From the desk of Gary Trudeau:
Ah, how conversations on human rights have changed under the present administration….reminds me of how too many recent discussions here in the ‘Jing have gone:
Sad, but true.
|
||||||
|
From the desk of Gary Trudeau: Ah, how conversations on human rights have changed under the present administration….reminds me of how too many recent discussions here in the ‘Jing have gone: Sad, but true. I like sleeping with the windows open. Summer. Winter. Whatever. I guess I am a bit of a fresh air freak. Which begs the obvious question: Why oh why do I live in the perpetual haze and permanent dust storm that is the Chinese capital? Last night was windy and this morning I awoke to a fine layer of dust and soot covering all surfaces of our apartment and my morning run was like jogging in a particle accelerator. I came back and turned on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer which had…Ah! The curse of coincidence…a feature on China’s Olympic preparations. I’ve been thinking a lot about expectations lately, and I’d be the first to admit that compared to five years ago the air in Beijing is–marginally–cleaner and more breathable. (I met my Dad once at the airport and he suggested that the plane might have had a fire. I shook my head and told him that, “No, it always smells like this.”) But the old coal smoke and industrial smog have been replaced by construction dust and the exhaust of conspicuous consumption. The athletes, fans, and journalists who hit town in two months won’t have the benchmark of Yeah I know…one week late. Ever since my unexpected visa detour to Hong Kong, I’ve been exactly one week behind on everything for a month. Nevertheless, now up at The China Beat (mainland link here): Like their May 4th predecessors, the young people of China write espousing a strong Chinese nation and their rhetoric is filled with pride and optimism for their country’s future. The passion and fire of May 4 is certainly there as well, even if the new media is an electronic one: Sohu, Tianya, and a universe of blogs and BBSs are the new New Youth. But something is missing: The marketplace of ideas. Today in China, even with the government tirelessly trying to limit access to alternative perspectives, bookstores and the Internet still abound with news, essays, translations, history, and philosophy, providing young people with an access to information far beyond the wildest dreams of their May 4 predecessors. But the desire to find out more, the craving to challenge assumptions and formulate multiple perspectives on complex issues is woefully absent. The youth of today write more than ever, more than any generation in recent memory with terabytes of opinion available online—but the anger and passion I will be hosting the Asian History Carnival here on May 12. I’ve already received a lot of great submissions in the past few weeks, if you have a post or an essay you’d like to have included, please drop me an email or leave a comment below. Sorry for going offline. Had to get my visa situation sorted out here in Beijing (a subject for a future post) and in today’s climate, I thought it best to go dark for a couple of weeks. Thank you to the many readers who emailed me wondering what was going on, it was very much appreciated. New posts coming soon including a new installment of the Asian History Carnival on Wednesday. |
||||||
|
Copyright © 2012 Jottings from the Granite Studio - All Rights Reserved
|
||||||