After writing my term-paper (which is available for anyone who wants to read it) I have come to the conclusion that the Chinese government still has a strong hold on media, education, and entertainment. The Cultural Revolution is not lectured on in schools…this includes Universities where intellectual thougth is supposed to be encouraged and free. However this is not the case…there no classes dedicated to the CR…there arent even references to it in textbooks. It’s not mentioned in the news, in books, or even at home. People who do wish to talk about it (in other people’s books) either give a psuedonym or no name at all.  Most children aren’t even sure about what he CR was. They know it was bad…but thats about it. Some hear stories from parents or grandparents, but even that is very hush-hush. 

Most of the blame for teh CR is put on Maos wife and his senior officers. While it is understood that Mao was in charge at the time, most Communist officials point  to all the good that Mao has done for teh country…30bad but 70 good.

In 2005 a museum dedicated to the CR was opened. While it was recieved international acclaim, the majority of the people who go and see it are surivors of the revolution…not children. Furthmore, the government has limited publicity to the museum, hurting attendence even further.

This would be like the US ignoring or trying forget about the Civil War(1861-65) , Slavery (1503-1865), or the Civil Rights movement…its on that level. The thing is…China is doing a good job at it.  

Chinese stereotypes in Movies…1918 style

I recently watched a silent movie titled the Broken Blosom or The Yellow Man and the Girl. Filmed in 1918, must have been very controvecial during its hayday. The story goes as such. a Recent Chinese immigrant, Cheng Huan, comes to London for a better life and to spread the message of Buddah; peace.. While working as a shop owner, a girl passes out in front of is store. The girl, Lucy Burrows, had been beathen  by her father a local boxer. Both the daughter and father are white (this comes into play later). He comes to the rescue of the girl and takes her into her home.  Huan soon falls in love with Lucy and Lucy falls in love with him. This is unacceptable to the father who tries to break it up.

After a little background information, here are my thoughts.  FirstHuan was played by a white actor Mr. Richard Barthelmess. This was not unusual for that time however. But what i do find unusual is the fact that a Chinese man and a white woman were allowed to have romantic feelings for one another even though his feelings were “pure”. This brings about another question. Could the only a “pure” innocent relationship be the only relationship thatan asian and a white have? I also find it interesting that Huan is dressed in clothes from the dating from the Qing Dynasty. Even his hair is Quing. The movie was filmed in 1917-1918,  and the Qing ended in 1912. Very intersesting. The directors used a white actor to play a Chinese sterteotype only to spread is message of peace. below is the link for the movie.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0009968/#comment

American Tractors Vs. Chinese Tractors…the showdown

Yesterday at work I met an interesting business man. His name was Phil and he sold industrial kitchen equipment in and around the world. Believe it or not, there is great deal of money to be made in that particular niche…but I digress. While talking about his work, the topic of out-sourcing came up. He told me that the Chinese are starting to build grills that are identical to those made in the
United States by American Air. We all know that companies transfer their manufacturing needs to foreign countries because it is cheaper to produce them there than in the
U.S. This may be true, but what are you giving up in terms of quality? How much better or worse are the products coming out of these counties?

            Phil told me that one particular industrial dishwasher he markets costs around one million dollars. The machine has thousands of moving parts, and requires a high level of ingenuity to both design and create. This is where the conversation got interesting. He informed that while the washer was made in the
US. If the same washer was made in China it would cost 3/5 of
US production cost. It may seem sensible to make them there, but on the average (according to Phil) kitchen equipment made in
China has no where near the same quality as its American counterparts. He mentioned how their machines are often cheaply made and constantly plagued with problems. While a person may pay 40% less for a Chinese made dishwasher, how much time, effort, and money do you have to invest in fixing a faulty product? In business, time is money, and if you equipment is not working right, than money is just going down the drain. I personally would not want to have to repair something (due to poor quality) that I just paid 600,000 dollars for. After Phil left, it got me thinking about other things. What kind of products are still made in the
US (or in developed countries) and Why?

            Agricultural products (tractors), heavy machinery (bulldozers), and software, are among the items still made in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and in
Western Europe. But why? These items require a great amount of technology and work to create. Furthermore, the tiniest design flaw can cause huge expenses or costly damage. I’m not saying that the Chinese can not produce a good tractor, but there is a reason why Massey tractors are build in Canada, John Deer in Iowa, and Caterpillar in
France. They make a superior product, people recognize that, and choose to buy their products over other  products build in developing countries. Even Honda and Toyota, Japanese companies, have factories throughout the Midwest and
Southern United States.

