Jamie Doom...

Wednesday, August 17

Reader Comments:

I AM EVIL

In my posting from last week I Killed A Chicken with A Tennis Ball, Am I Evil?, I thought I was asking a rhetorical question. Somebody, still unidentified, took the time to post this followed by an entire article from Knight-Ridder about minorities in China.

"How long have you been in China, and you are telling people to go to a "Minority Cultural Village Park" to dance with minorities and drink out of cocounts? I think you have a responsibility as someone educated on racial equality to avoid encouraging people to participate in one of China's least subtle forms of racism. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please read the following article for example:

"China's Minorities Get Huge Affirmative-Action Benefits

Rena Singer

Knight-Ridder Newspaper"

I'll refrain from posting the entire article here that she cut and pasted, but if you want to read it in my comments... it's there now. I wrote this person back a short, uninteresting reply:

Sorry, I didn't take the time to read all of that because I really don't need to read it. If you had taken the time to read more than one post on this weblog you would be aware of my extensive work with Li/Miao minorities and you wouldn't post an article by second hand source from Knight Ridder that has not spent months of time with this people in remote areas. No I am not encouraging people to take part in subtle racism, and if you were perceptive at all you would understand that my redundant use of that phrase "Traditional Li/Miao Minority Cultural Village Park" was my subtle way of casting bad light on the powers that be making this a tourist attraction much like the Cherokee Indian Reservation in the US. My comment box is NOT your soapbox (in the words of John Pasden, however, I am sorry if you misunderstood this post.

Jamie

PS Post a link next time.

jmedoom

I thought that would be the end of it. It was a blah response to a blah comment. I was wrong. She wrote back:

"You noticed that I used a "secondhand source." I'm really glad you brought that up. You see, I can't really talk about my own experiences at a "minority park" because I've never been to one. I don't have to go to one of these zoos to sing and dance with a minority, since I'm married to one. I suppose if I asked him to, he might even dress up in traditional Hui lamb furs and let me take a picture with him.

Furthermore, I didn't misunderstand your post, though you're right, I didn't catch its "passive activism." It seemed the only people you intentionally cast in a bad light were those girls who gave an unwanted reaction to your killing a chicken witha tennis ball. I don't know if predjudice is as big a problem for the minorities of your "remote places" as it is for those trying to live in Chinese cities, even in their own autonomous regions, but apparently those issues aren't as critical to you as talking about how great you are at aiming tennis balls and dancing with a hula hoop. I have read plenty of your posts, I just don't know how many pages of them one would have to read through to find something substantial. Why do you quote John Pasden anyway? Because his Chinese isn't "rubbish"? Because he came to China to accomplish something? I know it upsets you to find a comment in your box that's not the usual halfhearted compliment, but come on, you're living in a foreign country now, maybe it's time to grow up. "

It's funny how people take something and run with it. I do really hate any conflict at all. I just post here so my friends and family can understand the time I spent in China better...oh well. Here is my somewhat long response:

"Nothing you have said has upset me. Quite the opposite, I’m sorry that I upset you. I removed the offending paragraph after rereading it a couple of times. Even though it was written satirically, it does sound Philistine and I apologize. I have a special love for the Li and Miao peoples of Hainan. I certainly had no wish to perpetuate or tacitly encourage any racism or ignorance towards them. Their courage, ingenuity, love of life, and tenacity will be an inspiration to me the rest of my life. I went to Hainan solely as a volunteer to help better their situation, but instead I found myself enriched, enlightened, and humbled as a result of my time with these beautiful people.

As for your personal attacks, I’m sorry you have read this web log and found nothing substantial. I appreciate you searching through my writing looking. And it must have been disheartening when you reached the end of my web log and had still not found anything substantial. “Substantial” is often misused, but in your case, I’m sure you are using it correctly. If I could go back and replace the hours you spent combing through the entirety of my writing here, believe me I would.

I am heartened that after you spent all that time in vain, you took still more time out of you busy life to leave another comment. Perhaps you saw a glimmer of hope/genius in my favor when reading one of my earlier posts about my ear and nose hair and decided step in and do something. I am in your debt. However, if you decide I am, in fact, a lost cause, I’ll understand. You do not need to ever come back to this website again or post any more comments. I release you from that responsibility.

I am sorry you don’t like my inconsequential musings. You find my subject matter too flippant or well, unsubstantial. If you could send me a list of all the things you would like me to write about, I can tackle that in the months to come. When making out the list, please give detailed instructions regarding what tone you want me to take with the subject and how serious I should sound.

Also, in the future, please feel free to cut and paste, in my comment box, any other riveting articles, personal antidotes, song excerpts, favorite recipes, political slogans of any causes near to your heart. Sorry I haven’t taken the time to read the first article yet. As soon as I get the chance, I’ll be sure to go back, read, and reread it until I become a changed man. And if I have trouble grasping any of the contents, due to my lack of maturity, I’ll do my best to consult my better educated and more sensitive friends.

