Eric's Beijing Diary

I usually stop by Kentucky Fried Chicken for a bowl of steaming rice porridge, and a hot cup of soy milk. But today I went to the Lush for a bacon, egg and tomato sandwich. I didn't get any studying done. Too many people to talk to. The first was a young actress from Shenzhen. She asked if she could sit at my table. Young people like her are thriving on the new openness in this country. I am glad for them, but I also feel that the openness is accompanied by a certain loneliness. I suppose it is not unusual to see young people in any affluent culture who live from party to party, but it seems to me to be an empty sort of life.

The next person who wanted to talk was a retired lady from Philidelphia who is teaching English in Beijing. I told her that I was in Philidelphia quite often during my years in the trucking industry. The main truck lane between Chicago and New Jersey runs along the Pennsylvania Turn Pike, which I drove more times than I can count. Going to New York or New England, I drove through northern Pennsylvania on Interstate 80. I told her about the time I got up one morning in Toledo, and drove all the way across Ohio and Pennsylvania on solid ice. Very, very long day.

This evening at the English corner, someone asked me whether I was supporting Bush or Kerry. I said, "Well, I think the Repubicans would be better for China." This always gets a reaction. And it's always the same reaction.

"But the democrats are much kinder to China!"

I told them what I always tell people who say this--that the Democrats will say whatever China wants to hear, because they really aren't interested in foreign policy. The Republicans, on the other hand, are very interested in foreign policy, so they are usually more particular about their position. One of them immediately reacted to this:

"The Republicans are interested in foreign policy because they like to invade other countries!"

"For example?" (Dumb question, I know.)

"Iraq and Afghanistan."

I said, well, I agree with you about Iraq, but not about Afghanistan. The invasion of Afghanistan was completely proper, because Al Qaeda initiated an unprovoked attack on sovereign territory of the United States, and the Taliban harbored them and refused to turn them over.

"But the first president to come to China was Nixon, and he was a Democrat!"

"No, he was a Republican."

"Oh."

Labels: English Corner