From: garrick@kpc.com (Garrick Le)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese
Subject: [POL] Re: Normalization w/ Hanoi
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:32:10 GMT
Organization: Kubota Pacific Computer


mai@cc.uow.edu.au (Van Dao Mai) wrote:

>I smell this American fascist as a very typical little North American
>who understands everything but what beyond his nose. With all the
>illnesses of the so-called Western democracies, North American will
>be soon sold out on their American dream.
>
>A country like Vietnam cannot afford a democracy of the Western style.
>Looking what Western companies have done to Thailand, the Philippines,
>etc ... The human condition of an average American or Australian or
>French is simply pathetic. This is condition is infinitely better than
>what many Westerners plan for third world countries. I have seen
>young Australian kids becoming empty-headed. They knows only how
>to look for Coca Cola, food and sex. As I beleive that Australia is
>still a much better country for kids to grow up in, I have little
>doubt that other countries like the US, France, Italy, etc ... are
>much worse.

 I sense a very anti-American sentiment in your message ...since it
tries to expose the ills of American culture and value system.
Nonetheless,this is too much generalization since I personally
have seen many positive things from American culture,namely its
open-mindedness,its emphasis on humanity,its creativity and
generosity.Furthermore,you did not mention Canada as part of the
Western block ...I don't want to make this an American versus
Canada issue but would you care to elaborate your viewpoint on
Canada 's current state???After all,Canada is part of the Western
clock.
>Plato has pointed out clearly that democracy has many illnesses. The
>major illness is that it is characterised by the wish of the mobs who
>do not necessarily know what good for them. Therefore democracy tend
>to suffer disunity, selfishness, and waste of resources. Third world
>country cannot afford a democracy of Western style. They need to lift
>their intellectual ability higher to equal or better than that of the
>most advanced Western society before a democracy becomes practical.
>Japan did not advance because of Democracy! she advanced because of
>nationalism, humility and hatred for the Western arrogance. Germany
>did not advance by democracy. She advances by the will to suceed and
>the strength of the German hearts and minds.

Your logic sounds awfully similar to the one used by Karl Marx in
his arguement against capitalism.Quite a "striking" resemblance
to some obsolete "ideology". ;-))) Some kind of arguement I guess ;-((

Yes Western democracy has some flaws ,yet,nobody is perfect and
government is no exception.Here,your message is starting to sound
a bit racist ... Japanese hatred of American ???I have not seen
much of that recently ...During my stay in Japan the last two
years all I saw was Japanese embracing American business approach
and attitudes.The younger Japanese generation tend to be quite
Americanized,as a matter of fact.
I think you better get your facts straight before making noise !!!

>Vietname may suffer humility now. However, she will rise! She will
>learn the best of the skill that Western cultures can offer. She will
>maintain her poetic culture. She cannot afford the rotten kind of
>democracy of the West. She may have her own form of democracy that
>will goes beyond the taste for flesh and bones of the Western facists.
>She will not be the play ground of the West similar to what Thailand,
>Philippines, South America, etc ... have always been. The regime
>in Vietnam may not be the most desirable on Earth now. However they
>have the interest of the motherland at heart. The old generations
>are dying out rapidly. The younger generation will be better. Let's
>hope that they will not learn all the illnesses of Western cultures
>(the North American culture in particular).
>
>Van Dao MAI
>Wollongong University
 Vietnamese gov't has the interest of the motherland at heart???
What kind of joke is it???
Honestly,the Vietnamese gov't officials have the interest of their
pockets first and foremost ...maybe second after their power ...
without which they have no means to fatten their bankrolls.
Are you pretending to be naive or just plain absurd???

 In this age of dying communism ,a viewpoint of communistic tendencies
usually is camouflaged by some nationalistic reasons.Good grief ...
desperate effort to conceal true colors ,huh???



Garrick Le

Disclaimer: all opinions expressed herein are my own.