Alright, I kinda wanna talk about something other than the earthquake, so here are some random things I’ve been thinking about.
First of all, there’s sports. A lot of people in the United States like to call Yao Ming and Liu Xiang tools of the CCP. I mean they really don’t have much personality when compared to people like Kobe Bryant and Deon Sanders, they seem to always go along with the party line, and basically are just objects for fueling China’s nationalism. But I think it’s difficult to understand the Yao and Liu craze in China especially when one is American. I mean the United States has dominated lots of sports in the past so when an American athlete wins a gold medal, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m not too sure what happened in Argentina after their basketball team won the gold in Athens, but I would think that at least some people thought it was awesome. However, Argentina was always pretty decent in basketball, if not too spectacular. Liu Xiang and Yao Ming’s successes would be understandable only if a Somalian ping pong player wins the gold in Beijing. Imagine that… a Somalian ping pong player returns home to end the civil war and brings peace to Mogadishu.
And… street vendors and illegal entrepreneurs. Today as I was walking to work, a whole bunch of black taxis that usually sit outside the subway station got ambushed by three real police officers and about two dozen security guard/toy soldiers. They were all sitting in their cars looking very gloomy as the police got their information and proceeded to herd them all off into vans. Anyone who has been in China for any period of time would have witnessed at least one incident of street vendors suddenly disappearing as the police come rolling by. A lot of people, Chinese and foreign, would also say they don’t like these street vendors since they’re always bugging you about buying their junk or take up valuable sidewalk space. I, on the other hand, think that the reason why they exist is to fill out a local market demand.
So people need a ride on a rainy day during rush hour. The taxis are full. Who’re you gonna call? Ghost busters? Probably not, but a black taxi wouldn’t be so bad. Sure, they’re not all that safe and there’s not much recourse if something bad happens, but that’s why you gotta look at the costs and benefits. No one is forcing anyone to take a black taxi. If they’re willing to wait forever for a real taxi to stop by, that’s fine. If they’re willing to take the risk and take a black taxi, that’s fine too. I guess this is one area where I think the government should just butt out. I mean the illegal lamb on a stick tastes a lot better than the ones in restaurants in my honest opinion.
What else is there… oh. Chinese haxors. So there was a recent article published about how some Tibetan blog was haxed by some Chinese hacker group. Back in the 1990s, hackers were considered so cool. I mean they even made a terrible movie about it with people on roller blades, weird hair, and some hot babe who was also a l33t haxor. But yeah, hackers aren’t too popular these days, at least they no longer have that mystique from back in the 90s. Chinese hackers have been growing in numbers and they’ve been pretty good at supplying the masses with hacked .exes and .iso images for computer games and software. They’ve also been putting fear into the hearts of other governments since everyone’s afraid that the CCP will utilize these patriotic hackers into attacking sensitive and military sites. I… don’t really have too much to say about this. Let’s move on.
Ah forget it, I’ll just end with a link talking about local democracy and the earthquake.
“A lot of people in the United States like to call Yao Ming and Liu Xiang tools of the CCP.”
Really? I have followed both of these athletes for years (from where I live in the US), and I have never heard or read such comments about them. I mean, aside from the usual commie-baiters, I think most Americans who follow sports really appreciate Yao’s and Liu’s talents.
On sports: It may not be a big deal for the Americans if they can just keep winning. But once they start to lose, especially in their favorite games, they will make a fuss too. Let’s what will happen if their basketball team does not win in this year’s Olympics. Americans like athletes who have personalities, but that only apply to winners. That is, if you lose, you better be quiet. The pressure for American athletes to win is enormous, and I think that’s one important reason why many of them use illegal drugs. Just look at baseball, cycling, track and fields.
On the black taxis and street vendors: The demand for them is due to the low prices they offer. They can charge less because they avoid taxes.
@ Realist – I’m actually not too sure since I’ve been in China for the past two years. My views on Americans who talk about Liu Xiang is very likely skewed since I only notice negative comments bad-mouthing them on blog comments.
@ Wood – Well, black taxis aren’t always cheaper. For example, back in Guangdong, the regular bus ride to my university takes 4 RMB from the local town. The black taxi costs 5 RMB. The reason why they can charge more is because while the bus comes once every half an hour, you can leave right then and there with the black taxi so there are different types of incentives for people to use unofficial services.
I am not sure what those are? From your description, how is that different than, for example, American police dealing with illegal vendors or Code Enforcement from the City about your homemade/substandard/illegal improvements? Yes, do let me come to your house and teach you how to raise your kid or how to fuck your wife.
@ Black Taxi – Black Taxis are illegal taxis. They’re normal people with cars who wait outside subway stations or shopping centers offering taxi services for people, but they operate without a license.