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Airplane manufacturer Boeing's headquarters in Everett, Washington was Hu Jintao's first stop in America because of the lucrative deal that China planned to sign. China has been a boon to Boeing, says the New York Times:
Boeing is the largest supplier of planes to China and wants to sell even more. Currently, more than 60 percent of the commercial plans operating in China — a total of 542 — are Boeing planes. In the two decades ahead, Boeing forecasts that China is expected to buy up to 2,600 planes, valued at $213 billion, as the country expands its air transportation systems.
The planes on order for 2008 are the so-called "Dreamliners" or 787 -- which used to be called the 7E7 -- the name change, according to Wkipedia, has to do with the clout of Boeing's Chinese customers:
In the end, Boeing claimed it merely stood for "Eight," after the aircraft was eventually rechristened "787" when several Chinese airlines ordered the product, Eight is a lucky number in many Asian cultures, and it was thought by some that Boeing seized upon this coincidence as a marketing tool.
Anyway, Hu was a big hit over at Boeing, especially after a Boeing employee gave him a baseball hat with the company logo on it:
Hu threw his arm around Dernier's shoulder as the two posed for photos in matching hats, then surprised the worker with a big American-style hug.As he closed the proceedings, Mulally pumped his fist and shouted, "China rocks!"
Fuck yeah! The Seattle Times, being one of the hometown papers, felt obliged to get some cons in with the pros. Some of the employees were ambivalent:
Miller is concerned about outsourcing. He said people from his work area are training Chinese workers in China. "There's a lot of animosity," he said. "People feel very bitter."Robert Thomas, who has been at Boeing since 1988 and now works on the 777, said before the speeches that "With domestic air carriers failing, if it weren't for Asian companies buying airplanes, we'd be hurting now."
He added: "I think most workers here are resigned to the fact that [Boeing] will be building parts in other countries, but we don't want to lose final assembly here."
They are resigned because Boeing has made such trends part of their company policy; one of their press releases states:
Today, more than 3,500 Boeing airplanes -- one third of Boeing's world fleet -- have major parts and assemblies built in China. Examples of major parts and assemblies built for Boeing by the Chinese industry include the 737 horizontal stabilizer from Shanghai Aircraft Corporation, 737 vertical fin from Xian Aircraft Corporation and 737 tail section modules from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation ... Boeing has offered free training to more than 27,000 Chinese aviation professionals since 1993 including pilots, maintenance, flight operations, quality and manufacturing personnel, executives and managers.
Boeing has about 600 million good reasons to do what they are doing; Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern, both Shanghai based, have ordered 24 of these planes between them.
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Mulally's excitement, while being silly, sounds innocent enough to me. By giving him the finger, Peijin my boy, what do you want to prove?
Is this part of the deal being Chinese American, therefore gotta raise your little arm higher to the Stars & Stripes?
"As he closed the proceedings, Mulally pumped his fist and shouted, “China rocks!”
Fuck yeah!"
well, if Mulallay's excitement is indeed silly, don't I have the right to make fun of it? The whole thing is a bit absurd -- the language used, the pomp and circumstance of it all -- while some might see it in very concrete terms as Boeing's economic lifeline, and therefore connect it to the livelihoods of american families, i see it as that, but also as a spectacle. The kind of understanding and exchange that happens between cultures and people doesn't happen at these banal, scripted events. If the thing is about money, then call a spade a spade and say so. I really have no patience for the fakeness and pretentiousness of these events. THere's no real communication between human beings here, just formalities: Mr. Hu, look at this, Mr. Hu we present you with that. And Mr. Hu, your jokes real funny, esp. for a guy who's so adept at repression. Furthermore, the whole thing smacks of the worst kind of collusion between big money and the Chinese elite -- which to be sure, is not news, but is still discomfiting for me to see, so openly. The whole "fuck yeah" thing is obviously a riff on the "Team America" movie, which itself satirizes certain aspects of american culture --which was my point. I don't know if that's giving them the finger, but certainly nothing i say has to do with being Chinese-american. I don't see how I can be attacking the "stars and stripes", because by that you mean "America," but i wouldn't know which America you refer to. Mullaly does not equal the stars and stripes and does not equal America -- I was born and raised in America, so he is not anymore representative than I am, unless you count the fact that he's probably white. That kind of event, that kind of exchange -- that's one aspect or strand of america, and i'm another. And now I'm poking fun at them. Go figure.
