Chinapol Boot
An interesting article on Danwei blog detailing the booting of Philip Cunningham from the exclusive CPOL mailing list, set up by Richard Baum of UCLA to discuss China politics. From Danwei’s Jeremy Goldkorn:
…here is a different critical take on Chinapol and its problems, from journalist Philip J. Cunningham, who was unceremoniously booted off the Chinapol list. This is his story about his excommunication.
Though Phil’s comments are bordering on the “screed” category, I do agree that CPOL suffers from what is typical of many forums - the extreme viewpoints start with snarky comments and often takeover the bandwidth while the middle (ie. the majority) sits and watches on the sidelines. On rare occasion, an interesting discussion breaks out. (Full disclosure - I am on the Chinapol mailing list.)
Cunningham’s main gripe:
Some of the best minds in the China field are stuck in an outdated paradigm of America-good, China-bad.
I’ll reserve my comments about the actual argument for later, but he’s more right than wrong on this not particularly for the list membership, but for the politicians, think tanks and watchers in DC. And that does have a trickle-over effect to supposedly “left” academia.
July 27th, 2006 09:50
:) Sorry Ivan… That was the Jack Daniel’s talking….
Ahem… I’m sure my opinion will count for naught but…
Though I have not met Mr. ‘C’, I have read (ohmygod) a lot of the posts, his and commentators, on two specific subjects.
1.) Chinapol- My opinion. He’s right. He was wrongly excluded.I belive it is backed by gov’t. History (and political NGO newsletters) is written by the victor.No Mainland Chinese equals no local (Note: I did not say informed) opinions about China’s political scene. If you don’t have ANY of that input, what’s point. It just becomes a newsletter full of conjecture, written, subscribed to, and read by a bunch of guys who come here once in a while to buy cheap DVD and score some cheap…ah…massages.
2.) Mr. “C” does seem, as Richard put it, to hold the USA to a higher standard than China, when speaking publicly.
I find, in particular, it could be a little offensive to some Western viewers, for Mr. “C” to slam the US gov’t, while mimicking the 3 monkeys when it comes to China’s internal political situation.
Having said that, Mr. “C” does in fact fulfill his destiny, and duty, as an American, by speaking his mind, AS he chooses, WHEN he chooses, WITH conviction.
You cannot condem him as anti-American, when he behaves as an American SHOULD, and CAN do, and when given half a chance, WILL do.
You may even want to resort to McCarthyism, by complaining that he is too “nice” to China, and the Chinese government’s sensibilities.But, all American’s know that road is the wrong one to get on.Glass houses…rocks…get the picture?
In the end, as gentlemen and gentlewomen, the only civil thing to do is agree or agree to disagree with Mr. “C”. Or we can argue with him. But if you choose the latter, let us do it either in private email, or online with some sense of etiquette (like Richard and others), or even better… Invite the man for dinner or a nice brandy…That my friends, is the civilized way to have an argument…Especially after a a nice meal…