The East/West Debate

In the previous article, I have written about globalization and the East/West ideological debate. I would in this article therefore attempt to delineate the characteristics of which is linked to East and West. And in so doing, proved that each "essential" characteristic is no more particularised to former as much as it is to the latter.

The common denominator of which we can go down is to the skin colour. Unless we are models, selling whitening products or in tanning products, the colour of our skin should have no bearings on the future of success in the economies or societies. Westerners are therefore fairer and are commonly associated with being white, and in similar terms- the rest of us are therefore in variation and degrees of whiteness, with black being the other end of the continuum. Hence seen from this perspective, we have set of benchmark of "whiteness" of which we constant seek to obtain- moreover seen from the perspective of cultural biases towards being white- of being associated to purity and altruism. We have then condemned ourselves into reaching an unreachable benchmark, that of whiteness- think of Micheal Jackson's botched pigmentation surgery and you get the picture.

Hence in so doing, we have essentialized quite covertly and sub-consciously, the racial colour and the associative qualities of particular races, and even condemned ourselves- unwittingly as well- into quite disadvantageous places. Of which such actions often elude their rationale towards me- and in certain cases, celebrate their colour quite different from theirs. Hence in evoking an East/West debate is already framing the action of one's interest groups- in being East, means change and revolutionary and reactionary- and in being West, privileged, pure and cultured, and therefore conservative and elitist. And in so doing, we have surrendered the value of being elitist and cultured without even giving a fight and in so doing, always condemning ourselves into an underdog position.

And in being Westernized meant therefore, cultured, elitist, conservative- in blue- while anything else, is just a step down from it. Just for your information, there are poor people in Western countries, much as there are rich people in the East. Similarly there are many well-groomed people in the Orient- as much as there are backwater people in the West. Hence in so doing then, we have stupidly aspire to a benchmark of which we willingly have accepted we can never change- our skin colour.

On second note, is that of a hierarchical societies and therefore the association of paternalism associated with the East as compared with the more liberal attitudes of the West. And once again, the media has once again attempt to divide the two up and split them neatly insofar that each can controlled socially.

Just for your information, paternalism has western origins and is not the exclusive domain of the East. And just in similar terms, there are no similar words in Chinese lexicon as far as I am concerned and "family" in Mandarin which is "Jia Ting" is a mixture of "Ting" which is the operative word of "Fa Ting" which is the courts or legal system and "Jia" which is home- there isn't even gender bias in the word itself. Hence anyone who associate paternalism and hierarchy as the essential attributes of the Eastern cultures is therefore mixing myth/ideology with popular portrayal.

And insofar that, anyone who attempts to evoke this particular debate of which to deny or justify parochial interest in the name of general one is once again using race as an instrumental device in achieving one's personal gains.