Shanghaiist: 2008 Olympics: Migrant workers and bed sheets

FYouTonyTang

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:56:43 +0800

Tony Tang, You are correct. I DON'T have the balls to leave my real name...for I am not a man. But you...strip search, huh? So you're a pervert...

FYouTonyTang

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:19:51 +0800

Tony Tang, F**K YOU TONY TANG. You're f**king stupid.

nanheyangrouchuan

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:47:22 +0800

Pretty cruddy morning here in Tokyo, you never know where I'll end up in a few hours...

nanheyangrouchuan

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:46:23 +0800

Next time you see a traveling businessperson in an expat bar, wonder for a moment...

nanheyangrouchuan

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:45:24 +0800

"Sometimes i wonder if you would want every foreigner living in China to get up in arms and take a stand against the Chinese government" That is up to chinese people, but the cooperation of foreign companies makes it quite a bit harder when foreign companies help block the internet, monitor cell phone messages, scan email, and western governments help beef up China's internal security forces with training and tools. Additionally, these companies lobby the US and EU governments to go against principles and "let business do business". By your name, I am guessing you are from a chinese family. Remember your history, some of these companies, and these same types of "business people" continued to sell steel, electrical parts and bombs to the Japanese WHILE Manchuria was being invaded. Heck, the US taught the Japanese how to build aircraft carriers and do flight operations. The Europeans and US hoped to "pacify" Hitler with metal, fuel and technology while Poland and Czechoslovakia were being invaded and while Jews, Gypsies and Catholics were being herded into railroad cars. All just business, huh. And those people were just making a living. I did my time teaching english around Y2K and I know not all expats are bad, I also know that some are criminals who have done some pretty bad things or ducking child support. Some like to treat women in an uncool way, some just want to make money by any and all means necessary. I parlayed my experience into a traveling job which does include China and one day I decided I couldn't close my eyes and hum "the sky is blue and the grass is green" anymore. And after the release of Ethan Gutman's book "Losing the new China" I decided to stay on the job and 'make the most out of my work'. I also met others like me at various international business functions, I segue their info and mine onto the general internet to teach people about what really goes on here and to scold those who continue to "tow the line". Some information is not meant for public consumption and is directed as such. You can think what you want about what I have to say about doing business in China and the expat community. I believe in what I am doing and I have a clean conscience, can all expats say that? Whatever you did to earn the wrath of the PSB, you were brave and I commend you for it. Oh, and I am sure you know, as do other foreigners, that "developing China" is a BS reason why they came. "Tapping the market potential" is one of the reasons, but so is ahem, making the most out of cheap, abusable, disposable labor (even skilled labor...plenty of chinese accountants and engineers putting in 14hrx6 day weeks) and the convenience of hollow environmental regulation. In other words, the bottom line is all that really matters to these companies and entrepreneurs. I am fulfilling the job of a critic to a T, and criticising me is not part of that function, there are plenty of people who have that job.

peijin

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 02:32:18 +0800

Nanheyangrouchuan: I don't know if you live in Shanghai or China, but if you do, i certainly wonder how you manage to do so, or rather, why you would bother doing so. Sometimes i wonder if you would want every foreigner living in China to get up in arms and take a stand against the Chinese government. Sometimes it seems you think that all of us are in bed with them. Do you really think that most people here are "towing the line?" People have to make a living. I got briefly detained by the police once over here for doing something that you might have approved of, and during that time i was plenty afraid of what might happened if i didn't pick and choose which battles to fight and when. If live here, and I plan on continuing to live here because my career and people that i care about depend on it. You probably are used to getting flack from other people on this site and other. I notice that whenever you are criticized, your rejoinder is something to the effect of "you don't have any principles and you don't want to see the truth." In other words, we're "towing the line" and "singing par-dee songs." The function of a critic is to point out what is wrong with something, be it a movie or a book or a country -- but to do so without ever turning the critical eye inwards is to effectively argue for your own moral perfection because you are the sole possessor of truth. Don't know if that's how you see yourself, but in case you're wondering, that's how you come off.

