Lee Teng-hui : Country Above Party

1. In Memory of Lee Teng-hui:

In Memory of

Lee Teng-hui

1923 to 2020

2. I did not start following Taiwanese politics until last year (i.e. 2019), so the following opinion is merely impressionistic.

The impression is formed from listening to the discussions on various Taiwanese TV political programs available on YouTube.

Following the passing of Lee Teng-hui on July 30, 2020, he became the main topic of discussion on Taiwanese TV political programs.

Some of these programs summarized the achievement of Lee Teng-hui in the democratization of Taiwan during the twelve years (1988-2000) he was President.

I am impressed.

What impressed me most is not that he was a master politician, which he was, but that in carrying out the democratization program, he put the interests of Taiwan above his personal interests and the interests of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, of which he was the then chairman.

This "country above party" attitude of Lee Teng-hui compares very favorably against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which put the interests of the CPP above the national interest of China.

3. ("Lee Teng-hui", Wikipedia):

"Lee Teng-hui (Chinese: 李登輝; 15 January 1923 – 30 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and economist who was the fourth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the 1947 Constitution and chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 1988 to 2000. He was the first president of the Republic of China to be born in Taiwan and the first to be directly elected. During his presidency, Lee oversaw the end of martial law and the full democratization of the ROC, advocated the Taiwanese localization movement, and led an ambitious foreign policy to gain allies around the world."

"After leaving office Lee was expelled from the KMT for his role in founding the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), which forms part of the Pan-Green Coalition alongside Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party. Lee was considered the 'spiritual leader' of the TSU, and recruited for the party in the past. Nicknamed 'Mr. Democracy', Lee was the president who initiated Taiwan's transition to the democratic era."

4. In 1996, Lee Teng-hui became the first President to be directly elected by the people.

In 2000, still chairman of the KMT, Lee splitted the KMT presidential vote through political maneuvering and ensure the victory of the Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Shui-bian.

When Lee Teng-hui oversaw the peaceful transfer of power from the KMT to the Democratic Progressive Party, his democratic reform was completed.

In splitting the KMT vote, Lee had engendered the wrath of KMT party members that lasted to this day.

But in oversawing the first peaceful transfer of power, Lee Teng-hui had set the democratic pattern for what were to come and deservedly be called the "Mr. Democracy" of Taiwan.

Lee Teng-hui had put the national interests of Taiwan above the party interests of the KMT.


Reference:

"Lee Teng-hui", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Teng-hui
(accessed 2020-08-02).


End.

[Opinion] J-Drama -- Kasumi Arimura's Filming Break (2020)

Kasumi Arimura's Filming Break (2020)

Kasumi Arimura 

1. "Kasumi Arimura's Filming Break" (Japanese: 有村架純の撮休) is a 2020 TV drama starring Kasumi ARIMURA (有村 架純) as herself.

This TV drama first aired in Japan on March 21, 2020 and will consist of 8 weekly episodes.

As a tell, each episode begins with an incident in the TV production that necessitates a filming break and the story for the episode is the story of what Kasumi does on the day of the break.

I was so impressed by the story and acting of the first episode that I decided to watch the rest of the drama, and it has not been disappointing.


2. In the first episode, Kasumi decided to go home to visit her mother for a day on the filming break.

We find out many interesting things in that one day:

(a) that Kasumi suspects that her widowed mother might have a new suitor;

(b) that a man who visit her mother that afternoon is actually her older brother whom she has never met, the son of her deceased father by a woman prior to her mother;

(c) that Kasumi might have been seeing a married man with a child.

As her older brother is leaving from the visit, Kasumi saw her mother giving him money and later asked her mother why.

Her mother explained that her brother's business is in distress and that he has a family to support, but Kasumi was not satisfied with the answer.

In a scene later that night in a nearby temple courtyard, mother and daughter finally have a heart to heart.

Kasumi's mother confessed that since she has stolen her older brother's father away from him, she is giving him money to help him out in order to redeem her past sin.

Will Kasumi repeats her mother's mistake with the married man she is seeing?

Human drama about sin and redemption, and decision at turning points in life.

Quite thought provoking and touching.



References: 

"Kasumi Arimura", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasumi_Arimura
(accessed 2020-05-07).

"有村架純の撮休", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%89%E6%9D%91%E6%9E%B6%E7%B4%94%E3%81%AE%E6%92%AE%E4%BC%91
(accessed 2020-05-07).

