(Today happens to be the Chinese New Year .. the year of Black Dragon. Decided to write something on China or the Chinese and this is what I could come up )
Once upon a time countries made goods for its own people. Today everything under the sun or the moon, well almost, is from the People’s Republic of China. From Diwali decorations to daily use gadgets – you name it and I’ll bet you dollars to dim sum that it’s been put together in some insidious factory by a faceless army of Chinese men and women.
It is a dangerous situation and it will only a matter of time until the global economy collapsed entirely and we would be buying our Dal chaval from the Guangdong Province and trading our Gita or the Bible for the little red book, shark fin soup, unisex haircuts and ill-fitting Mao suits. Not too difficult I guess, since we have already got used to Chilli Chicken, Gobi Manchurian and Feng shui
Part of the damned problem is that the youngsters in most countries don’t want to work in manufacturing anymore. All our young people want is to wear thick spectacles, skinny jeans, work at Facebook and be part of the ‘knowledge-based economy’. Well that’s just fine but what they fail to teach these pups at the Hipster University is that it’s hard to keep the GDP propped up if the only thing a country is producing is social media network addicts, cash crops on Farmville and narcissistic metrosexuals.
While millions of Chinese work on its assembly lines, sleep in the dormitories, eat from the cafeteria, the young adults elsewhere are busy munching on fast food and adding more chins to themselves than those found in a Chinese telephone directory!
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| Happy New Year |
Today it's hard to find farm labourers in kerala, punjab,haryana because all the biharis and UPites are gone and locals don't want to work in hot sun. soon it will have a say in agricultural production also;as well have our dal chaval from china.
ReplyDeleteThe chins and chinese directory is hilarious !
George
I am glad you liked it George
DeleteWishing all the chinese a HAPPY NEW YEAR :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Truly well written.
ReplyDeleteI guess only catastrophes such as Revolutions, Tsunamis and World Wars, have the ability to bring about a change in peoples.
But as a true Indian who doesn't rejoice as much in his/her own achievements, as others miseries, you all can take comfort from the fact that even China is on the brink of a collapse.
you hit the nail on the head....our biggest threat is China...they are just consolidating their position ....their foreign policy is based on " a efficient hawk hides its claws" principle.....India is effectively encircled from Pakistan to NE states to Tibet, Nepal, Bangladesh and now Sri Lanka and our idiots are busy fighting among themselves and trying to siphon of their black money in Swiss accounts elsewhere...all this hit home a couple of years ago when I tried to go get some mirchi bajji on a rainy day and all I could find were noodle stands
ReplyDeleteJust a trivia .. Heard that the Chinese do not take bath on the first day of the New Year, for fear of good luck getting washed off ! ... Tell that to an Indian... We even exfoliate on New Year, probably our ancestors thought they were washing bad luck off the previous year!!
ReplyDeleteGood one... China is the next big thing... Its so difficult to find products made in USA anymore. 99% are made in China... Kabba
ReplyDeleteIt is the same concern and worry I have! I thought I was getting old! It is not just about China taking over the globe, it is also about us, who have no wish to work hard, have no values. Unless we focus on agriculture and sensible development, we will have only concrete blocks to eat a few years from now.
ReplyDeleteWailing,
Sujatha
Though it is believed that India missed the Industrial Revolution, we might have industrialised to some extent. But then our national collective dislike for mass manufacturing perhaps moved labor intensive manufacturing to East Asian countries. I wonder though if India is slowly beginning to create a manufacturing base. It does surprise me these days to see True Religion, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger and other big name clothing carry the 'Made in India' tag. I even find 'Made in India' home products sold in big shopping outlets and malls here in the US.
ReplyDeleteRobert Reich (Harvard Professor and Later Labor Secretary of the US Govt) articulated well on one single point: Value is created by the talent residing within the country. A country's wealth in the long run is nothing but what her people are capable of doing.
ReplyDeleteThe Brit's broke the back of Indian economy by understanding this principle very well...killed the local industry to make the people completely depend on Englang's finished product. Today, the chinese are performing the same fete, although through a different different instrument called "Retaliation of Communism through Capitalist Instruments".
Good insights VJ.
Just a V.