The FARANG Speaks 2 Much

As some who read the blog may know, I can’t just write about the “scene” otherwise the full picture of Asia would never emerge. I have another post in the can about a run-in with the beanbag on the 3rd floor but that will just have to wait. Don’t worry - I got pics. However while perusing the Asia Times online the other day I ran across this.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IC17Ad03.html

I have my opinions about China having worked there and managed a team there but I do think there are some great points made in this article and some others worth noting. Let me give it a whack…

China is an interesting place and I enjoyed checking it out but I did not enjoy working or having to live there. Hong Kong was a blast but China is slowly bleeding it out and once they fully fill in the HK harbor there won’t be an Island left and then they can call it China - as they always have wanted to do. My guess is if they could fill in the Tawain Strait as a way to connect it up to China they would as well - thus completing their goal of a One China Policy.

China has a problem. They are growing like mad but the lower class is feeling none of the Love and the middle class is uncertain how best to maintain their growing standard of living without having to be bothered by the ever restless lower class. Given that there is no inkling of Democracy(remember they were suppose to let HK vote but didn’t) and the human rights issues continue to spiral out of control - China is going to have some rough times ahead.
A quote from the Asia Times sums this all up quite well,

Mann argues that the new Chinese middle class may fear a wave of populism that could turn back the tide of economic modernization and consequently destroy the fragile well-being they currently enjoy. As a result, the rush to embrace political reform that would put the middle class on the same footing as the peasantry has built-in resistance from precisely the people most Americans engage when traveling to China.

This is such a good point. The people doing business with China see all the good stuff and almost none of the bad stuff and assume a growing China is a good thing. It is a good thing if they manage it right but with a non-open financial market, atrocious human rights behaviors and a total lack of democracy this current growth spurt could lead to trouble.

I have always felt the trouble will come from within. China will struggle to keep the poor from revolting and as the numbers grow it will become close to impossible and they will not be able to keep the world from seeing how bad it will get. Just look at the small but frequently occurring riots that continue to plague the master plan.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bus-fares-spark-riots-in-china/2007/03/14/1173722558892.html
This post can of snowballed on me since I had only planned to talk about this article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070314/sp_nm/china_parliament_olympics_dc_2

It caught my attention because one of my first experiences in China, actually Macau, was with a very public display of uncivilized behavior. I just don’t think u can teach grown adults to become civil given that their behavior is so over the top to begin with.

So there I was on my first trip to Macau. Maacu used to be a Portuguese settlement that China took back much in the same way they took HK back from the British. Macau is special though, China has allowed it to become the only legal gambling city in all of China and since then it has become bigger than Las Vegas. It is a zoo of China, Las Vegas and Portugal all mixed into one. Great food, neat buildings, Casinos, clubs, girls and every little vice on display for all of Asia to gorge on. I loved the place but just like Vegas or Pattaya after a few days u feel dirty and need to go home to shower.

So I popped into my first casino, this is before the Vegas style casinos opened, and headed over to the blackjack tables. These casinos have more people that tables so u have to pick a seat and wait in line for the person gambling to move on. Many times this wait is so long that is is customary for people to place bets on people gambling so as a chance to actually see some action otherwise u might wait an hour or more to play. I did not bet on any of them since they all played terribly but I did wait my turn.

At one point I was next in line behind an old Chinese guy who was basically handing the house is pocketbook since I do not even think he understood the game. No wonder why Macau is already a bigger money taker than Vegas with 1/10 the gambling space. I was standing pretty close behind him so I could watch the action and ensure that I was next up since the Chinese tend to cut in line anytime they catch u off guard. Next thing I know the old man was coughing and hacking like he was getting ready to expel a lung. Then all the noise stopped to give way to an eerie silence that was further broke by a horrific and all too long throat clearing session. It suddenly dawned on me that this guy had just produced a massive amount of throat phlegm that needed to go somewhere. I then watched in slow motion as he turned his head to the right and aimed at the floor, I used my inner  source of disgust to miss by mere cunt hairs this massive wad of spit that landed right next to my feet. He then wiped his mouth and returned to the game. I sheepishly gave up my place in line since I did not want to share the floor with this monstrosity that seemed to have a life of its own and I needed some fresh air. As I shuffled out of my spot the line filled in the space I had vacated thus grinding the spit into the already tacky carpet of the Casino Lisboa. As I walked out of the gambling room I happened to notice the sign above the doorway. No Spitting - written in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Portuguese, and English.

Maybe they are civil but just can’t read?

Anyway. Dollhouse on cowboy is the new Shark. More on that soon…