"有村架純", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%89%E6%9D%91%E6%9E%B6%E7%B4%94
(accessed 2020-05-07). 

End.

[Opinion] Calvinism and Fatalism

John Calvin

Fatalism

 

1. Many people confuse Calvinism (or Reformed theology) with fatalism because both are deterministic.

In fact, they are very different.

What differentiate Calvinism from fatalism is whether the theory claimed it is personal and purposeful.

It is also instructive to contrast Calvinism and fatalism against their background worldviews of Christian theism and naturalism.

Calvinism is a form of Christian theism and it may be called personal purposeful determinism.

Contemporary western fatalism is a form of naturalism and it may be called impersonal purposeless determinism.

2. The worldview of which Calvinism is a species is Christian theism.

The fundamental claim of Christian theism is that the personal God of the Bible exists and that He has created the world.

The distinctive doctrine of Calvinism is the doctrine of the Eternal Decree of God.

The doctrine of the Eternal Decree of God is the claim that God ordain whatsoever comes to pass.

[The Westminster Confession of Faith 3.1]:

"God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeable ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established."

Because of the doctrine of the Eternal Decree of God, Calvinism is a species of determinism.

God also created the world with a purpose or with an ultimate end in mind.

[The Westminster Confession of Faith 4.1]:

"It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days; and all very good."

Because God created the world "for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness", the world is created with a purpose or an end in mind.

Thus, Calvinism may be called personal purposeful determinism.

3. The Wikipedia entry "Fatalism" differentiates fatalism from determinism and predeterminism.

According to the entry, the relationship between the three concepts are: predeterminism is a species of determinism, and determinism is a species of fatalism.

All three believe that all future events are inevitable.

Fatalism is the broadest concept of the three in that the inevitability of future events may be due either to chance or to a causal chain of prior events.

Determinism is a species of fatalism in that the inevitability of future events is due to a causal chain of prior events only but not to chance.

Predeterminism is a species of determinism in that the inevitability of future events is due to an uninterrupted causal chain of prior events that goes back to the origin of the universe.

In generic determinism, the causal chain of prior events may or may not goes back to the origin of the universe.

The characterization of the three concepts emphasizes the "how" aspect of the inevitability of future events.

4. Our interests are different from those of the Wikipedia entry "Fatalism", so our definition of terms is different from it.

Following the Reformed theologians Loraine Boettner (1901-1990) and Gordon H. Clark (1902-1985), another way to cut into the concept of "the inevitability of future events" is to ask two questions:

(a) Whether the cause of "the inevitability of future events" is personal?

(b) Whether all events converge to an end?

A theory is deterministic if it claims that all the events of the world are inevitable.

A theory is personal if it claims that all the events of the world are determined by the will of God.

So Calvinism is personal determinism.

As with the finite Greek gods, if fate controls the actions of the gods rather than the gods control fate, then the theory is impersonal.

So fatalism is impersonal determinism, an example of which is Greek finite godism.

A theory is (globally) purposeful if all the events of the world converge to some ends.

So Calvinism is purposeful determinism.

A theory is (globally) purposeless if all the events of the world do not converge to any end.

Naturalism denies that there is any purpose to the universe; it simply just exists.

So naturalism is purposeless.

Contemporary western fatalism is generally read against a naturalistic background and it may be called impersonal purposeless determinism.

Calvinism is a species of Christian theism and it may be called personal purposeful determinism.

So Calvinism is deterministic but not fatalistic.

Furthermore, if the God of the Bible exists, then there is no fate and fatalism is false.

References:

Boettner, Loraine. 1932. The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company.

Clark, Gordon H. 1969. Biblical Predestination. Nutley, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company.

“Fatalism”, Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalism

(accessed 2019-09-26).

End.

[Opinion] Carrie Lam as a Moral Vacuum: The Sad Affair of an Ex-Civil Servant

Carrie Lam

Humphrey Appleby

1. Carrie Lam is the current Chief Executive of Hong Kong and she has assumed office on July 1, 2017.

Carrie Lam has become notorious worldwide in the last three months for pushing the Extradition Bill that sparked: (a) a 1.03 million people protest on June 9, (b) a 2 million people protest on June 16, and (c) a 1.7 million people protest on August 18, with many protests of varying sizes in between and since.

The Wikipedia entry on Carrie Lam calls her "a Hong Kong politician". 

