The Chinese Middle Class is Revolting
February 8th, 2008 | by This is China! |
Dan Harris over at China Law Blog posted a response to Andrew Hupert’s post on what would drive the Chinese middle class to political revolution. Andrew’s blog site is still blocked here in China, so I couldn’t post a response directly there. However, I did have something to say on Dan’s, who had some of his own thoughts on the subject.
For my part, I figure:
“The Communist Party is most afraid of the peasants and the proletariat, those whom members of the merchant class like Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai were able to organize against others of the merchant class that had the power at the time, represented by the Kuo Ming Tang. Today’s middle class can be bought off through political largess or simply threatened with loss of the sort of niceties that the middle class round the world has become addicted to: relatively cheap energy, cheap food, cheap healthcare, cheap shelter and, yes, access to cheap, quality education (access to all of which in the States is becoming increasingly restricted as we speak).”
Read more of my comment and the discussion thread here.
Bill Dodson
SUZHOU, China
8 Responses to “The Chinese Middle Class is Revolting”
By Eric on Feb 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi Bill,
A couple of solutions for blocked sites:
* anonymouse.org
takes a few clicks, but almost always works
* gladder
I just discovered this add-on to Firefox that automatically routes certain sites through a proxy. It comes with a short list of pre-sets, but you can add any domain to the list. Once set up, it’s quicker than anonymouse.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2864
PS: tried to send this via email but your email inbox seems to be maxxed out and my message bounced back to me.
Cheers!
By Eric on Feb 8, 2008 | Reply
One more thing . . .
Your headline reminds me of an incident years ago when a friend began breaking out in hives and I said to her, “Your body is revolting.” Luckily she laughed, and so did I.
Eric
By Jason on Feb 8, 2008 | Reply
Yo,
If you want to be able to comment on blocked sites try downloading ‘The Onion Router.’ After the initial download, go ahead and search for/download the Firefox add-on for it as well and your all set.
Accessing and commenting around the GFWC becomes as easy as a click of a button.
By F.P.Duffy on Feb 8, 2008 | Reply
I recently returned to NA and cannot wait to get back to china.I saw such self inflicked degradation and and I seriously hope the people of china and their system is kept intact.The word communist is used to degrade china and it’s people.And like most expats I want to live in china from now on.I have no desire to live in NA as I see it going down faster than china is going up
By This is China! on Feb 9, 2008 | Reply
Hi, Eric;
I got the idea from a Wizard of Id comic strip installment from probably twenty years ago; the King is standing at the rampart of his castle while the peasants are breaking down the gate into the castle. He says dryly, “The peasants are revolting.” That cartoon still cracks me up (and my father, strangely, doubles up in laughter when he mentions the installment).
By This is China! on Feb 9, 2008 | Reply
FP;
I hear you. I felt “itchy” to get back to China myself when I was back in the States on business this past December. A lot of it for me,though, is that sense that the world’s “center of gravity” is shifting to China and to Asia. It’s where everything is happening. I certainly get a feeling that State-side most heads are stuck in the sand about the changes happening “out here”. There is a sense of “declining Empire” about the States. I don’t get the same feeling when I visit some parts of Europe; but I have European friends who would disagree with me.
However, I would not venture so far as to say the Chinese system is or will be any less dysfunctional than ours in the States, certainly as long as its government remains without checks and balances and is in essence an authoritarian state (for crying out loud, I have to take Jason’s advice and download a plug-in to get round the GFWC - now that just ain’t right about my adopted home).
By This is China! on Feb 9, 2008 | Reply
Eric, Jason;
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions on getting round the GFWC. The Onion approach is absolutely brilliant, elegant too.
Also, Eric, thanks for the heads up on the email; I’ve been running a couple email servers and it’s clear it’s time to retire one of them.
Hats off to you both,
Bill
By China Law Blog on Feb 10, 2008 | Reply
I remember (now) that particular Wizard of Id strip.