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On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

nytimes.com

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Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#101

Post by Cyph0n »

voodooranger wrote: post #71
Cyph0n wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a very interesting investigative documentary by Al Jazeera that shows how Israel funds and manages the Israeli lobby in the UK. I'll look for the link and edit this comment. Edit : Here is a link to part 1 of the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceCOhdgRBoc . You can follow the "Up next" link to watch the other parts; there are 4 parts in total.

Not sure that the mouthpiece of the ruling family of Qatar is a reputable source for anything, much less any topic involving Israel.

You might be able to say that about AJ Arabic, but AJ English is an entirely different entity. You'd actually be surprised how much autonomy AJ English is given in its reporting.

Also, you could say AJ's reporting on Israel is biased, but why do you dismiss everything else? AJ has some of the best journalists in the world and continually pushes the barrier in its reporting worldwide.

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#102

Post by mintplant »

maverick_iceman wrote: post #50

I see this as an outgrowth of left-liberal student bodies clamping down on conservative speech on college campuses. If leftist students can block Ann Coulter from speaking then why can't Chinese students block the Dalai Lama? Every speech is guaranteed to offend someone and that's verboten in today's campuses. As a libertarian, I was always worried about this and it was a main reason why I opposed social justice warr…

First off, who would you include in "left-liberal", "leftist", and "social justice warriors"? These terms all mean different things to different people. "Liberal" in the American sense or the traditional sense? Do you group anarchists, communists, and sociaists into "left-liberal"? Do you consider Democrats to be "leftists"? I won't bother addressing the amorphous idea of a "social justice warrior". Your interchangeable use of these terms suggests a general boogeyman whose beliefs don't match your own.

Secondly, I happened to be in university right now, and I can attest that the idea of campuses being overtaken by "censorship" has been blown far out of proportion in the press. Religious fundamentalist groups regularly set up shop on the main thoroughfare to propagandize; one even put up a gigantic wall of very graphic abortion photos. The university isn't coming to kick them out as their expression is protected. Students tend to gather around and heckle/argue with them, and their expression is also protected. In another incident, the Hispanic services center and other areas of campus were chalked with slogans like "Build The Wall" the night before an annual event for prospective students and their families: extremely embarrassing for the school, and widely condemned, but there was no retaliation against those responsible as, again, their expression is protected and no permanent damage was done. I'm aware the plural of anecdote isn't "data", but stories like this remind me of other pumped-up "kids these days" moral crises like the D&D scare of a few decades ago.

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#103

Post by msie »

it_learnses wrote: post #65
HarryHirsch wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rising housing prices in Vancouver are a valid concern. I don't understand why the grandparent is downvoted. You don't combat racism by not recognizing valid grievances.

how am I being racist? We have rich chinese immigrants from mainland literally buying their permanent residency and driving up the price of housing here. We have the chinese government pushing us around and our weak government isn't standing up for Canadians. I think it's a valid concern.

Hmmm, it's just a hunch I have given how you don't want any more Chinese immigration? And trade with them is automatically bad?

- What's wrong with immigrants buying their residency? This happens all the time. At least you know they won't be a 'burden on the system' as some people would say. What the rich Chinese immigrants were doing was legal until some people didn't like seeing more Chinese people driving around town in their expensive cars and "flaunting" their wealth. And it's definitely not like half the town is made of rich Chinese immigrants as one HN poster put it. The last census puts Vancouver at about 18.7% Chinese (which includes over a hundred years of Chinese immigrants who helped build/shape the city).

- Your assumption that rich Chinese immigrants are responsible for driving up the price of housing is ignorant at best, racist at worst. One report says that 5% of buyers are foreign. They are buying the high-end properties which means the majority of properties are being fought over by Canadians. Vancouver is the only major city on the west coast of Canada and many people want to live here. Plus let's not ignore the many Canadians who are involved in speculation too. Did you know that mortgage debt (of Canadians) has been on the rise? The issue is complex and can't be boiled down to "the Chinese caused it".

- The Canadian government eliminated the investor immigrant program, is that bending over backwards? How about the creation of the 15% foreign buyer's tax?

- What you see as Canada being "pushed around" is trying to maintain good relations with its trading partners (one of which is China) which is a delicate dance. Do you see how the Canadian government handles the US? Carefully.

- I don't know why I waste my time writing this because people are more swayed by the sight of some Chinese person driving an expensive Audi. As I said, the Chinese govt is wasting their time and money too.

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#104

Post by Cyph0n »

zhte415 wrote: post #79
voodooranger wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure that the mouthpiece of the ruling family of Qatar is a reputable source for anything, much less any topic involving Israel.

To complete the circle, however, Al Jazeera's China related journalism is excellent. And generally they seem to push the envelope in what they cover. And for their home turf, would you like to suggest a better source for middle-east related news?

I'm a huge fan of Al Jazeera for some issues in the Middle East, but I think the best all-round news source for the region is Middle East Eye[1]. Their journalists have a no holds barred approach to sensitive topics in the region.

