Tell it to Steven Hawking. A person's physical stature does not limit his/her potential for work that does not rely on his/her physical stature (e.g., English teaching, as well as physics). The cultural attitude that those who are discriminated against because they do not fit the culturally desired norm should be outcast or should be provided for by special environments that can be sold as entertainment venues to those who will not deal with their own prejudices is a cultural attitude that perpetuates discrimination against all who are 'different'. The problem here, as elsewhere, is a matter of dehumanizing those who are 'different' - prejudicial culture that regiments anything that deviates from its standards, rather than dealing with the prejudice itself. Why not have a theme park within which 'foreigners', with all their funny habits, can be kept, so that they do not disturb the 'normality' of cultural prejudices? Actually, there could be many: one for 'black people', one for Tibetans, one for Japanese, one for gay people, one for Han Chinese people who have given up their 'traditional' clothing for 'western-style' clothing (e.g., the great majority of Chinese, over the past century or so) - in fact we could subdivide and subdivide until nothing was left but mutual nonrecognition. All these would help to maintain the narrow identities of 'normality' that can be relied upon to advance support the cultural attitudes that promote the continuing inability of people to recognize each other as human, and to celebrate and accept their differences - not as entertainment items, no matter how 'cute', but as full human beings. How different is all this from apartheid?
This effort to maintain prejudice can, of course, be profitable to those who invest in it, and convenient for social engineers and political elites who want to maintain an elite power status by reliance on it.
The place is an insult to our common humanity and a spotlight on cultural attitudes of exclusion. Those who find that they enjoy such displays should take a good look at the nature of the culture that has formed them so narrowly. Cultures change; cultures have always changed; cultures are presently changing and will continue to do so; there is nothing sacred about cultural attitudes. Our common humanity is an ongoing project, and those who imagine they are not part of such a project are simply contributing their own blindness to it, and limiting themselves in the process. It's not the 'dwarves' who are the problem, its the people who will not accept them as within the boundaries of 'us'.
Kunming police now permitted to carry sidearms
Posted byAll worth considering, although it's all speculation. Anyway, although local cops may not particularly like foreigners, I don't notice anything I'd call the evil eye - just the expectation of possible verbal trouble if they have to deal with them. I think the implication that foreigners would be likely targets of choice in some melee is highly unlikely.
A glimpse into the life of a Kunming fruit seller
Posted byI imagine sensualists of all stripes have noticed that it's now mango season. I think I'd buy mangoes on wechat about as fast as I'd order mail-order brides. My appreciation of these people, and the fine friendly lady who sells fruit on my streetcorner, for keeping life here several jumps ahead of unadulterated electronic supermarket culture - which, I guess, has its strong points, but not when it comes to mangoes.
Kunming opens province's first 'baby refuge'
Posted byI would say the idea of the bonus was a good one, and might well be practiced elsewhere, if it were not for the fact that it discriminates against the poor. But then almost everything everywhere discriminates against the poor.
Interview: Environmentalist Li Yuan
Posted byOn not wasting water: a simple thing that anyone can do who has a bathtub is to leave the water for baths, showers, washing clothes, etc. in the tub and then using it to flush the toilet.
Yunnan dam structurally unsound, repairs in limbo
Posted byGood time to start using less water and electricity - industrial 'progress' is clearly not the free ride it was thought to be some 150-200 years ago.