I also am impressed with your ability to gauge the attitude of the people who leave comments in my comment box. I am sure this analysis, as with all your comments, is dead on. All of them were being, as you put it, “half-hearted,” when they complimented me, which is why you are such a breath of fresh air. You are more perceptive than the average blog reader. First, you were able to detect cultural insensitive fervor in my writing in an ironic posting about killing a chicken with a tennis ball, and then you were able to ascertain the gusto and sincerity of my readers’ comments and compliments. Take the rest of the week off, you deserve it.

In regards to you asking your husband to dress in traditional Hui lamb furs, and take pictures, this matter does seems personal. I find my comment box a strange place to unearth whatever urges you may have. I don’t want to interfere. What you do behind closed doors is your business. However, given my well documented love of animals, I am glad it is a lamb and nothing has to die so you can have your fun. Also mentioning that your husband is a minority does in fact give you complete moral high ground and makes you an authority. I bow to that.

I’m also sorry I used John Pasden’s name in vain. His little comment box reminds people that his web log is not their soap box. I simply was doing the same, and you obviously have taken that to heart. But you are right, his Chinese is better than mine. He has come to China for all the right reasons. Despite being from Florida, he’s a nice guy. Having said that, I am still better with a hula hoop, and (just between you and me) there’s been rumors that he’s a punchy drunk. Plus he just posted about a cartoon of the Kool- Aid man getting pushed, broken, spilled, and drank by children. For shame.

I do need to grow up. It has taken a mature, zealous, obviously sensitive, serious woman to make me wakeup and realize this. If there is anything else on my website you don’t like, please leave a comment in this box, and I’ll get right on it. "

If this is Alf, I'll hunt you down and kill you.

posted by: jmedoom at August 17, 2005 12:44 | link | comments (9) |

Comments:

#1 17 August 2005 - 14:59

well i'm a newbie to your blog and just read the referred posting and i kind of dig the american in paris appeal.

you should have taken the chicken home and cooked it for your new friends...i mean, come on, these girls are from frigging alabama and they get queasy about killing a chicken that is going to be eaten? having grown up in georgia/alabama (and, admittedly, having fled these places for the land of milk and honey and kind green bud and men wearing dresses in san francisco), i can tell you for a fact that it is most common to not only sit on the back porch and shoot the neighbor's chickens as they wander into your yard but, in their absence, to shoot "tweets" -- any old song bird that wanders within range -- and varmints.

as for your commenter talking about her hubby dressing up in traditional wear -- hey, i'll dress up in whatever outfit will end up in my being lucky...

nice writing. i'll return.

JoeSchmuck

#2 18 August 2005 - 07:54

Well, if it was Alf, he spent a lot of time and effort on his spelling (without making it too perfect). I'm not sure that's possible.

-John

Anonymous

#3 18 August 2005 - 08:02

Yeah, but Alf can overachieve when he wants (I have no empirical data to back this up). Sorry I told everybody you were a punchy drunk.

jmedoom

#4 18 August 2005 - 08:05

JoeSchmuck,

Thanks for the kind words. I think it's safe to blame half of China's problems on the lack of good green kind. Maybe that's a future post. I'm in Asheville, NC at the moment. Just doing a little ruminating. Nice writing over at your site.

Doom

jmedoom

#5 19 August 2005 - 02:53

shit, first of all i would have to register to post all that secretly post all that crap. Secondly she was just annoying and bitch, if i ever wanted to trall your website it would be mean and nasty, full of "fucks" and cheap shots.

Anyway i tried to troll at gregs site but then just ended up using my real name instead, so I'm not very good at this kind of thing.

Anonymous

#6 19 August 2005 - 02:53

oh yeah, that was me

Alf

Anonymous

#7 21 August 2005 - 00:15

This lady seriously needs a life. She does know this happened while you were in an English workshop targeted directly to helping the Li and Miao Minority?

--Stephen

Anonymous

#8 21 August 2005 - 00:21

Ahh, I understand now. Never mind my other post.

The % of minority students in college is not very high. They can have TWO children, and they are guaranteed no job. In fact, businesses would rather NOT hire minority people as they are not as intelligent as others, for they have lived most of their life on farms.

In a university of 10,000 students, we have 4 minority students from Hainan, and we have 12 minority students from the mainland. Quite ironic, after reading your comment.

I've lived in China for 13 years, you?

Anonymous

#9 21 August 2005 - 16:55

I seriously believe the woman who wrote her essay to you had prior a marital argument with her husband. She is simply venting some marital problems within her own life.

Hence her comments to you was also trivial and irresponsible if she considers herself educated. Come on lady don't berate a person based on a few website comments. This only invalidates your argument you attempt to make.

By the way, goods such as meat do not begin as ready made freezer packs. So quit protesting the rights of animals you probably consume each day.

Jamie I like your blog and forget about these nonsense protestors who only concern is them themself. ;)

-Phen. :)

Anonymous

Comments:

posted by: jmedoom at August 17, 2005 12:44 | link | comments (9) |

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