the games.

I think China should remove all restrictions on the Internet, I mean imagine how your rights would be impaired if you could not get access to , porn sites, The Cellar and just stuff like that.

No kidding I will turn it off from radio TV and I wont read about it in the paper.

I'm a chinese, I could get access to The Cellar, porn sites and just stuff like that So your reason to boycott Olympic is not adequate.

Every country has its own restrictions -- laws are restrictions. China does have some unreasonable restrictions, but China is developing and no one is perfect, right?

Rights of Chinese people are seriously impaired? You gotta be joking.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I agree with you, aliasyzy. But I also think Shanghai is hardly representative of China in general.
Of course that's the biggest problem about making generalizations about China, and the Chinese people. The country is HUGE. Just the change in climate, from north to south is staggering. There are crowded cities, uninhabited deserts, and everything in between.

Now the common thing is the National government, but I've read the regional governments have a lot of power, causing different rules (laws) in different regions. Of course we foreigners only hear what the Party is doing on a national level, national policy I guess you could call it, and yes, the western press zeros in of the negatives. But then again, your press is not exactly forthcoming.

So forgive us our ignorance, for we have been coached in our view of China. Better yet, please enlighten us with the truth about life in China.

[aliasyzy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I agree with you, aliasyzy. But I also think Shanghai is hardly representative of China in general.
Of course that's the biggest problem about making generalizations about China, and the Chinese people. The country is HUGE. Just the change in climate, from north to south is staggering. There are crowded cities, uninhabited deserts, and everything in between.

Now the common thing is the National government, but I've read the regional governments have a lot of power, causing different rules (laws) in different regions. Of course we foreigners only hear what the Party is doing on a national level, national policy I guess you could call it, and yes, the western press zeros in of the negatives. But then again, your press is not exactly forthcoming.

So forgive us our ignorance, for we have been coached in our view of China. Better yet, please enlighten us with the truth about life in China.

There are problems in almost every aspects of China. It's a big country and it's still a poor country. Like you said, making generalization should be careful.

I just want to say that people all over the world are the same: selfish, cowerdly and greedy. You can choose to understand others and work out a way to co-exist, or you can picture them as evil and fight them.

-------------
I'd like to answer questions about China. I may not be correctly informed, but I could provide another angle to view China.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by aliasyzy

I just want to say that people all over the world are the same: selfish, cowerdly and greedy.

I don't agree with that generalization about people anywhere. Sure, there are some that fit that mold in any society, and unfortunately that's the type of people that are driven to power and wealth.
Although I have no scientific empirical data to prove it, I believe that most people, everywhere, just want to get along with their neighbors and take care of their families.

The people you described, the people I think seek power, do their best to capitalize of people's natural fear of the unknown, fear of people and cultures they don't know.

Now I'm far from a cockeyed optimist but my experience is, of the many people I've met, while I don't like all of them, once I know them, I don't fear them.

[aliasyzy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I don't agree with that generalization about people anywhere. Sure, there are some that fit that mold in any society, and unfortunately that's the type of people that are driven to power and wealth.
Although I have no scientific empirical data to prove it, I believe that most people, everywhere, just want to get along with their neighbors and take care of their families.

The people you described, the people I think seek power, do their best to capitalize of people's natural fear of the unknown, fear of people and cultures they don't know.

Now I'm far from a cockeyed optimist but my experience is, of the many people I've met, while I don't like all of them, once I know them, I don't fear them.

Being selfish, cowardly, and greedy is not absolutely bad. it's just what we are. One can always use better words to tell the same story.

Everybody seeks power. Get along and take care of families surely need power. Without power, can we sit comfortably in front of an LCD and chat like this while some people on the earth have to worry about their next meal? If you lose the power to sustain your current life style, will you try to get it back?

Moreover, how much is enough? Even if US citizens reduce their living standard by half, their life will still be like a heaven to at least 60% population of the world. Will people do so to spare some resources in building a better world? I'm not critical of US, because blind consumptionism is now all over the world.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by aliasyzy

Everybody seeks power. Get along and take care of families surely need power. Without power, can we sit comfortably in front of an LCD and chat like this while some people on the earth have to worry about their next meal? If you lose the power to sustain your current life style, will you try to get it back?

OK, I follow you. We both, apparently, enjoy a lifestyle more comfortable than much of the world, that is struggling just to survive. I agree that many, make that the majority, are suffering from blind consumerism.

Maybe it's my background, or age, but the world around me has varied considerably, with subsequent adjustments on my part. Granted I was never starving, but I've always said, "Anything more than a cave and a brontosaurus bone to chew on, is luxury". I still believe that, but I suppose few would agree with me.

Yes, if I lost my current lifestyle I'd try to get it back, but not by taking it from someone else. I would only become aggressive if someone tried to take my cave or bone... or PC.

[Elspode]

I watched both women's beach and women's traditional volleyball today. Good lord, those women are hot.

Boycott scantily clad, athletically built babes? No way.