But I believe the key to understanding Carrie Lam is not to treat her as a politician but as the civil servant that she has been for some 30 odd years, first under the British and then the Chinese governments.

The most illuminating comparison I can think of is to compare Carrie Lam to the fictional character Sir Humphrey Appleby of the British television series Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister.

Humphrey Appleby is the consummate British civil servant that is dedicated purely to means and not to ends.

Humphrey Appleby is also an elite who looks down on the people and politicians whom he supposedly serves with pride and smugness.

I think this civil servant mentality of dedication to pure means and not ends accounts for Carrie Lam's behaviors.

Carrie Lam is not here to make policy for Hong Kong but to carry out the policies of her political masters in Beijing, right or wrong.

This dedication to pure means without considering the morality of the ends of an action makes Carrie Lam into a moral vacuum.

Like Humphrey Appleby, Carrie Lam also behaves towards the people of Hong Kong with pride and smugness.

Carrie Lam is what Humphrey Appleby would have been had he become a politician.

2. For those not familiar with the British television series Yes Minister, the relevant episode is called "The Whiskey Priest" (season 3, episode 6).

(a) There is an excerpt of the relevant portion of the episode in YouTube:

Sir Humphrey Appleby: The Consummate Civil Servant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIYfiRyPi3o

(b) Partial Transcript:

(Jim Hacker is the minister and Humphrey Appleby is the civil servant.)

Jim Hacker: You may take this lightly, but we cannot close our eyes to something that is as morally wrong as this.
Humphrey Appleby: Very well, Minster.

If you insist on making me discuss moral issues, may I point out to you something is either morally wrong or it isn't.

It can't be slightly morally wrong.
Jim Hacker: Don't quibble, Humphrey. 
Humphrey Appleby: Government isn't about morality. 
Jim Hacker: Really? What is it about? 
Humphrey Appleby: Stability.
Keeping things going.
Preventing anarchy.
Stopping society falling to bits.
Still being here tomorrow. 
Jim Hacker: What for? 
Humphrey Appleby: I beg your pardon? 
Jim Hacker: What is the ultimate purpose of government if it isn’t for doing good? 
Humphrey Appleby: Minster, government isn't about good and evil.
It's only about order or chaos. 
Jim Hacker: And it is in order for Italian terrorists to get British bombs?
And you don't care? 
Humphrey Appleby: It's not my job to care.
That's what politicians are for.
My job is to carry out government policy. 
Jim Hacker: Even if you think it's wrong? 
Humphrey Appleby: Well, almost all government policy is wrong but, frightfully well carried out! 
Jim Hacker: Humphrey, have you ever known a civil servant to resign on a matter of principle? 
Humphrey Appleby: I should think not! What an appalling suggestion! 
Jim Hacker: For the first time, I fully understand that you are purely committed to means and not to ends! 
Humphrey Appleby: But as far as I'm concerned, Minister, and all of my colleagues, there is no difference between means and ends. 
Jim Hacker: If you believe that, Humphrey, you will go to hell. 
Humphrey Appleby: Minister, I had no idea that you had a theological bent. 
Jim Hacker: You are a moral vacuum, Humphrey. 
Humphrey Appleby: If you say so, Minister. 


References: 

"2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia, 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protests 
(accessed 2019-08-22).

"Carrie Lam", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Lam

(accessed 2019-08-22).

"Humphrey Appleby", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey_Appleby

(accessed 2019-08-22).

"Jim Hacker", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hacker

(accessed 2019-08-22).

"Yes Minister", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Minister

(accessed 2019-08-22).

End.

[Opinion] In Memory of Huang Yi (1952 - 2017)

Huang Yi (1952 - 2017)

In Memory of

Huang Yi

1952 to 2017

1. ("Huang Yi (author)", Wikipedia):

Wong Cho-keung (15 March 1952 – 5 April 2017), better known by his pen name Huang Yi or Huang An, was a Hong Kong writer of wuxia and science fiction novels. He graduated from the Department of Fine Arts of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and once worked as the Assistant Chairperson of Hong Kong Museum of Art.

In the 1990s, after its golden age, wuxia fiction was increasingly under attack by the general public and was losing its previous aura. However, the emergence of Huang infused new life into the wuxia genre.