tony tang

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 23:00:28 +0800

Bob, Fair enough. You do have a point, and that obviously is how my government feels too, as they have not adopted any policies similar to what i was proposing Revenge though, I can assure you I do not feel this way. I am friends with many such people here in the States. I merely feel that in all fairness, they don't have the right to go back to China and get a free ride now that things are going much better, when they were the first ones to take cover and run when things weren't going well. It's a slap in the face to people like my parents who stayed through the tough times and are now living a much better life. I'm sure many chinese who remained in china feel the same way I do, and I don't think it's jingoism. No need for revenge, I'll still be friends with these people.

nanheyangrouchuan

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:46:44 +0800

I'd rather be honest than keep my head down and sing par-dee songs while towing the line.

observer

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:11:47 +0800

nanheyangrouchuan: You took the words right outta my mouth. Hahahahaha Good, now it'll have enough space for the pickles you enjoy so much! j/k. :)

nanheyangrouchuan

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:49:40 +0800

It is quite a stretch to compare someone who says bad things about the place they were in to someone who joined an army dedicated to destroying way of life of the country they were born in.

Bob Holness

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:10:30 +0800

Tony, I see where you are coming from and why you would want those particular people treated like animals - anger and want for revenge are basic human emotions. However, wouldn't it be better, more mature, less petty to take the moral high ground, forgive those you feel have slighted you? It's a toughie swallowing ones pride, but hey, that's life. What advantage does China get by doing what you are espousing? It's just more negative publicity that unfortuantely does nothing to disprove the image that a lot of the world has about China.

tony tang

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:38:27 +0800

zat you're losing me there... blind nationalism? I am merely saying, that if some chinese people choose to leave china, choose to make other countries their home, and choose to make venomous remarks about china and teach their children to hate china, fine, they have a right to live their lives however they want. But one day if they decide to come back and make a few quick bucks off china's boom, to which they have contributed absolutely nothing, it's not that simple. as far as i'm concerned, they're not welcome back. i made a clear distinction between how various groups should be treated, i don't think that's blind nationalism. i'm not sure why you would feel that way. ask a hummer driving, rifle toting, bible chomping conservative from Texas, how they feel about john walker (the american guy who joined the Taliban), and trust me, you'll get an answer that is far more jingoistic than mine. I am pretty mild, believe me on that one.

nanheyangrouchuan

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 22:31:19 +0800

You took the words right outta my mouth.

observer

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 15:43:58 +0800

Nanheyangrouchuan, You must have a lot of time on your hands. I think it speaks volumes that you watch China so closely. Do you keep a box of tissues next to you as you type these comments? Why don't you concentrate on making things better in your own country rather than pointing out faults in others. It's rather easy to criticize. No country is perfect. If I remember correctly, the United States, not long ago, enforced segregation and anti-miscegenation laws. Them good ol' boys didn't like young buck laying down with snow white so they lynched 'em. But when Chinese guys get upset (on the internet) over someone bragging, (Chinabounder) you love to generalize, make it political, and criticize. Even with all of China's faults, the average person's life is better in many ways. I'm sure you don't want to acknowledge this or give credit for this. Thanks for pointing out the obvious- you've done a great job in "exposing" the truth. I know now that I will boycott all Chinese goods that are feeding that political monster. You deserve a Pulitzer for such in-depth and salient analysis (on the Shanghaiist forum no less). Your posts on this site and others, are being heard by policy makers in the US and China. Thank you for helping everyone to see the light. You are indeed a guiding light of common sense, truth, justice, freedom, and the American way! Next time you can save a lot of typing by just condensing your thoughts to: China sucks! USA all the way!

