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'.
Getting Away: A return to Shaxi
Posted byMost of the villages in the valley are Bai, an official minority. There are also supposedly Lisu in the hills to the east - I haven't gone up there, but they shouldn't be more than a few hours' hike at most.
Getting Away: A return to Shaxi
Posted byOn its way to becoming overly touristified, like many other places that have already gone too far in that direction - but still very much a great place. Thing is, the town of Sideng is only one point in the Shaxi Valley, & with a bicycle you can ride up & down the valley for a very long way.
The Shaxi Cultural Center & Guest House in Sideng is a very nice place to stay in an old courtyard house - very comfortable & friendly but not over commercialized.
Yunnan GDP third fastest-growing in China
Posted byAll good, except for the income distribution problem, which gets worse just about everywhere.
China moves to lessen air pollution, Yunnan excluded
Posted by@Willie Gee, I think a lot of it may be going to make the city fancier & more 'modern'; and, through that effort, into the pockets of those who live on profits and/or their friends in government.
The last Mongols of Yunnan
Posted by@Alex: I think Kubilai Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson, commanded the troops - was your ancestor, youngest son of Genghis Khan, with them? Possible, but it seems odd - would like to hear more about this.