Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Beijingoism for Babies: Chinese Nationalist Indoctrination and a Tale of Two Little Cousins
One encounter as an example of a much bigger problem. As I recently had to explain to a student, racism, prejudice, nationalistic chauvinism, general tribalistic hostility to "the Other," and cynical state-sponsored scapegoating of people are by no means character flaws confined to the West (i.e., let's be honest, "white people"). I should point out too that while Beijing might get its kicks whipping up anti-Japanese hatred, it is clearly playing with fire.
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I have found those traits to be the norm where I've travelled outside the US.
When I served in Korea, the Korean soldiers I served with - all educated, intelligent college students doing their compulsory military service - struggled to understand why the US military was in Korea. They understood clearly why South Korea needs us there, but not what we get out of the relationship. That mystery opens the way for conspiracy theories in Korea about US intent in Korea.
My Korean comrades, as smart as they were, held a fundamentally nationalistic view of their situation and the world, and imputed that template onto us. The internationalist posture and accompanying values of the US, if not unique, are distinct and rare.
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