I just want to be clear on my comments yesterday on the space race with China so they are not misinterpreted - I'm not a fan of the Chinese regime and see them as a useful foil and competitor for Americans who are looking for a larger purpose and national aspiration beyond our political food fights or withdrawing into hedonism altogether.
Mona Charen also touched on part of this in her piece in The Bulwark yesterday[1]:
"But the Soviets didn’t always have to invent lies to discredit us. The case of the Scottsboro boys became a fixture in Soviet textbooks, and Communist Party members in the United States did play a prominent role in campaigning for civil rights (if only in this country). When American cities went up in flames after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Soviet outlets made sure the world saw this as proving our hypocrisy on human rights. That they were insincere in their concern for blacks (as some African Americans who emigrated to the USSR discovered) did not invalidate their criticism of us. We were hypocrites, and many Americans were ashamed of it."
"Concern about how our treatment of African Americans made us look abroad was one rationale for the Truman administration’s decision to file an amicus brief in Brown v. Board of Education. The argument was explicit:"
"'The United States is trying to prove to the people of the world of every nationality, race and color, that a free democracy is the most civilized and most secure form of government yet devised by man. . . The existence of discrimination against minority groups in the United States has an adverse effect upon our relations with other countries. Racial discrimination furnishes grist for the Communist propaganda mills.'"
"In that sense, our enemies did us a favor by pointing to our flaws, because it played a role in spurring us to be better."
As I read what you had to say here Steve, it really had me thinking on several fronts. You mentioned about that paramedic whose contributions to the legal defense fund of Kyle Rittenhouse, resulted in lots of not so good publicity for him. I used to be strongly pro disclosure on political contributions, but given that there is much more vindictiveness on both sides of the fence against people whose politics we may not agree with, my views have been changing on that. There is nothing worse than to see someone's reputation and career potentially ruined because they had the temerity to vote for a particular candidate or publicly share their view on any matter, political or not. With a lot of talk these days about cancel culture, there is a tendency by many to make mountains out of molehills and to cancel people for the pettiest of "offenses", real or imagined.
Since you mentioned China, I want to share personal experiences that I've had regarding what China's been doing these days. One of my family friends lives in Hong Kong, and we've been in touch for several months now. Just yesterday, she mentioned about how morale there is low and depressing, given the forced closure of the Apple Daily, and the assault by mainland China on press freedoms. She told me about how there is a pervading sense of fear among the people there in just voicing their opinions. Political advocacy groups have been forcibly disbanded for "national security" reasons. Add to that church charities, and a purging in academia. She also mentioned that many of her friends, colleagues, and family members have been combing through their social media accounts, and deleting anything that could be perceived as political criticism of any kind. In our conversation, when the topic turns to Beijing, CCP, and Xi Jinping, I noticed that she chooses her words very carefully, even though it was a private Whatsapp conservation. My guess is that she is afraid that the conservation is being watched by the government and might land her in prison.
When she extended her best wishes for me and my family on the 4th of July, my friend from Hong Kong reminded me to count my blessings and to always appreciate and be grateful for the freedoms I have as an American. The very freedoms that the Chinese government are depriving her and other Hong Kongers.
Listening to my friend explain what is happening in Hong Kong, really puts many things here at home into perspective. Over there, they are actually losing their freedoms. It was a crown jewel in Asia for economic and social freedom for many decades, which has been eroding under Xi Jinping's China. These days, we more and more tend to use our freedoms and energy to squabble over trivial and petty matters. We definitely aren't a perfect country, and there is always room for improvement. But if I spent hours listening to the hard progressive left and the Trump right whine and moan, I would think they would be describing a third world dictatorship, not America. Many Americans too often don't realize how blessed we are as a nation, imperfections notwithstanding. I think more gratitude can go a long way into helping to improving things in our country.
"Boredom?" . . . "Nihilism and hedonism?" . . . That's about it. We ARE going in the wrong direction, and picking up speed; and that should be clear to anyone with eyes and at least half a brain. Good post, Mr. Berman.
I just want to be clear on my comments yesterday on the space race with China so they are not misinterpreted - I'm not a fan of the Chinese regime and see them as a useful foil and competitor for Americans who are looking for a larger purpose and national aspiration beyond our political food fights or withdrawing into hedonism altogether.
