NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
A condescending opinion-editorial suggesting that young Americans move to China to find the Land of Opportunity caught my eye a little while ago. The author whines about how he was "over-educated" with "non-performing" degrees from NYU and Columbia (read "went to expensive colleges and paid a little extra so I could brag about living in Manhattan, wasted my time learning about facilitating interpersonal dialogue on issues of diversity and race privilege, and graduated with no ability to write, think, speak, or problem-solve coherently). He would have been just another victim of the "economic status quo." But wait! Our hero saw the lamp beside the golden door! China was hiring Americans who had a good-looking academic pedigree and spoke English to satisfy the huge demand for...English lecturer positions(Tsinghua University was smart enough not to grant this guy a professorship or a tenure-track position). Having understood the larger Chinese economy from the all-encompassing vantage point of his new position, this wise emigrant, with the richness of his Asian experiences, came to a better decision than many of his friends: Abandon America! China's economy is booming, they're hiring everybody, they're going to rule the world...yadda yadda. The first thing he mentions about his job is that the workload is manageable enough to let him travel--suggesting a funny inversion of the American Dream. Come here to be rewarded for laziness!
Levine is unusual in his open Valentine's Day card to Hu Jintao; the average NYT op-ed contributor usually tries to be a little bit more subtle. He is surprised at the "freedom" in China, and his discovery that state-run CCTV is "more fair and balanced than Fox News." The Chinese take action to punish corporations that sell tainted baby-formula unlike those useless Americans(never mind that harsh, symbolic action against perpetrators, when they are caught, is no substitute for an authentic free market and democratic action against abusers. How many people have ever died from American products sold abroad?) Oh and Levine, who takes pains to inform us he is "not a global neophyte," loves the food. It is appealing to the "gastronomically meek and profoundly adventurous." As opposed to Levine's writing, which is appealing only to idiots who think long adverbs make for quality English.
Levine is surely no loss to America; at least he got out when most of his associates just sit around and drag down our economy. But it is worthwhile to consider that he bills himself as a "lecturer in American studies at Tsinghua University." To those students looking towards the West as a model of liberty and democracy, Levine is a reference point on understanding the United States. It is a testament to the enduring pull of our country that people undergoing instruction by the likes of Jonathan Levine nevertheless hope to one day live in freedom in America.
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Comments :
Jul '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Looks like someone's gone native, and quick! The guy hasn't been in the country for a year. He's not worth the time. He's dime a dozen in developed Asia (I do consider Beijing part of developed Asia, separate from the Chinese hinterlands); the dumb Western English teacher. In fact, he sounds more like an undergrad who just came back from a semester in some European city, raving about the public transport, "culture", and "educated" population. If that's how he feels, god bless him for finding a place to live that makes him happy, but shame on NYT for being petty and irresponsible in publishing such an immature, childish piece.
For the record, I was once an English teacher in Japan, and I know lot's of intelligent, wonderful Western English teachers there and in China now. No disrespect to English teachers, because, lord knows, they really are looked down upon by foreigners in all other fields. Mr. Levine represents the intellectual bottom of the barrel when it comes to English teachers in Asia.
Aug '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Pleeaassseeee take Tom Friedman back with you when you come home to get your laundry done.
Mar '11
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Perhaps Mr. Levine is mugging for a starring role in a future sequel of The Forsaken.
Jan '11
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
You beat me to it.
Jan '12
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
These types live in a bubble. Get citizenship and then we'll talk.
Dec '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
I propose a prisoner swap. For every 1,000 America-hating Ivy League graduates, we'll take a Chinese dissident. Sort of the inverse of what the Israelis do and an even trade, imo.
Dec '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Western Chauvinist
I propose a prisoner swap. For every 1,000 America-hating Ivy League graduates, we'll take a Chinese dissident. Sort of the inverse of what the Israelis do and an even trade, imo. · Jan 10 at 4:10pm
Not going to happen. The commies in China didn't get to be successful capitalists by agreeing to the sucker side of these kind of deals.
Dec '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
I kicked around the idea of getting a degree in American Studies once. Decided that A) I'd like a job someday and B) I liked America too much.
Feb '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
The problem and the danger is that someone like him represents America to a bunch of impressionable Chinese students.
Dec '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Vasant, this is the ultimate victory of form over substance. Beliefs are just idea fashions that you become facil at wearing. The Times is the ultimate arbiter of the idea fashion show. These fools think China to be the latest fad in the idea fashion universe.
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh the fundemenal things apply as time goes by. And a Marxist is just a Marxist! Marxism is atheistic materialism. Like Fascism, it is totally amoral and can and does engender genocide. However, all atheistic materialists are not perfectly alike. Having been a history major first, you get a chance to view what's going on in the deep context of World History in the last 150 years.
With reference to the deep context of World History, I have an observation about the difference between Fascism and Marxism. A Fascist want's to commit genocide by direct means. He wants to round people up and kill them right away. A Marxist on the other hand wants to kill people just the same only he is willing to wait a little to do it. (cont.)
Edited on Jan 11 at 7:02pmDec '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
(cont. from #10)
The classic Marxist style of genocide is to surround a geographical area. Cut off all supplies from outside and destroy or sieze any supplies they find inside the area. They then simply starve the residents to death.
This current fiasco you mention at the Times is breath taking in it's shallowness. I like to call Sulzberger, "King Sulzberger, King of the Moabite Mainstream Media" he has hired the evil Prophets Friedman and Krugman to curse Israel and the United States of America. You need to do a little Bible Study to understand my allusions. Read the chapter entitled Balak. Balak is the evil King of Moab who hires the evil Prophet Balaam to curse Israel. The Moab part is important too. Moab was created by a perverse union after the fall of Sodom and Gamorrah. There is nothing more perverse then the NY Times.
Sooner or later the illusion of the idea fashion show will be cracked. The murderous Marxists will show their true face and there will be many people dead, as in Syria right now.
A Marxist is still a Marxist. The fundemental things apply. As time goes by!
Jul '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Occupy China. That way lies some pretty ugly life lessons.
I mean: Yes, oh heroic Occupation! Find your destiny in the fair and balanced world of glorious China! We Americans are not worthy to participate in your genius!
Edited on Jan 11 at 4:26amApr '11
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
I am in favor of creating a federally funded program to move every single American that thinks like Levine to China.
Aug '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Emma Goldman was deported to Russia.
I'm just sayin'...
Aug '10
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
Does Levine make the same recommendation for factory workers?
Apr '11
Re: NYT: America Sucks. Move to China
I enjoyed working in Beijing, and don't begrudge him the same. It's not America, but it felt a lot more like America to me than, for example, the UK. The Chinese really believe in themselves, love their country, and are honest and decent with strangers as a result (on a personal scale). They do also do absolutely terrible things, sure, but you're only made aware of them in a very abstract way, and for leftists the same is true of America.
The execution of people for white collar crimes that really harm the country, though, is something that I think I support, although I haven't found a serious study of the subject. It seems to have a: a genuine deterrent effect and b: it strongly encourages people to feel that the country is fair.