Zat Liu

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:08:13 +0800

Tony, I agree with your opinion on the migrate workers. But the strip search part, whoa, you can almost start a segregation here. I understand where this comes from, but blind patroism gets you no where.

tony tang

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 09:40:46 +0800

oh also about the smoking thing (and you can tack on spitting as well), based on my years in china, the people most guilty of these things are...you guessed it...city people, and not the "dirty", "shabby" migrant workers they despise. that's all you need to know about what these high class city folks are about

nanheyangrouchuan

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 06:20:16 +0800

Chinese people who have chosen to be foreign? Maybe they just wanted to get away from oppression, filth and lies. That makes them better than those who want to contribute to the rise of China under the current government, which is bad, bad, bad. Its good to see the real chinese attitude come forward regarding the treatment of the everyday people who really make China tick. Not snotty foreign executive traitors, not piggish government leaders and not arrogant urban chinese yuppies. It is those dirty people who make your country run and also have a history of toppling bad administrations. Its about time people saw China for what it really is.

tony tang

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 04:37:40 +0800

to usagi foreigners who are friendly towards china (like dan washburn), will be welcomed with open arms, flowers, and smiles overseas chinese who are friendly towards china who have in some way contributed to china's rise, will be welcomed with open arms, flowers, and smiles foreigners who are unfriendly towards china, will still be welcome though with less fanfare. Even Japanese are welcome; after all, they're not chinese, they're not obligated to suck our d***s. As for people whose roots are in China but have chosen to be foreign and hold nothing but animosity towards China, will be welcomed with a strip search and and any remaining family members they have in China should receive a visit from the PSB So, any non-aboriginal Taiwanese must be strip searched. Any overseas Chinese who has contributed nothing to China's rise, who have for years made venomous remarks about the motherland, and is now back to grab a few quick bucks off China's boom must be strip searched. as for migrant workers, any chinese who can look back a few generations and tell me that their ancestor were not dirty, smelly, shabbily dressed farmers, totally have a right to want to kick them out. I just have a sneaking suspicion that those Chinese are very very few and far between. Also, to people who write pointed remarks here but don't have the balls to leave their real names...that's pretty small.

nanheyangrouchuan

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 14:42:17 +0800

It is starting to be reported and the IOC is supposedly "concerned" but those sellouts who dropped out of UN school will still hold the Olympics there while a wall of PAP soldiers keep the untouchables out and the foreign guests in. The Munich Olympics shows history is repeating...and the world is ready to sell out in an instant.

Bob Holness

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 14:26:02 +0800

Tony Tang, I hope you are being sarcastic. Nanheyan, I'm sure it will be reported all over the world that the govt is shipping out the migrants to try to have the effect you mention. This will backfire, I'm sure most visitors will be well aware that it's not the real China but a face put on.

usagi

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 08:36:07 +0800

Tony is China on HIGH terriost alert there? TO STRIP SEARCH everyone? how is that going to solve the problem ? what are u getting at, kinda confused, please explain. in your words, anyone that is not in China or have foreign country life experiences should all be damned.

usagi

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 08:33:25 +0800

lots of different people hang out all the time, yes, granted that they did help to build the 'NEW' China, but still, the more people, the more security risks, are u going to take money out of your own pocket to pay for all the extra man power to guard the city and its people? people meaning, everyone that is there, regardless if they have residence or not.

nanheyangrouchuan

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 03:51:58 +0800

The par-dee just wants to project an image "modernity" and "civil culture" without the teeming masses that made today's china. "Look! China is so modern! Everyone is tall, fair skinned and well dressed? How do they have the time to work so hard building everything aaaaaaaaand go shopping at modern malls? While driving their modern cars? Wow! China is so modern and there are no poor people!" I think that is what the par-dee is hoping to hear from the throngs of foreign visitors.

Tony Tang

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 01:49:00 +0800

we really need to make sure we stick the knife where it belongs Migrant workers are the ones who build the stadium, do all the nitty gritty and get no credit for it... on the other hand, we welcome taiwanese with open arms? in my opinion, all taiwanese who try to enter china around the olympic time, needs to be STRIP SEARCHED, and have their backgrounds checked extensively before being allowed into my country actually, while we're at that, we need to extend these policies to any overseas chinese, whose families left china around, oh i don't know, 1949? We need to check what their families have been up to, what kind of comments have they made regarding china... By framing the problem correctly, we can better identify the segments we should be targeting (or where to stick our knife), I just learned that in marketing strategy. Gotta love MBA!!

nanheyangrouchuan

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 23:30:41 +0800

Will there be a mass games demonstration too? I can't believe some people actually hope this country surpasses the US, what kind of barbaric, primitive, thin-skinned behavior is this?