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Chen Guangcheng as an indicator of the decline of US power.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Guangcheng
I've been thinking a bit lately about EJ's recent comment listed below:
...and how it possibly related to the recent case of Chen Guangcheng.
From a clinical perspective, it can be easy to state that a single person is not worth damaging relations between two global powers with a combined population of over 1.5 billion people.
The good of the many outweigh the good of the few.
BUT, we've seen how individuals can be used for political purposes.
Most recently with the tragic case of Treyvon Martin.
The Treyvon Martin death has been used directly by President Obama and his administration. My opinion is that it was used to both distract the general public from far more pressing issues that deserve the media spotlight as well as a potential hot button topic to gain a decisive position in a critically important state in the US elections in 6 months time.
Treyvon Martin has served the current Administration and advertising supported and unethically exploited news media well.
In contrast, the case of Chen Guangcheng, which a generation ago would have represented an incredible opportunity for a US Administration to leverage against a Cold War opponent, is a political embarrassment.
This guy Chen Guangcheng is a civil/human rights BRAND SUPERSTAR with the right support.
He's got Suu Kyi/Myanmar and Mandela/South Africa potential....possibly FAR greater, with such a massive population.
His story is a marketer's dream....he's young, blind, was illiterate, now a self taught lawyer, david with integrity v corrupt goliath...absolute no question civil/human rights superstar potential.
But I don't see anyone leaping to support him, with one exception.
Actor Christian Bale attempted to visit him and had his @ss handed to him by Chinese security forces:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot6miFq0Y08
I remember efforts in the 80's by the music industry opposing Apartheid:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artists...inst_Apartheid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aopKk56jM-I
We also had a movie Lethal Weapon 2, which was a very financially successful and VERY strongly anti-apartheid film with explosions in it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_Weapon_2
But today we have a remake of an 80's film called Red Dawn(the original depicted a ridiculous Soviet invasion of America) in limbo. The film depicts an invasion of America by China.....which has now ben changed to North Korean so as not to offend the incredibly lucrative Chinese market:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dawn_(2012_film)
Where's the liberal Hollywood, actors, artists community today that used to be so quick to protest and help develop and grow these civil/human rights brands for mutual benefit?
Where's the 2012 versions of Peter Gabriel's "Biko" and AI/Police/Sting's Secret Policeman's Other Ball?
Are they too busy cashing cheques from China? Too afraid of doing so affecting their current and future cashflow?
I think the case of Chen Guangcheng represents a single clear indicator of EJ being right, that the US ALREADY is in subservient position with China.
A generation ago Chen Guangcheng would have been a massive political opportunity, but now appears to be only a political embarrassment publicly sidestepped at the highest levels of the US Administration.
But I'd go further to add that the liberal entertainment community which is historically quick to get on the trendy protest bandwagon appears almost completely absent from this conversation for quite possibly the same reasons.
Not really of any value to the forum in a finance/economic sense....but it's interesting to see a consequence of exchanging our collective integrity for our homes to be filled with cheap imported consumer products.
Just my 0.02c cents and opinion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Guangcheng
I've been thinking a bit lately about EJ's recent comment listed below:
Originally posted by EJ
From a clinical perspective, it can be easy to state that a single person is not worth damaging relations between two global powers with a combined population of over 1.5 billion people.
The good of the many outweigh the good of the few.
BUT, we've seen how individuals can be used for political purposes.
Most recently with the tragic case of Treyvon Martin.
The Treyvon Martin death has been used directly by President Obama and his administration. My opinion is that it was used to both distract the general public from far more pressing issues that deserve the media spotlight as well as a potential hot button topic to gain a decisive position in a critically important state in the US elections in 6 months time.
Treyvon Martin has served the current Administration and advertising supported and unethically exploited news media well.
In contrast, the case of Chen Guangcheng, which a generation ago would have represented an incredible opportunity for a US Administration to leverage against a Cold War opponent, is a political embarrassment.
This guy Chen Guangcheng is a civil/human rights BRAND SUPERSTAR with the right support.
He's got Suu Kyi/Myanmar and Mandela/South Africa potential....possibly FAR greater, with such a massive population.
His story is a marketer's dream....he's young, blind, was illiterate, now a self taught lawyer, david with integrity v corrupt goliath...absolute no question civil/human rights superstar potential.
But I don't see anyone leaping to support him, with one exception.
Actor Christian Bale attempted to visit him and had his @ss handed to him by Chinese security forces:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot6miFq0Y08
I remember efforts in the 80's by the music industry opposing Apartheid:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artists...inst_Apartheid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aopKk56jM-I
We also had a movie Lethal Weapon 2, which was a very financially successful and VERY strongly anti-apartheid film with explosions in it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_Weapon_2
But today we have a remake of an 80's film called Red Dawn(the original depicted a ridiculous Soviet invasion of America) in limbo. The film depicts an invasion of America by China.....which has now ben changed to North Korean so as not to offend the incredibly lucrative Chinese market:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dawn_(2012_film)
Where's the liberal Hollywood, actors, artists community today that used to be so quick to protest and help develop and grow these civil/human rights brands for mutual benefit?
Where's the 2012 versions of Peter Gabriel's "Biko" and AI/Police/Sting's Secret Policeman's Other Ball?
Are they too busy cashing cheques from China? Too afraid of doing so affecting their current and future cashflow?
I think the case of Chen Guangcheng represents a single clear indicator of EJ being right, that the US ALREADY is in subservient position with China.
A generation ago Chen Guangcheng would have been a massive political opportunity, but now appears to be only a political embarrassment publicly sidestepped at the highest levels of the US Administration.
But I'd go further to add that the liberal entertainment community which is historically quick to get on the trendy protest bandwagon appears almost completely absent from this conversation for quite possibly the same reasons.
Not really of any value to the forum in a finance/economic sense....but it's interesting to see a consequence of exchanging our collective integrity for our homes to be filled with cheap imported consumer products.
Just my 0.02c cents and opinion.