Mona Charen also touched on part of this in her piece in The Bulwark yesterday[1]:
"But the Soviets didn’t always have to invent lies to discredit us. The case of the Scottsboro boys became a fixture in Soviet textbooks, and Communist Party members in the United States did play a prominent role in campaigning for civil rights (if only in this country). When American cities went up in flames after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Soviet outlets made sure the world saw this as proving our hypocrisy on human rights. That they were insincere in their concern for blacks (as some African Americans who emigrated to the USSR discovered) did not invalidate their criticism of us. We were hypocrites, and many Americans were ashamed of it."
"Concern about how our treatment of African Americans made us look abroad was one rationale for the Truman administration’s decision to file an amicus brief in Brown v. Board of Education. The argument was explicit:"
"'The United States is trying to prove to the people of the world of every nationality, race and color, that a free democracy is the most civilized and most secure form of government yet devised by man. . . The existence of discrimination against minority groups in the United States has an adverse effect upon our relations with other countries. Racial discrimination furnishes grist for the Communist propaganda mills.'"
"In that sense, our enemies did us a favor by pointing to our flaws, because it played a role in spurring us to be better."
[1] https://thebulwark.com/what-we-lost-when-we-won-the-cold-war/
As I read what you had to say here Steve, it really had me thinking on several fronts. You mentioned about that paramedic whose contributions to the legal defense fund of Kyle Rittenhouse, resulted in lots of not so good publicity for him. I used to be strongly pro disclosure on political contributions, but given that there is much more vindictiveness on both sides of the fence against people whose politics we may not agree with, my views have been changing on that. There is nothing worse than to see someone's reputation and career potentially ruined because they had the temerity to vote for a particular candidate or publicly share their view on any matter, political or not. With a lot of talk these days about cancel culture, there is a tendency by many to make mountains out of molehills and to cancel people for the pettiest of "offenses", real or imagined.
Since you mentioned China, I want to share personal experiences that I've had regarding what China's been doing these days. One of my family friends lives in Hong Kong, and we've been in touch for several months now. Just yesterday, she mentioned about how morale there is low and depressing, given the forced closure of the Apple Daily, and the assault by mainland China on press freedoms. She told me about how there is a pervading sense of fear among the people there in just voicing their opinions. Political advocacy groups have been forcibly disbanded for "national security" reasons. Add to that church charities, and a purging in academia. She also mentioned that many of her friends, colleagues, and family members have been combing through their social media accounts, and deleting anything that could be perceived as political criticism of any kind. In our conversation, when the topic turns to Beijing, CCP, and Xi Jinping, I noticed that she chooses her words very carefully, even though it was a private Whatsapp conservation. My guess is that she is afraid that the conservation is being watched by the government and might land her in prison.
When she extended her best wishes for me and my family on the 4th of July, my friend from Hong Kong reminded me to count my blessings and to always appreciate and be grateful for the freedoms I have as an American. The very freedoms that the Chinese government are depriving her and other Hong Kongers.
Listening to my friend explain what is happening in Hong Kong, really puts many things here at home into perspective. Over there, they are actually losing their freedoms. It was a crown jewel in Asia for economic and social freedom for many decades, which has been eroding under Xi Jinping's China. These days, we more and more tend to use our freedoms and energy to squabble over trivial and petty matters. We definitely aren't a perfect country, and there is always room for improvement. But if I spent hours listening to the hard progressive left and the Trump right whine and moan, I would think they would be describing a third world dictatorship, not America. Many Americans too often don't realize how blessed we are as a nation, imperfections notwithstanding. I think more gratitude can go a long way into helping to improving things in our country.
https://asiatimes.com/2020/07/hongkongers-scrub-social-media-after-security-law/?fbclid=IwAR139FeGhbs-oisQ0-79I0u5UNIL0R5nPT-uc0VQGlYMJM9ajJgkDSvDm10
"Boredom?" . . . "Nihilism and hedonism?" . . . That's about it. We ARE going in the wrong direction, and picking up speed; and that should be clear to anyone with eyes and at least half a brain. Good post, Mr. Berman.