Pan-China Adventure

I've had spotty internet since we started off (on the 12th) on our tour of China. This is not an update, but rather the promise of an update. What I have to do (I've decided) is write up the entire update without internet, and then post it the next time I have access. The only reason I haven't done so yet is because every time I'm about to do a writeup on a bus or an overnight train, someone asks to borrow my computer to finish a paper for class.

I'm taking good notes in my head, though, and I have acquired some great pictures. For now, though, I leave you with a shot of Team Victorious leaving the train station in Beijing.

Left to right: Alice, Hillary, Jesse, Ben (Team Captain), Will, Me, Nell

I was right about that whole "what I said is getting cut" thing

Hey everyone, here's a link to the show I was on. I think I look and sound sort of dumb. And my hair is weird. Oh well.

Things that were cut:

The moderator asks me whether Americans will be OK with a black man in the White House. I explain why that's a bad question and why the media needs to take more responsibility in reporting based on policies.

The moderator asks me whether Americans will be OK with a woman in the White House. I say that the same answer applies.

The moderator asks me an actual question about economic policy. Cut.

At one point I start coughing a lot (I had the very end of a cold). They cut that. I'm happy about that specific cut.



Things I enjoy:

The moderator asks me a question about the types of supporters that Obama and Hillary draw. I try to avoid stereotyping and so talk about their image branding efforts.

He then turns to the Hillary girl and says "is it true that most of the supporters behind Hillary Clinton... are women and latin people."

At another point, he reveals his very thin layer of neutrality. "Yes, when Hillary is voted into the White House... presumably... That'd be GREAT!.... in the opinions of some people."

In general, he keeps trying to talk about stereotypes, colors, and large ethnic groups, and if we don't answer a question the way he wants us to, he rephrases and asks again.

I make a few feeble attempts at jokes. Very feeble.

And overall the show is boring. I would recommend watching the whole thing only to help you go to sleep.


http://www.cctv.com/program/e_dialogue/20080409/103862.shtml

Success!

The show was moved from tonight to tomorrow night, so I'll send the link out then (maybe)- but this isn't about that.

Just a few seconds ago, I received tangible evidence that all of my time attempting to learn Chinese has not been in vain.

The phone in my room rang, so I picked it up and said hello. The woman on the other line said "ni hao" and then talked for about ten seconds. I understood none of what she said. I said, in Chinese- "who are you looking for?" And she said something again, and this time I picked up from the context that she wasn't looking for anyone in particular. She ended with "keyi ma? (is this possible/are you able/is this OK/may I/can I/might I?)" And I realized that she was a telemarketer or something and wanted to talk me into buying something!

I told her "Bu keyi, duibuqi" and hung up the phone after saying goodbye to a stranger who (I fervently hope) thought that I could actually speak Chinese.

If I weren't double-majoring already, I'd take a few more language classes back at William and Mary.

Half of What I Said Will Probably be Cut

Just got back from CCTV- now THAT was an experience.

A driver from Beida took us there, where we had to wait outside for our contact to come meet us. We then walked through two checkpoints of armed guards into a really amazing lobby. TVs, of course, were everywhere. She led us to the newsroom, where we met our host and got put into makeup alongside him. While we were sitting there, he asked questions such as "does Chelsea Clinton have a boyfriend?" and "Why does America want to boycott the Olympics?" We declined to answer the second question.

Once in the studio (really cool- four camera angle setup) we all sat down and he started practicing saying our names. Then, strangely, he pulled a mask out of his pocket and showed it to us. (the following is paraphrased as best as I can remember)

"I carried this around in 2003 during the SARS epidemic. It is too thin, though. It wouldn't do anything."

We gave him confused nods.

"When the SARS started, all the western media started to say terrible things about China, and then, in a very wise decision, the Chinese government decided to fix the problem and become more transparent. So I think that's a good thing."

O...kay...

And then we started the show. We received no instructions as to the format, how he would like us to discuss, or anything else. He asked us for our opinions about things, and we gave them. We were all very reasonable and respectful of each other's opinions, there was no yelling, it was a very nice discussion. It will probably be very boring to watch.

It was clear that he was a big Hillary supporter based on the kinds of questions he asked Katie, who was the Hillary supporter. He asked me a number of questions, all of which I felt were trying to bait me into talking about some sort of ridiculous trumped up non-issue. One that he asked me that I'm almost certain is getting edited out was a two-part question. First, he asked me about Barack and how the nation would feel to have a black president. I told him outright that I felt like the media was focusing on these things which were non-issues instead of the facts, and it was a bad question. He later asked me what I felt about having a woman in the White House, at which point I said "again, I feel like that sort of question is just wrong to ask, because--" but then he cut me off and asked another question.

I realized today that everything I had previously thought about the media was entirely correct. There is no desire at all to talk about actual policies and actions, and every desire to talk about race, gender, flip-flopping, crying, and whatever other nonsense that the media feels will be somewhat sensationalist. The few times that Matt, Katie, or I tried to discuss actual policies, we were cut off very quickly and no follow-up questions were asked.

All in all, it was a reasonably good show- I don't think that I'll come off looking TOO stupid or anything like that (well, depending on how they edit)- but it really does make me lose my faith in the media even more.

Don't listen to what the media tells you. If you really want to be informed, then go to THOMAS (through the Library of Congress) and you can do a quick search for all of the Bills that any of the candidates has ever sponsored. Compare these bills to the bills that other senators sponsor. Check the voting records. See what your candidate REALLY believes in, at least enough to try to pass a law about it. Then, pick your candidate- not based on party lines or media rhetoric, but on action that that candidate has taken with which you agree.

But all that venting aside, I'll be able to post next week sometime a website where you can go and watch the show. You'll be able to tell which panelist I am because I'll be the one starting almost every response with "well I don't actually think that matters--"

28 Days Later

I like the idea of continuity and self-reference, and I noticed that in 28 days, I will be home again. One thing is certain- when I wrote my original post 28 days before I came to China, I had no idea what was going on. I put off thinking about it until the last minute, packed the night before I left (forgot a few things I needed) and ended up on the other side of the world.

I'll be writing more of my final thoughts and overall impressions as the days tick away. We still have one more week of school and then a thirteen day trip around China, so there should be plenty to write about.

There are many reasons that I'll miss China, but there are also plenty why I'll be glad to be back. For example, the washing machines in the dorms (and hanging them up to dry) have all but utterly destroyed my clothes. Just last night, one pair of pants emerged from the machine with a giant hole in it. The washing machine allows only those truly deserving clothes, with greatness of heart and valor, to survive unscathed.

So all that is to say that, in a stark reversal of my usual temperament, if you ask me if I would like to go on a shopping trip at any point this summer, I will probably say yes.

I was going to do some sort of April Fool's joke, but then something actually happened that seemed funny enough. For the debate at CCTV tomorrow I have been upgraded from Independent to Republican, because CCTV requested a Republican and the other two people going are supporting Clinton and Obama. So regardless of my actual beliefs (right now I disagree and agree with different things and haven't decided which issue is the most important to me as far as supporting a candidate goes) I get to play my favorite role of devil's advocate against two people who essentially agree with all of each other's points. That, at least, should be a lot of fun.