So, in conclusion, buy Chinese cell phones, underwear, and toys…they work just the same as their American counterparts. However if you don’t mind spending extra money for a high-end, quality product (such as cars, and combines, and tractors), then buy American, Japanese, Canadian, European, or Australian products.

One bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer- Analysis

back by popular demand….here is my analysis of the song….One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer by George Thorogood

While many may find my choice of music absurd, believing it lacks historical significance, I beg to differ.  The song represents the lives and struggles many blue collar American workers were experiencing in the late 1970s. Growing up in
Claymont, Delaware, a town whose economy was dependent on the manufacturing of steel and chemicals, George Thorogood both saw and felt the effects of heavy-industry leaving American shores and moving overseas. Up until that point in time, north-eastern New Castle County, Delaware and south-eastern
Delaware County, Pennsylvania were known for their refineries, and chemical and steel plants. Many people relied on these jobs for their livelihood. Yet when the plants began to close, people began losing their jobs and the area began sliding into an economic depression. My mother, who both lived in the area and knew George Thorogood personally, remembers how the neighborhoods began to change. She said bars would be full around 12 (she was a waitress at the time) and how men would spend their day drinking, reading the newspaper, or both.  The song talks about this in great detail.  Furthermore, the song’s narrator (the song is more a story than ”traditional” song) was unemployed. His unemployment led to eviction evicted, which in turn led to heavy drinking. In addition, his choice of drinks suggests that he may not have had that much money to spend on alcohol. He did not buy a glass of brandy or a snifter of wine. He bought bourbon, scotch, and a beer. 

The song is about more than drinking. The song is about the struggles one man experiences during the economic-restructuring of his hometown and his struggle to survive in a place with limited opportunities. Luckily George Thorogood could write and sing songs that have lasted through the decades.

Wed. Video

After watching Wednesday’s video I began thinking “is china really a superpower?”. 
United States has an unemployment rate of roughly 5%. Given many people are employed in the service industry, yet they are receiving a paycheck nonetheless. But in
China, people are marching in the streets because of unemployment. I understand that social unrest exist, and that every country and society march and protest, however I asked Dr. F if this was common in China and the answer was “yes” Yes, China is our largest debtor, but can we really consider a country who marches day after day in the streets over unemployment while another large portion of the population is making consumer goods in factories a “superpower”. I’m not sure. I will say that they’re damn good investors and smart ones at that, but how many citizens are investing on a personal level? 50% American regularly invest in stock, bonds, CDs, IRAs…etc. I’m not sure where
China is going, but I’m not too impressed. Furthermore for the all the Johnny RainClouds who will say “their hosting the Olympics in 2008″ remember that the city of 
Sarajevo hosted the Olympics too, and look where there are now. The Olympics are not a sign of prosperity. Atlanta got the Olympics but
New York did not….

I’m back from the dead

Dear History 471,

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged and I’m sure it has pained you  just as much as it has Dr. F. not to see my post (I’m sure my  participation points took quite a beating too). But I’m here to change my ways. From this week forward I will be a faithful blogger. Not only will I post new material, it will also be quality as well. I have realized my mistakes and will be a participating student from this point out. As matter of fact, after this Wed.’s discussion, I will write another blog about my feelings on the subject. Guys, I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long…but never again.

Dwyane

Topic

Well goodness…who knew developing a topic would be so tough? I have been dwelling on this for a while now and have come up with few ideas. While the my topic is still in the “development” stages, my focus seems to be toward the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). I know it’s a broad subject and I’m trying to fine tune it into a research paper-worthy topic. I always found it interesting how people (the masses) could be “duped” into following leader so blindly. This has been the case throughout history; Hitler, Mao, Emperor Hirohito, etc. Mao however was different from the other two. While Hitler and Hirohito’s main focus was expanding their empires and defeating their enemies, their enemies were typically sovereign states. Mao focused his attention of the culture of China as a whole, and his countrymen and women followed him. Nearly half a million people died during this time, and production, railroads, and commercial industry came to a standstill, yet people followed the message of the wise Chairman Mao.
Furthermore, I believe it would be interesting to see how participants of the C.R. feel about the time and their actions 30-40 years later. I am unsure about how to write the paper though. Should it be narrative in nature focusing more on facts, or should the majority of the substance lay in the experiences and accounts of those who witnessed the CR?
I have several sources on the subject, and I don’t believe it would be very tought to find others.