Well, Mulally can hardly be held responsible for the whole political and business circus, can't he? He's just a regular guy who felt a little elated from a hug. How much ideological indignation do you wish to pack into this, Peijin?
Yeah, give me more of that "repression" stuff, or other cheap, convenient knee-jerk reaction that passes for independent thinking. I thought I visit this site to run away from the usual "fen-qing" (愤青, or "indignant youth") gibberish.
Stars & Stripes: did I say Mulally represents that? OK, let me spell it out for you. The reason I brought it up is that, your frequent bouts of bitterness against your experience here can find their roots, at least partially, in a deep sense of insecurity, or "compromised identity". One has to be extra-critical of China and Chinese, in order not to be confused for a "foreigner" by fellow Americans. Being cynical towards anything that has to do with China is a good way to manifest one's "authenticity" as an American; that's what I meant by "raise one's arm higher than others to the Stars & Stripes".
So you see, I can be un-called-for cynical, too. It's an easy trick. Snap out of it.
the problem with you is that you read too much into things. I am really flattered that you would try to psychoanalyze me in this way, it might save me some therapy money. But no, i don't believe that i have to manifest my American identity by being critical of China, and being critical, i am hardly condescending, at least not in high and mighty westerner type way. I don't need to prove to anyone that i am American, because in China, most of the time, I don't speak English to other people or hang out with expats all the time. I am comfortable in my own skin, as a Chinese. I am also comfortable in my own skin as an American. If you have a problem with my writing, fine. Don't try to psychoanalyze me because it compromises the intelligence you show in your remarks.
Again, you missed my point about "stars and stripes". Because, as I said, i represent part of America, i don't need to prove my authenticity -- that notion, in itself, doesn't really affect me too much in day to day life.
Furthemore, as i said before, you read too much into things. I never singled out the guy and attacked him, he was just part of the event. Is this ideological indignation? Yes, perhaps, but not because of him, or because of Boeing, or Starbucks, or President Hu. I certainly do not want to appear as if I am picking on him in particular, if that was the impression I gave, then my writing needs work. I welcome that criticism.
"Easy trick" -- well, you're right, I have been thinking about the fact that i sound like a broken record. I would like to change that, and i suspect that when i have more time I will write about other things, perhaps more to your liking -- daily life, events in Shanghai, books and movies.
There are other writers on Shanghaiist. You can write for the site as well, esp. if you are more self-conscious and can prevent hte worst of your psychological proclivities from rearing their ugly heads in your writing. This site has other writers, and when there's a bit of a lull, maybe it sounds like just me, for which I apologize, but i can't do much about that personally. If you don't like what I write, skip over it. I try to write about different things than the other contributors, the fact that each person has their area of expertise and concern is what makes the site what it is.
Look, you want me to be less cynical here, perhaps more generous there -- but the bottom line is, even if i can accept your criticisms, I cannot always write the way you want. I am me, and that me is a bit more complex than your little "profile" suggests. What you ought to do is turn that ability of yours -- the psychological scrutiny -- to yourself, and try to figure out why 1. you think you know a person just from a several posts they write on a website and 2. you feel like you can psychoanalyze them using what notions you have of Chinese-Americans, some of which may well apply, and some of which do not. You must think that being critical of China that i want to prove my americannness and therefore I really love america. But in fact, you don't know what i think about America, do you? In fact, you don't even know what I think about China, or the various aspects of China.
if you're gonna criticize the writing, stick my writing. I want to make this site better and attract more readers. When you gratuitously psychoanalyze people and then call people names, that really doesn't help the cause. If you have any constructive suggestions or complaints, you can also email the editor (Dan Washburn) of this site.