Sorry Galileo, I was reading your statement too hastily and misinterpreted your meaning, as you were not meaning to stride for perfection, but for spiritual and awakening of the conscience. Yes, it is important to try to grow beyond all the traditional prejudices, to try to be rational and be more compassionate to others, try to help each other to bring out the goodness in our humanity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=584D5fHB2H4&feature=relatedI
I was more offended by his words of referring Chinese products as "junks". It's US manufacturers' responsibilities to make sure their off sure productions are up to US standard. I feel, the US definitely used China as a scapegoat in this. In Jack Cafferty's speech, it comes across that he would not acknowledge it is the US gov't's own fault that US is in the position it's in now, he didn't tell any truth, he was pointing to the Chinese as a convenient source to vent out displeasures with the US bad policies. Tell the US manufacturers that they should bring back some of the production jobs home, don't blame China's wages when Chinese cost of living is way lower since it's still a developing country. Don't blame China for US ecnonmic crisis when US mortgage and credit problems were not caused by Chinese, when Americans like to charge and not saving enough money, buying homes that were way beyond their means, blame the US gov't for choosing to go to Chinese gov't to get loans.
The Bush and his administration through their illegal war and occupation in Iraq has drowned the United States into enormous debt. That's the reason why the US gov't had to borrow money from China, and from other countries as well, so why blame the Chinese gov't for US domestic economic mess!
Jack Cafferty said the Chinese make cheap products that are sold in Walmart-as if that's a bad thing. The global consumers have benefited from Chinese low cost labors. Out of all the Chinese imports in the US, probably only a fraction have problems. Before China made cheap goods, it was Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, so what's his point about China making cheap goods? Jack Cafferty sounded like a redneck in his remarks on China. Why CNN would put him on just to add sensationalism is beyond my comprehension.
Update on this, Cafferty's words damaged more on Chinese made goods, which are made by Chinese labor, and since most of the exports are up to standards, one could argue that Cafferty's words have harmed the reputation of many Chinese workers and factories.
CNN now sued for $1.3 bln - $1 per person in China
* Reuters
* , Thursday April 24 2008
HONG KONG, April 24 (Reuters) - A Chinese primary school teacher and a beautician have filed a suit against CNN in New York over remarks they say insulted the Chinese people and are seeking $1.3 billion in compensation -- $1 per person in China, a Hong Kong newspaper reported.
The case against the Atlanta-based cable channel, its parent company Turner Broadcasting and Jack Cafferty, the offending commentator, comes after 14 lawyers launched a similar suit in Beijing alleging that Cafferty's remarks earlier this month violated the dignity and reputation of the Chinese people.
Cafferty said the United States imported Chinese-made "junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food" and added: "They're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years".
CNN said Cafferty was expressing an opinion about the Chinese government, but the Foreign Ministry demanded an apology and accused the network of trying to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and leadership.
The lawsuits come amid a wave of criticism in China against Western news outlets in the wake of recent unrest in Tibet and disruptions to the Beijing Olympic torch relay abroad.
In New York, Liang Shubing, the beautician, and Li Lilan, a Beijing-based elementary school instructor, claimed Cafferty's words insulted all Chinese people and "intentionally caused mental harm" to the plaintiffs, the Ta Kung Pao newspaper reported on Thursday.
Six lawyers were handling the case for Liang and Li, it said.
"The $1.3 billion averages out to $1 per Chinese person, so it isn't much," the newspaper quoted a lawyer as saying. (Reporting by John Ruwitch; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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Sorry KaWai but this is getting out of hand ! Many people can certainly sympathise, agree and understand the whole ' storm in a cup of tea' ... but if every citizen in the world were to take such over dramatic attitude because X said something insulting X ... be it CNN , the reporter in question , or whoever then I'm sure that no one would be left to walk around free on this planet ! ...
Can you imagine if every citizen in the UK took the same stand against Mugabe ? or all the people around the world against all those people preaching absolute abhorring statements against people they wish to see blown up because they don't fit in their 'world' ...
Don't let it get to you, it just isn't worthy ..... I have learned that now :):)
PS.. There are more important things happening in the world right nowthat what a CNN reporter said about goods ..... I just read that 300.000 people (women and children !!! ) have being slaughtered in Darfur up to now ...... that is really something of absolute grave consequences and a reason to be feeling furious about that having one's pride being ' hurt ' ...
I think at this point some people are seeing how people in China would come to terms with the fact that "someone's words are just words", I do agree many people in China, their protests are too juvenile, the govt now have to turn around and tell the people to stay rational and don't escalated it anymore, when in the beginning it was the govt's fault to escalate the incident. But if mainland Chinese need to let out steam by protests, let them be, get it out of the system, and the suing thing I think at least is more rational, whether the court would accept the case or not. People in China would learn to grow up. And the thing is, what you see and hear in the press is not all Chinese sentiments, but the people who yell national pride are so loud, they overshadow the more rational ones.
That lawsuit against CNN is so ridiculous. I don't know how they think they have any legal basis for the suit - they 'were insulted' by free speech in the U.S. Oh no!
Interesting that this conversation was steered to something that really matters - like Darfur. Who is underwriting with investment all the oppression going on in Sudan? The Chinese government. And how does the Chinese gov't respond to this criticism? 'Oh, relax! It's none of your business anyway!'
All the criticism of the Chinese government right now is completely warranted. The end result of it can only be a positive thing - regardless of the blind patriotism of some of their citizens.
There are many ridiculous lawsuits in the world, this wouldn't be the last, now it's the test for the Chinese court, if they would accept this case which is a very weak case. It's more ridiculous for CCP state spokesperson to comment anything on CNN. China's foreign policy has part of the tradition mentality of minding their own business, and not minding other's business, so that's why Chinese govt has Darfur, that's why US has Iraq, and Vietnam, US and China govt mentalities are like opposite ends in some aspects.