From Fuyu Fanyun (Chinese: 覆雨翻雲) to Xun Qin Ji (Chinese: 尋秦記) and Datang Shuanglong Zhuan (Chinese: 大唐雙龍傳), Huang has combined science fiction with traditional Chinese culture (metaphysics, philosophy, etc.) to create a new style of work. Currently, his popularity has resulted in some people describing this phenomenon as flurry of Huang sweeping through China.

Upon conclusion of his longest novel, Datang Shuanglong Zhuan, Huang has commented that he would like to follow in the footstep of Louis Cha and to revise and improve his released novels.

There are some Hong Kong television series adapted from Huang's novels, such as A Step Into The Past (2001), Twin of Brothers (2004) and Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion (2006).

Yi died in Hong Kong on 5 April 2017 from a stroke while in hospital at the age of 65.


2. I was an avid reader of wuxia fictions when in secondary school in Vancouver in the 1970s.

("Wuxia", Wikipedia): "Wuxia (武俠, IPA: [ù.ɕjǎ]), which literally means 'martial heroes', is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms such as Chinese opera, manhua, films, television series and video games. It forms part of popular culture in many Chinese-speaking communities around the world."

After graduation, I did not have the time to read as many fictions and novels as I like but still read the occasional wuxia novels.

The three major writers of Chinese wuxia novels from the late 1950s to the 1980s were Jin Yong ("金庸"; b.1924), Liang Yusheng ("梁羽生"; 1926 – 2009), and Gu Long ("古龍"; 1938 – 1985).

After the big three, both in time and influence, the other two major writers of Chinese wuxia novels are the Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese Woon Swee Oan ("溫瑞安"; b.1954) and Huang Yi ("黃易"; 1952 – 2017) of Hong Kong.

I have sampled the writings of both Woon Swee Oan and Huang Yi.

Of the two, I have enjoyed the writings of Huang Yi much more.

Huang Yi early writings are science fictions, which I believe I have read them all.

Huang Yi later writings are in the wuxia genre and many believe he has broken new grounds in the genre.

I worked in Hong Kong from the mid 1990s to 2000 and Huang Yi was writing Datang Shuanglong Zhuan (Chinese: 大唐雙龍傳) at the time.

Front and Back Cover of  Volume 31 of Datang Shuanglong Zhuan

 

 Title Page of Volume 31 of Datang Shuanglong Zhuan

 

 Copyright Page of Volume 31 of Datang Shuanglong Zhuan

Huang Yi published Datang Shuanglong Zhuan as he wrote it and he published one volume per month for a total of 63 volumes.

I dutifully went to the bookstore on the day of the month Datang Shuanglong Zhuan was published and bought a volume when it was fresh off the press.


References:

"Huang Yi (author)",  Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Yi_(author)
(accessed 2017-09-24).

"Wuxia", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxia
(accessed 2017-09-24).

"黃易 (香港)", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%BB%84%E6%98%93_(%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF)
(accessed 2017-09-24).

End.

[Opinion] J-Drama -- Ten Women in Darkness (2016)

Ten Women in Darkness (2016)

1. Of the Asian TV dramas that I have watched recently, I quite enjoy the Japanese drama Ten Women in Darkness ("黒い十人の女") ("Kuroi 10 nin no Onna") (2016).

This 10 episodes drama was first aired weekly in Japan from September 29, 2016 to December 2, 2016.

The drama is based on a script that was made into a movie in 1961, a one episode TV drama in 2002, and a theater production in 2011.

This rather light-hearted TV drama is about how the wife and nine lovers of a middle-aged TV producer together plotted to murder him in order to escape the relationship trap they were in.

By a happy coincidence, the actor that played the middle-aged TV producer (船越 英一郎) is the son of the actor that played the same character in the 1961 movie (船越英二).


2. In recent years, among Asian TV dramas, I have enjoyed watching Japanese TV dramas the most.

This is because of the quality of their scripts.

I did not have any expectations about how good or bad it was going to be when I chanced upon Ten Women in Darkness (2016), but then I was attracted by its story line.

At first, I thought it was just another melodrama about love and men / women relationships.

But I was taken by surprise by each new episodes as the wife and the nine lovers were introduced.

The wife and the nine lovers each has very distinct personalities that came through the acting.

I was totally taken by surprise as the wife and nine lovers developed into a victim's club and together they plotted to murder the husband.

There was a twist to the ending that maintain the light and comedic tone of the drama that I will not give away.

But as one of my brothers has observed about Japanese TV dramas, they almost always have a life lesson to them.

