by ♥ China ♥ guccio via FlickrSpeaking publicly against the Carrefour boycott might not be the best way to get a following as a Chinese thought leader, but that is what a group of influential journalists is doing. ESWN translates the interview of Southern Weekend with Bai Yansong, who wrote a short essay against the boycott.He put the debate in the light of China's efforts to move towards a democracy, as decided during the 17th Party Congress last year.
Q. How can one be rationally patriotic as you say? Isn't emotional patriotism good enough?I'm pleasantly surprised by his arguments and equally pleased he cannot read Dutch so he can be spared the emotional patriotism of some of the Dutch politicians. It would be so disheartening.
A. "I disagree with your opinion, but I will defend your right to speak." This is an important cornerstone of democracy. It is your choice not to go to Carrefour, but other people are free to shop there. When you forcibly deprive or interfere with other people's rights and freedom, this is not only undemocratic but it is another form of violence and dictatorship.
One must be restrained by rationality when one expresses one's voices. One must observe the legal and moral bottom lines. When passions coalesce, it is easy to step past the line with bad consequences. Since the law does not hold bar these expressions, people seldom reflect and discipline themselves and they will repeat the same thing the next time. The attraction of democracy is rationality. A democracy not supported by rationality is destructive as opposed to constructive.
2 comments:
can you get dutch cheese in the Shanghai Carrefour? Can you get it anywhere else in Shanghai?
Policies of the many Carrefour outlets in Shanghai differ very much. The Gubei Carrefour traditionally caters best for a foreign taste, but that was too far away from where I was living.
Other Carrefour's would have at best very young Gouda cheese, not my preference. I have never been able to get the really nice belegen or old cheese in those outlets and often they would also after some time stop selling the young cheese.
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