Forums > Living in Kunming > environmental documentary @Geezer: As you imply, the universal yardstick is money, which is in essence a relation between capital and labour. Capital in private hands leads to power in private hands, which leads to decisions made by private persons or groups (including national governing CLASSES in a competitive nationalist world), who are playing a global ball game in their own perceived interests, not those of society in general - the yardstick you mention is thus narrowly defined everywhere, regardless of whether immediate decision-makers are defined by private or national-public institutions - the planet is the playing field, not the interior affairs of the (constructed) nation-state. Relatively short-term goals thus tend to predominate within international competitions, and nationalism itself acts as a function of, rather than the basis of, global competition - which is capitalist - it's the World System, and isn't working well.
Forums > Living in Kunming > U.S. students losing interest in China @Liumingke: Chinese has already been accepted by the masses, it's just that it's less suitable internationally, as Campo says, for practical and historical reasons in 'modern' culture (whether it's Chinese-modern or Anglo-modern is secondary, despite the fact that, under the influence of historically established cultural influence promoted very strongly by modern nationalism, people do a great deal to ignore the fact in their own heads).
'They couldn't be bothered to come up with enough sounds or syllables...' - okay, then elevate Arabic as superior to English because of the very many more sounds that it employs...
Cultural prejudice does not equate with racism, which is all about the idea of genetic determination. This exists in China too, but is not necessarily involved.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Bike Stealing in Kunming @Campo: too much for too little, I think, but it's an interesting idea. On the other hand, I'd hate to come out of a bar too loaded & forget to disengage the...
@laotou: Bike thieves are worse than taxi drivers, the large majority of whom are okay, in my experience.
Forums > Living in Kunming > U.S. students losing interest in China You're going to do business without language? Perhaps I don't understand these things?
Forums > Living in Kunming > environmental documentary @Geezeer: I know the difference between capital and Capitalism. haven't mentioned 'socialism', and if I did it would have little to do with your idea of 'true' socialism.
Your repeated statement: "China chose to...." - ok - next question is, Why did 'they' choose to? Wanting to 'win at any cost' is indeed 'an economic decision to obtain the business regardless'. That has meant: use coal, of which there's plenty in China. The Chinese leadership now begins to understand the downside - but they still have to 'win at any cost', and they've been moving away from a command economy for decades. China is a mixed economy - with a bit more command than many others, to be sure.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byDon't worry about it.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byYeah, well, it's perhaps useful to tourists and very new arrivals.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byWet markets, smells - yeah, but not all bad. Cf. sterile supermarkets.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byNice article, Ginger, and on a subject that one might not think about until, once one does, it's obvious that it should be explored.
The point about foreigners particularly applies, as you indicate, to people from milk-product-using 'western' countries and, as you indicate, it is one picked up in some southeast Asian countries as well - but foreigners from other areas will be pegged also (e.g., South Asians who use many different 'curry' spices, etc., that are not used so much in China).
And then there is the widespread smell of tobacco, noticeable primarily by those foreigners who don't use it. Baijiu has a particular smell also.
Food and Drug Administration issues southern China alcohol alert
Posted byThose responsible should have their faces publicly rubbed in the dirt.