The morality of the life lesson in Japanese TV dramas makes them very attractive in a morally relativistic world.


Reference:

"黒い十人の女", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BB%92%E3%81%84%E5%8D%81%E4%BA%BA%E3%81%AE%E5%A5%B3
(accessed 2017-01-13).

End.

[Opinion] A Conditional Promissory Note

Original: Thursday, January 12, 2017

Last updated: Friday, January 13, 2017


1. Sometimes fiction mimics reality and sometimes it is the other way around, reality mimics fiction.

As to the current Hong Kong Chief Executive Election for 2017, it is reality that mimics fiction.

I have been following the progress of the Hong Kong Chief Executive Election for 2017 with wide eye amazement.

If I am not mistaken, Xi Jinping and many participants in the 2017 Election are following the strategies as analyzed by the character Master Wu in episode 19 of the 1997 Chinese historical TV drama Yongzheng Dynasty.

The similarity or resemblance between fiction and reality is quite amazing.

If I am guessing right that soon-to-be former Financial Secretary John Tsang will become the next Hong Kong Chief Executive, then I will write another blog post detailing some of the parallels between the strategies as analyzed by Master Wu and the actual events for the 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive Election.


2. For those who know putonghua, Master Wu's analysis for the succession to the throne happens between the 34:45 and 43:55 minute marks in the following YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXr35wgiksk


3. Names, Words and Phrases:

John Tsang (Traditional Chinese: 曾俊華; Simplified Chinese: 曾俊华).

Master Wu (Traditional: 鄔思道; Simplified: 邬思道).

Xi Jinping (Traditional: 習近平; Simplified: 习近平).

Yongzheng Dynasty (Traditional: 雍正王朝; Simplified: 雍正王朝).

 
References:

"Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2017", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election,_2017
(accessed 2017-01-12).

"鄔思道", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%84%94%E6%80%9D%E9%81%93
(accessed 2017-01-13).

"雍正王朝", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%9B%8D%E6%AD%A3%E7%8E%8B%E6%9C%9D
(accessed 2017-01-13).

End.

[Opinion] China's Path to Dictatorship?

1. I am very alarmed by the institutional reforms Xi Jinping is undertaking in China.

Under the guise of anti-corruption and efficiency, Xi Jinping is making far reaching institutional reforms.

Collectively, I believe the reforms set the stage for dictatorship by dismantling whatever checks and balances there are in China.


2. China's 2016 Military Reform is a step in the wrong direction.

China's military is under the control of the communist party and to prevent the in-fighting of the communist party from spilling into the military, the Chinese military has traditionally dispersed its power among the Central Military Commission, the four general headquarters, and the seven military regions.

The 2016 Military reform has completely reorganized the chain of command and the command authority.

The 2016 Military Reform has streamlined the chain of command but at the same time destroyed the traditional check and balance within the Chinese military.

The 2016 reform is more suited for a democratic country where the military is under civilian control than for an authoritarian state such as China.


3. The Communist Youth League is one of the traditional training ground and power base of the Communist Party of China.

Hu Yaobang (General Secretary 1982 -1987), Hu Jintao (General Secretary 2002 - 2012), and Li Keqiang (Premier 2013 - present) were all one-time First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China.

According to news reports, the budget of the Communist Youth League for 2016 has been slashed to 306 million yuan from 2015's 624 million yuan.

That is a reduction of over 50% in one year.

The budget reduction coupled with a yet to be announced reorganization plan might crippled the Communist Youth League.

The Communist Youth League provides a check on the power of Xi Jinping who is from a different power base, the "Second Generation Reds".


4. There is a rumor that discussion has begun about reorganizing the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The Politburo Standing Committee has traditionally been composed of between 5 to 9 members; the current number of members is 7.

The rumor is that abolishing the Politburo Standing Committee is on the discussion table.

How the Politburo Standing Committee will be reorganize is another bellwether for the check and balance of power in China.


5. The need for check and balance on power is rooted in human nature.

There is both a noble side and an ugly side to human nature.

In politics, the ugly side of human nature is manifested in the hunger for power to control others.

As Lord Acton (1834-1902) famously said: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I am very alarmed by the recent institutional reforms of Xi Jinping because he is destroying the check and balance on power in China in the name of anti-corruption and efficiency.

Given the authoritarian nature of the Chinese government, the dismantling of the checks and balances may be a prelude to dictatorship.