[1]: http://www.middleeasteye.net/

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#105

Post by baursak »

paulmd wrote: post #10

Israel's been doing this for a long time. Try inviting pro-Palestinian activists to campus and see what happens. At the end of the day, everyone has the right to protest, whether that's Black Lives Matter or the Westboro Baptist Church or any other group. Always distressing to see it used to further what I see as oppression but there's not really a whole lot to be done about it. You get your opinions and I get mine.…

Israel is a very special case in American political life, compared to any other country. Even UK and Canada are not anywhere near close to the level of influence Israel has over US politics.

There was an insightful article drawing parallels between ongoing hysteria over possible Russia's influence in the election and Israel's ho-hum business as usual that nobody dares question: https://consortiumnews.com/2017/04/20/why-not-a-probe-of-isr...

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#106

Post by ashwinaj »

At some point, someone with gravitas has to come out and say "Money is not everything!".

In Flint, MI city officials say, "We're not spending money to upgrade water pipes"

For healthcare, "I don't want to pay for somebody else's healthcare"

For housing "I don't want a low income neighborhood next to mine reducing my property value"

For race relations "The criminal justice system is just fine"

....And now "Don't offend the Chinese"

This has to stop, money is not everything. At some point we need to do what's right (and show empathy) before money.

There are lots of things that people don't like, the world doesn't revolve around them. If the US claims to be a free society and wants to uphold it's true values, man the eff up and stop catering to almighty dollar. It'll hurt in the short term, but will bear dividends later.

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#107

Post by blackguardx »

maverick_iceman wrote: post #55
paulmd wrote: post #10

Israel's been doing this for a long time. Try inviting pro-Palestinian activists to campus and see what happens. At the end of the day, everyone has the right to protest, whether that's Black Lives Matter or the Westboro Baptist Church or any other group. Always distressing to see it used to further what I see as oppression but there's not really a whole lot to be done about it. You get your opinions and I get mine.…

Try inviting pro-Israel supporters and see what a stink BDS and the general leftist students make. [1] [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/students-are-shoutin...

Pro-Israel in what sense? Believing that Israel shouldn't exist is an extreme opinion that isn't widely shared in the western world. The debate is about a homeland for Palestinians.

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#108

Post by curun1r »

HarryHirsch wrote: post #22
api wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

War in the middle east is ruining the West. I don't understand it and I don't buy the oil explanation. With the absurd cost of these wars we could just buy the oil, or pay for megaprojects to replace it with gas (even gas to liquids), nuclear, and renewable power. There seems to be no rational explanation for the immense gravity well of Middle Eastern war and how it drags in Democrats and Republicans alike even if th…

War in the middle east is ruining the West. I don't understand it and I don't buy the oil explanation The conspiracy theory is that the war serves to dislodge the population and increase refugee flows to Europe to destabilize the region economically and politically. The war in the Middle East is in truth a war against the European Union, especially Germany. So the story goes.

The more plausible explanation, to me, is that it's part of the wealth transfer to the upper class. US Government contractors make billions off war-related contracts and US contractors have lucrative contracts in many Middle East countries that those countries are forced to accept in exchange for US military protection. On top of that, military action is a great way to divert the populace's attention while you're lowering taxes and otherwise screwing over the poor...just look at how well firing a bunch of missiles at an airfield worked for Trump.

If we allowed the Middle East to just work itself out without our meddling, there would be a lot of well-monied, powerful interests that would stand to lose a ton of money and they're willing to exert their influence to ensure that doesn't happen.

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#109

Post by Inconel »

Cyph0n wrote: post #104
zhte415 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To complete the circle, however, Al Jazeera's China related journalism is excellent. And generally they seem to push the envelope in what they cover. And for their home turf, would you like to suggest a better source for middle-east related news?

I'm a huge fan of Al Jazeera for some issues in the Middle East, but I think the best all-round news source for the region is Middle East Eye[1]. Their journalists have a no holds barred approach to sensitive topics in the region. [1]: http://www.middleeasteye.net/

I've never heard of Middle East Eye, but I'm always looking out for more sources of news so thanks for the link.

Do you happen to have any specific articles handy, or general topics, that you feel they covered better than other news sources?

Re: On Campuses Far From China, Still Under Beijing’s Watchful Eye

#110

Post by zhemao »

mistermann wrote: post #91
unityByFreedom wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If leftist students can block Ann Coulter from speaking then why can't Chinese students block the Dalai Lama? Students actually don't have a right to forcibly block speakers. That's a common misconception of free speech. If you want to see examples of how real free speech is upheld, check out cases on thefire.org [1]. It's a law firm that specializes in tackling free speech issues on college campuses. However, they…

It isn't a legal right, it is a de facto right. Generally speaking, only left leaning speakers are allowed on campuses. Generally speaking, only pro-immigration speech is allowed in polite company. This story, at least to me, also illustrates Chinese immigrants aren't interested in immigrating to other countries because they like the culture, way of life, etc and are choosing them as a new home to raise their familie…

Chinese students studying at American universities may not necessarily be looking to set down roots in the US. Most of them return to China after getting their degrees.

As for the question of assimilation, it takes a generation for cultural attitudes to shift. People aren't going to abandon the cultural values of their homeland. But their children will grow up as Americans and adopt more American ways of thinking.

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