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Oct. 14th, 2006 10:18 pm
gorging on tv
I think I might be sick. If I am, I am going to be soo mad!
Anyway, it's been rather chilly here lately, and tonight was one of those "drink tea and watch tv in your jammies" nights. I finished watching the Discovery Atlas China show, narrated by James Spader. I would listen to James Spader read a phone book, but that's just me. It was a two-hour-long show in which the narrator goes into generalities about China today, and illustrates them with various slices of life stories, such as the window-washer who goes home only once a year and looks forward to seeing his three-year-old daughter, the twelve year old gymnast who's been training all her life for the 2008 Olympics, the bow-maker who risked everything to keep the craft alive, etc. Needless to say, I liked the focus on the personal stories more than the general topics, which I thought were too broad - for example, they talk about the Great Wall and how it was one of the greatest achievements of mankind, but never once mentioned how many lives were sacrificed for it.
A few things for me to chew on when I do go to China next month:
How much pride in their nation everyone seemed to have. Everyone seemed to have their own ambitions, of course, but they would also tie it up with how much they wanted to do something for their country, and to show that they were doing something productive for the country. It's a concept that's absolutely foreign to me - I can't imagine that I would in my life decisions, consider what's best for the country, as opposed to what's best for me.
How much ambition the women have. They interview a female cop in the western region of China and she talks about how she's just as good as any of the men. Meanwhile, she also takes care of her parents, and they worry about her being single. (Like most of the others, she's an only child.) She doesn't have a boyfriend, and the ones she dated never understood her passion for her career. The wife of the window-washer prepares a twenty-course meal for Chinese New Year by herself, and while she's cooking reveals that she wants to be a "superwoman" with her own business.
How much focus is on material things - it is one of my least favorite developments about the Westernization of China. I see the results in my relatives, too, who spend a lot of their money on designer clothing, using who bought what and who didn't buy this as weapons in family dramas. It's not pretty.
The wide, wide gap between rich and poor - the window-washer works in Beijing, and cleans the windows of high-rises. Next to that story they talk about the new shopping complex built right next to the buildings where he works, where it's so overpriced he can't afford a bottle of beer.
Anyway, the cinematography is gorgeous, and it made me wish that Mark had the HDTivo already.
Um, I was going to go on about Boston Legal, but I'm too tired. Just wanted to mention that I get that David E. Kelley is a liberal, but he needs to realize you can't solve problems by throwing money at them. This is the second time I've seen already where he has one of the characters give a fat check to a homeless person, as if that'll solve all the problems in their lives.
Good night.
Anyway, it's been rather chilly here lately, and tonight was one of those "drink tea and watch tv in your jammies" nights. I finished watching the Discovery Atlas China show, narrated by James Spader. I would listen to James Spader read a phone book, but that's just me. It was a two-hour-long show in which the narrator goes into generalities about China today, and illustrates them with various slices of life stories, such as the window-washer who goes home only once a year and looks forward to seeing his three-year-old daughter, the twelve year old gymnast who's been training all her life for the 2008 Olympics, the bow-maker who risked everything to keep the craft alive, etc. Needless to say, I liked the focus on the personal stories more than the general topics, which I thought were too broad - for example, they talk about the Great Wall and how it was one of the greatest achievements of mankind, but never once mentioned how many lives were sacrificed for it.
A few things for me to chew on when I do go to China next month:
How much pride in their nation everyone seemed to have. Everyone seemed to have their own ambitions, of course, but they would also tie it up with how much they wanted to do something for their country, and to show that they were doing something productive for the country. It's a concept that's absolutely foreign to me - I can't imagine that I would in my life decisions, consider what's best for the country, as opposed to what's best for me.
How much ambition the women have. They interview a female cop in the western region of China and she talks about how she's just as good as any of the men. Meanwhile, she also takes care of her parents, and they worry about her being single. (Like most of the others, she's an only child.) She doesn't have a boyfriend, and the ones she dated never understood her passion for her career. The wife of the window-washer prepares a twenty-course meal for Chinese New Year by herself, and while she's cooking reveals that she wants to be a "superwoman" with her own business.
How much focus is on material things - it is one of my least favorite developments about the Westernization of China. I see the results in my relatives, too, who spend a lot of their money on designer clothing, using who bought what and who didn't buy this as weapons in family dramas. It's not pretty.
The wide, wide gap between rich and poor - the window-washer works in Beijing, and cleans the windows of high-rises. Next to that story they talk about the new shopping complex built right next to the buildings where he works, where it's so overpriced he can't afford a bottle of beer.
Anyway, the cinematography is gorgeous, and it made me wish that Mark had the HDTivo already.
Um, I was going to go on about Boston Legal, but I'm too tired. Just wanted to mention that I get that David E. Kelley is a liberal, but he needs to realize you can't solve problems by throwing money at them. This is the second time I've seen already where he has one of the characters give a fat check to a homeless person, as if that'll solve all the problems in their lives.
Good night.
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