China earthquake
I had been planning to post something about the Sichuan earthquake for ages but couldn't think of the words. I just can't even begin to get my head around the thought of 80 000 people, mostly children, dead - and in so many cases purely because of shonky construction of the schools they attended. I have been a little obsessive about looking at photos and reading online and print reports of the earthquake. I have an early news report which states that 900 odd people had been killed. If only it had been that number instead of 80 000 (which is in no way meant to diminish the tragic deaths of those 900 people). 80 000 people is a bigger number than the total population of my hometown, I think that's partly why it's so difficult to grasp.
Now my posting is partly motivated by anger. Anger at the stupidity of a vacuous, well-past-her-prime "celebrity" like Sharon Stone saying it was "karma" that so many people died in the earthquake following Chinese treatment of Tibetans. I'm not going to go in to the Tibet issue. I have my views and yours may well be different. But to imply that little kids deserved to die because of their government's policies just shows an apalling lack of even basic notions of humanity or decency. Stone has since apologized but already Chinese cinema chains have vowed never to show her films again (which shouldn't be difficult anyway given that she's hardly ever in any these days and those she does make e.g. Basic Instinct 2 fall in a heap at the box office). I've also just read that Dior have pulled advertising with her face from their stores in China.
Of course there is a lot more than Sharon Stone to get angry at over the whole business. If only all the schools had been built decently maybe 160 000 odd parents wouldn't be grieving the loss of their only child. If only corruption wasn't so rife (and yep, there's corruption in Australia too, I'm not naive enough to think it doesn't happen here!) and local party cadres caring only about their next pay cheque from a dodgy developer instead of doing their jobs.
There have been some good things to come out of the earthquake. Firstly countries outside of China, especially in the West, have stopped this "let's give China a free kick" business which happened in the aftermath of the controversies over Tibet and the Olympic Torch relay, and have supported China. Hopefully this will also begin to change Chinese attitudes to the West as they realize that we're not all innately evil and determined to destroy them. What has also been incredibly humbling has been the response of people within China to the earthquake - showing the upside of nationalism. I heard about one woman in Beijing donating her monthly pension money to the earthquake relief fund. When people do that and the US donates $500 000 and Australia $1 million, it makes you wonder about priorities, who's right and who's wrong.
Now my posting is partly motivated by anger. Anger at the stupidity of a vacuous, well-past-her-prime "celebrity" like Sharon Stone saying it was "karma" that so many people died in the earthquake following Chinese treatment of Tibetans. I'm not going to go in to the Tibet issue. I have my views and yours may well be different. But to imply that little kids deserved to die because of their government's policies just shows an apalling lack of even basic notions of humanity or decency. Stone has since apologized but already Chinese cinema chains have vowed never to show her films again (which shouldn't be difficult anyway given that she's hardly ever in any these days and those she does make e.g. Basic Instinct 2 fall in a heap at the box office). I've also just read that Dior have pulled advertising with her face from their stores in China.
Of course there is a lot more than Sharon Stone to get angry at over the whole business. If only all the schools had been built decently maybe 160 000 odd parents wouldn't be grieving the loss of their only child. If only corruption wasn't so rife (and yep, there's corruption in Australia too, I'm not naive enough to think it doesn't happen here!) and local party cadres caring only about their next pay cheque from a dodgy developer instead of doing their jobs.
There have been some good things to come out of the earthquake. Firstly countries outside of China, especially in the West, have stopped this "let's give China a free kick" business which happened in the aftermath of the controversies over Tibet and the Olympic Torch relay, and have supported China. Hopefully this will also begin to change Chinese attitudes to the West as they realize that we're not all innately evil and determined to destroy them. What has also been incredibly humbling has been the response of people within China to the earthquake - showing the upside of nationalism. I heard about one woman in Beijing donating her monthly pension money to the earthquake relief fund. When people do that and the US donates $500 000 and Australia $1 million, it makes you wonder about priorities, who's right and who's wrong.