【Hot discussion】Western world's sense of moral superiority

azeng

I am a Chinese and spent three years in US studying law and working as a lawyer. I consider myself as a Chinese deeply influenced by Western culture for which I have a lot of respect. And yet this time I am so totally outraged by what the western world have done to China and Chinese. I see an arrogant, biased and hypocritical western world with no sense of proportion and perspective. Looking back to the path of western world's modernisation, I see blood, death, war, killing, looting and pursecution. What have you done to Africans, Asians and native Indians?  The whole bloody history of aggression and exploitation of other countries and civilizations is so conveniently forgotten by the western world.  Granted they have built up modern democratic judicial and political systems - but don't forget that is only after they had pretty much concurred the rest of the world.  "Well fed and then comes the sense of decency".  In short, I fail to see which part of Western world's history of modernisation can be used to justify their sense of moral superority.  
All these once again tell us Chinese only one thing, and one thing only, and that is: It's all about power.  We as a people must be working even harder to build a more powerful country.  
We also need to make genuine efforts to reform our systems, in a gradual but efficient way, to get rid of things that have hindered progression of our society. With improvement in education and living standards, our government should not concern too much about social and even political liberalization (but that absolutely must be done in a gradual and orderly fashion).
Tibet was, has been, is and will always be part of China!

Andrew Z
Beijing

[ Last edited by ImmortalCHN at 19-6-2008 22:14 ]

solomon_ha

I cannot agree with you any more.

here is a article posted in a Hong Kong forum illustrated the view of a Russian Journalist about the media war by the western world.
I am not sure if I can translate them all in English.
Could someone find the English Version for us or could someone translate it for us?
Thanks a lot.

俄新社:聖火遭擾表明西方用信息恐怖主義維繫霸權

專題:中國民眾反對西方媒體對西藏事件的不實報道

俄新社10日文章：奧運聖火和信息恐怖主義（作者是政治觀察家德米特裡·科瑟列夫）

奧運聖火傳遞一再遭到干擾表明，西方國家因擔心其全球主導權受威脅，使用信息武器對付中國等全球競爭者，這種手法的骯髒與不道德程度絲毫不亞於恐怖主義。西方通過所謂的非政府組織，利用不明真相的群眾，肆無忌憚地使用這種手法。

沒有人會終止奧運聖火的全球傳遞。正當第16屆國際奧協代表大會與會者聚首北京時，關於這個問題的流言在全球傳播。大會召開前夕，國際奧委會主席羅格表示，儘管倫敦和巴黎的反華示威者企圖搗亂和撲滅聖火，但奧委會不打算結束奧運聖火的傳遞。

奧運聖火將繼續自己的旅程，並最終順利抵達第29屆夏季奧運會舉辦地北京。

現在已經可以開始得出一些結論。它們涉及在大國集團的主要玩家地位發生轉變的時期，什麼能做，什麼不能做。

當今世界主要大國的政府已經不能也不想彼此開戰，甚至於不想在大國集團中一較高低。但這僅僅是政府的態度。非政府組織(或所謂的非政府組織)積極挑撥相互競爭的大國之間的關係。爭奪明日世界的戰爭看起來是這樣的：爭取世界主導權的國家(像中國)的最強大武器是經濟。考慮到現在經濟全球化，不要說發生在中國的危機，就是發生在泰國的危機也可能令歐美蒙受損失。而正在失去世界領導權的大國最鍾愛的武器是信息。我們從妄圖借奧運激怒中國，使北京採取不適當舉動的事件中看到了這一點。

實際上，我們過去也曾見到過類似情形。例如1999年南聯盟戰爭前和戰爭中發生的事。當時，媒體自由以某種出人意料的方式使新聞報道形成了齊刷刷一邊倒的局面：科索沃恐怖分子、殺人犯和侵略者成了自由鬥士，塞族人倒成了殺戮者。這對當時相信媒體報道公正客觀和自由思想競爭的所有人來說，不啻一個很好的教訓。

信息武器是一種骯髒與不道德程度絲毫不亞於恐怖主義的把戲。因為這兩種情況所利用的都是不明真相的旁觀者。對一個愚昧、孱弱、要求「西藏自由」並企圖弄滅奧運火炬的歐洲婦女，你能怎樣呢？不能給她當頭一棒。她真誠地相信，中國當局對「西藏人民的痛苦」置之不理。其他一些非政府組織極其骯髒和愚蠢的宣傳關注的也是這一點，它們的宣傳所指望的也正好是愚昧的並希望一直愚昧下去的人。

歐美文明使這一卑劣的利用憤怒公民的藝術得到了完善，使這些公民自願並自費成立非政府組織。沒有「痛苦者」的支持，歐洲人和美國人會覺得少了某種東西。這些人的崇高能量被巧妙地用於針對全球競爭者的「另一場戰爭」，這場戰爭是非常現實的。

為什麼這些活動的組織者有恃無恐？要知道世界上這樣的「西藏」有170個，也就是說，有170個地區可以為要求從某個國家獨立出去而人為地成立民族運動。這種「西藏」有一部分就在歐洲和美國。

答案非常簡單。如果西方文明把信息遊戲變成了一門偉大的藝術，那麼對於中國和其他一些文明來說，信息不過是枯燥的繁文縟節的一部分，在需要的時候要正確地遣詞造句。不過，西方對「達賴集團」這類貼合事實的詞語不屑一顧。

