I am currently in the US and here the political establishment is blaming China for the Pandemic impact which has been devastating. Some States have even sued China for damages.
What surprised me however was that many ordinary people here, most Republicans, a fair amount of Democrats and even some healthcare professionals including Physicians, seem to believe that somehow China is responsible for the pandemic impacting the US. And that the US response has been PERFECT!
While I don't subscribe to this and have not found anyone who has any rationale behind their beliefs, unfortunately, perception is reality.
The way I see it is that China has done everything that any other country where a virus would begin would do. And this is borne out by history. While they should and could have done more, what right does any country have to expect from others what they themselves would not do? And the bigger question is, what would have changed and how?
This TED talk by Chinese author Huang Hung throws some light on the difference in response of the two countries based on the difference in values.
How American and Chinese values shaped the coronavirus response
To combat COVID-19, countries have enforced city-wide shutdowns, stay-at-home orders and mask mandates -- but the reaction (and adherence) to these rules has differed markedly in the East and West. In conversation with TED's head of curation Helen Walters, writer and publisher Huang Hung sheds light on how Chinese and American cultural values shaped their responses to the outbreak -- and provides perspective on why everyone needs to come together to end the pandemic.
The Chinese state media released a propaganda video and while its propaganda, I do think it is funny and at a macro level not inaccurate. Have a Laugh!
What surprised me however was that many ordinary people here, most Republicans, a fair amount of Democrats and even some healthcare professionals including Physicians, seem to believe that somehow China is responsible for the pandemic impacting the US. And that the US response has been PERFECT!
While I don't subscribe to this and have not found anyone who has any rationale behind their beliefs, unfortunately, perception is reality.
The way I see it is that China has done everything that any other country where a virus would begin would do. And this is borne out by history. While they should and could have done more, what right does any country have to expect from others what they themselves would not do? And the bigger question is, what would have changed and how?
This TED talk by Chinese author Huang Hung throws some light on the difference in response of the two countries based on the difference in values.
How American and Chinese values shaped the coronavirus response
To combat COVID-19, countries have enforced city-wide shutdowns, stay-at-home orders and mask mandates -- but the reaction (and adherence) to these rules has differed markedly in the East and West. In conversation with TED's head of curation Helen Walters, writer and publisher Huang Hung sheds light on how Chinese and American cultural values shaped their responses to the outbreak -- and provides perspective on why everyone needs to come together to end the pandemic.
The Chinese state media released a propaganda video and while its propaganda, I do think it is funny and at a macro level not inaccurate. Have a Laugh!
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