My wife is Chinese, and we go to China every year or so. I'm not an expert on China, but I have family there, and I have been there several times, and have visited a number of places. We visit there every year or so. Several of our friends are from China. China has real problems. Had Daisey visited coal mines, especially illegal ones, he probably wouldn't have had to embellish much to pull at American's heartstrings. However, he didn't do that. He visited Foxconn, and said that it was much worse than it was. I haven't been to Foxconn. However, my impression is that it is far from the worst example of working conditions in China. In fact, given what the workers are paid, and the scrutiny they have come under, I am willing to guess that Foxconn represents a general improvement in the manufacturing sector. Having familiarity with China, I am aware of how the US media embraces anti-China bias. Some of the bias is deserved, however, much is not, and some is just plain wrong. My wife has had more than one person say to her (paraphrasing): "You must be so happy that you were able to come to the US". That ignorance is sickening for us. No one could say that if they visited a major Chinese city. In some ways, it is painfully obvious that China is ahead of the US in development. Not in all ways, but in some. China is a great place to be, and the country is rapidly moving to a better place. It has real problems, but they aren't always what we think they are. What really bothers me about Daisey's piece, is that it plays into American's conceptions about China by telling lies. Some of these conceptions are close to truth, yet many are not. IMHO the real damage is creating a simplified caricature of a country that is far more complex than most Americans understand. If Daisey did any good here, maybe his getting caught created a conversation that will make Americans more skeptical of what they are told about China.
That's the first double badge I've seen. Pretty sweet!
We haven't been to the West. That's next. :)
Pu Tuo Shan, Buddhist mountain of the east, Zhejiang province, 284 meters. Sacred to Kuan-Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Wu Tai Shan, Buddhist mountain of the north, Shanxi province, 3061 meters. Sacred to Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Emei Shan, Buddhist mountain of the west, Sichuan province, 3099 meters. Sacred to Samantabhadra, the Bodhisattva of Benevolent Action. Jiu Hua Shan, Buddhist mountain of the south, Anhui province, 1341 meters. Sacred to Kshitigarbha, the Bodhisattva of Salvation.