'sustained relevance' - ok, perhaps my bad wording, but while the concert will pass in a few hours, the orchestra isn't going anywhere and the group and its members can surely be considered part of the Kunming foreign community.

The Book Club will meet again on October 10 at 6:30 at The Park to discuss Robertson Davis' novel, The Cunning Man.

Gokunming: I just started a forum topic for the Philharmonic orchestra & their concert tonight - sort of a plug for it, I guess - was that inappropriate? It got disappeared.
Not complaining, I just want to know.

Annette: I'm presently out of town but back in a couple weeks, give me a text ms. or email, I'm interested.

In your example, I agree, tiger. But although words can be dangerous (shouting fire in a crowded theatre, etc.), using them in the 'risky business' (one gets modified, disproved, contradicted and may have to think again - this is all to the good, not a reason to take personal offense or to offend personally) of mutual reasoning is just about the only way we can deal with interpersonal and social and other problems without going to outright manipulation (simple example: lying - but the best lies are the ones that are created by leaving things out, not those that are mere falsehoods - e.g., advertising), and perhaps going on to physical force and violence (e.g.: war), which should always be a last-resort sort of thing. I think responding to MM was better than that - and also that it was pretty damn simple, did not require any of the shouting, which, I think, did not help the situation.
HereNow: I agree about propaganda - but it's everywhere, we're all subject to it, and it needs to be deconstructed and revealed. The propaganda that is really effective is the type one doesn't realize is propaganda (e.g.: a great deal in news media everywhere).
So it's necessary to get smart, and you can't do that very well just by staying in your own head.