Slidey said:
Surely something's wrong with blind nationalism?
I wouldn't say it's blind, rather, it's reactionary. Chinese people, at least, weren't this
openly nationalistic towards the West until the world decided to make an Olympic Sport about China bashing.
In my honest opinion, if change has to come to China, it has to be gradual. Pressure is good and all, but when you riddle that pressure with hidden agendas and whatnot, it can be counter-productive; rather than inspiring the Chinese to rise in some revolution, it'll just inflame them even more.
Ultimately, a country of 1.3 billion is hard to control, and if you constantly point out flaws in a country that hasn't fully developed yet, harping on human rights, you'll inevitable demean and antagonise the actual people you're trying to 'free'.
Freedom of speech hasn't lifted any country out of poverty and ignominy. I'd like to think it's more of an after-product than anything else. And given that China's social development lags years behind the West, wouldn't you find it a bit rich that people just suddenly demand for them to live up to Western sensibilities, after the turmoil of the last two centuries? Can you now understand why the ordinary Chinese isn't blindly supporting their government, but rather taking over-the-top criticism as an affront to their pride and identity?
Ultimately, change comes from within. And look at what happens with radical plans for change - Tian An Men - did it really do anything, 20 years on? Granted, China has human rights issues, but it would be unfair to dismiss the social progress the country has made given the turbulence of its recent history.