中國人本可以多年前就在全世界建立非政府組織網絡，那麼這些非政府組織就可以去宣講，中國政府如何減免西藏的稅收，如何多年保持12%的經濟增長速度，西藏生活水平高於中國的平均水平，抑或西藏建起了200家農村超市。但今天有誰願意聽這些呢？可這才是真相，是有別於「西藏種族滅絕論」的真相。

還有，你未必能看到某個非政府組織打著「解放得克薩斯，抵制美國奧運會」的口號興風作浪，因為中國人根本不擅長此道。

ljh

i agree with you,let's study hard!

mangosteen

The West has attained a dominant position in millatry, finance, technology, and of course media controls over a very recent span of history. This gives them confidence to democracy especially after they've strong and tested institutions and informed citizens. Western leadership seek to undermine China thru their media and push it to disintegration without the benefit of gradual development. Without doubt China has lately developed economically and socially at lightning speed, but the cunning West has impatiently set the bar to their limits to villify, discourage, and break China like they did to the Soviet Union. The West ought to look not too far back how they've enslaved, colonised, and discriminated other people long after they've proclaimed themselves democractic. American presidents coud be slave owners; British rulers could exploit colonies like HongKong and Burma without any democratic intend as long as their empire is certain. Interestingly enough the Dalai Lama was even worse before he failed in an armed uprising and escaped to India with CIA help. He was a theocratic dictator that enslaved Tibet. This cannot be comparable to Iran which the West has so villified!! This is WESTERN MEDIA POWER, so poisoned the world today.  We welcome this discussion on the Net to break through this poison mist enveloping our world.

mangosteen

As they say in the West, "The World is Your Oyster". With some effort you will open it up and eat it. The West has the tools and with it the developing world will be levered open and raped and eaten alive!  Here we're talking of the influence of the Media. How many non-Western nations could wield significant Media power? Newspaper in developing countries simply parrot Western news agencies other than their local news. They've the market cornered and the world didn't realise how sinister this is. Chinese around the world today realise how a Western and CIA orchastrated Free Tibet campaign has swing public opinion against China. Select figures like Nobel laureates, film stars, and political creatures like Nancy Pelosi and Sarkosy all act in unision to pile up the pressure. other leaders fearful the fanned up fire and their political hide begin to distance themselves from the correct path. New British PM Gordon Brown capitulated. President Bush doesn't want to inked and became ambigous. Some politicians jump on to the bandwagon for some free ride when the fire is hot. Who cares about the Chinese when they can advance their political ambition?

azeng

Mangosteen:

Thanks for commenting on my posting. Just curious: are you Chinese? From your writing I guess you must be a British... Your writing is very "Economist"-ish...

I myself admire western concept of democracy, social justice and social liberty. I also see the dark side of that system: like it or not, it is not easy for anyone with some basic knowledge of the western history not to agree that westerners are, among all the people (trying not to be racial here!), the most aggressive and possessive people in the world. They always want more things, more land and more confortable life and as such they have had to colonize the other parts of the world - if they encounter resistence, they will bring war to you, they will tear you down and rib you apart. That kind of obssessive self perpetuation has its benign side of it too: it has vastly advanced science and technology. I genuinely believe that the world will be a better place if western's obssession with possession and aggression in all facets of life could be balanced and neutralized by eastern's fatalistic belief such as Taoism.   

Andrew Z

mangosteen

So much for Media Power.  Same thing happen with Economic Power.  The US and EU demanded and exacted huge concessions form China for WTO entry. Key issue is China is big and therefore cannot enter WTO with the concessions as a developing country. It never occurred to the US and EU that they should give some handicap to smaller economies. Big as they are, they always insist on a level playing field them elephants to wrestle with mousedeer over the same patch of market.

As globalisation has it, China finds its nitch as a workshop to the world, and the USA became the financial capital. As events leading to the Olympics the media exagerated reports on Chinese produce but made no applogy to the world about toxic financial products out of the USA.

azeng

Mangosteen:

You haven't responded to my query yet.  I am just curious about your cultural background and why you're so "cynical" (as I have no doubt about how they will label you...) towards western powers...

Andrew Z

mangosteen

I like this thread you've started, and I hope more people can share and be enlightened of power of Western media to hide the Truth and project their Spin on Events, and sometimes manufacture Lies -  Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction, Vietnam Gulf of Tonkin Incident, etc.
All I woud say is that I reside in a country where the beautiful Mangosteen fruit is native. I've lived and worked with all types of people and well read and travelled. I don't need to reveal more of myself at the moment, and I hope to instill some self-conscious and soul-searching for those Western emperors that wears no clothes. I'm a follower and worshipper of Jesus Christ. I do find many Western nations had done huge damages to Christianity due to greed, pride, prejudices, and politicking. Many early Christian missionaries to China collaborated so much with the Western occupying powers that they've actually damaged the Chinese perception of Jesus and his gospel of salvation and grace of God.  I'm all for TRUTH and let the light shine to dispel LIES. To me the Gospel is paramount,  to campaign for a truthful world is secondary but still important.
China should not fear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but China should be weary of those Western activists that seek to sway Christians against China.

glacier

In most time the western people are misleaded by their own media,as well as in our country.The only difference is: Our misleading is used to protect ourself,on the other hand,the western misleading is used to attact others.