Will Xi Jinping going to be the General Secretary for life?


End.

[Music and Opinion] Ghost in the Shell – Some Theme Songs

Posters for Ghost in the Shell

Scarlett Johansson vs. Motoko Kusanagi

 
1. A headline in today's BBC News app grasps my attention (BBC News 2016):

"Scarlett Johansson's casting sparks 'whitewashing debate' "

"Scarlett Johansson's latest role has caused a stir because she plays an Asian character."

"Johansson has been cast in the Hollywood remake of the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell. It's led to a row about 'whitewashing'. "


2. ("Ghost in the Shell", Wikipedia):

"Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊 Kōkaku Kidōtai?, literally "Mobile Armored Riot Police") is a Japanese media franchise originally published as a seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of The Ghost in the Shell, and later published as its own tankōbon volumes by Kodansha, told the story of the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi, in the mid 21st century of Japan."


3. I have been a fan of the Ghost in the Shell anime franchise for a long time.

I watched Season 1 of the TV Series when it was first broadcasted on Canada's YTV channel in 2005.

I must have watched Season 1 of the anime, called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, at least 5 times; also more than once of Season 2, the 4 anime movies, and the third TV series Ghost in the Shell: Arise.

In terms of the storyline, Ghost in the Shell: Arise is the prequel for the series.

There are some original video animations that have not been subbed or dubbed into English and I have not watch them.


4. A listing of the Ghost in the Shell anime TV series and anime films ("Ghost in the Shell", Wikipedia):

(a) Anime TV:

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002 - 2003) (26 episodes)

Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (2004 - 2005) (26 episodes)

Ghost in the Shell: Arise (2015) (10 episodes)

(b) Anime Films:

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2006)

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)


5. Ghost in the Shell (2017 film) starring Scarlett Johansson will be the first non-anime film in the franchise and irony of ironies, it will be a Hollywood production.

There is a controversy about the casting because Scarlett Johansson, a white person, is casted as Major Motoko Kusanagi, a very Japanese character and this leads to the controversy of "whitewashing".

What is also surprising is that the controversy is mainly a western affairs while the Japanese fans themselves seems more or less ok with it (Blair 2016).

Kwame Opam has a thoughtful discussion of the issues in (Opam 2016).


6. I find all the anime of the franchise to be very thoughtful.

Many themes are explored in the anime and they are wide ranging and some are in depth.

I will just mention one minor theme -- the Japanese animators' impression of the Chinese people.

(Since the anime franchise is spread over many years with many different animators, by "Japanese animators" I mean only a generalized group of Japanese people.)

(a) The Japanese animators’ impression of Hong Kong is one of exotic curiosities.

In the anime movie Ghost in the Shell (1995), there are two sequences that recognizably use Hong Kong as their backdrop: one is of Yau Me Tei District on the Kowloon peninsula and the other is of Causeway Bay District on Hong Kong Island.

The Causeway Bay sequence is obviously viewing Hong Kong while riding the tram line.

(b) The Japanese animators have a low opinion of the quality of mainland Chinese.

Season 1, Episode 14 of the TV Series is called "SA: Automated Capitalism – ¥€$" (Zenjidō Shihonshugi ¥€$" (全自動資本主義 ¥€$)).

("List of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episodes", Wikipedia):

"Acting on a tip, Section 9 breaks up a cabal of thieves planning to rob a Japanese financial institution. Shortly after the raid, a Chinese intelligence official contacts Section 9 and informs them of suspicious activity that he believes may indicate an assassination attempt by Chinese Socialists on Kanemoto Yokose, a prominent, yet reclusive, Japanese billionaire."

The Chinese intelligence official talked with the head of Public Security Section 9, Aramaki, through video conferencing.

In the video conference, instead of the actual person, an avatar of the person speaking was displayed to the other side.

But the Japanese animators showed that the Chinese intelligence official was actually clipping his toenails while talking with section Chief Aramaki.

Not complimentary at all.

(c) The Japanese animators' impression of Taiwan is one of familiarity.

The backdrop for Season 2, Episode 17 of the TV Series, called "DI: Mother and Child – RED DATA" (Shūkō Boshi RED DATA" (修好母子 RED DATA)), is Taiwan.

Although the animators tried to depict some local distinctives of Taiwan, but the Taiwan in this episode seems like just another Japanese city.

Maybe this is due to Taiwan being a former Japanese colony?


7. The opening theme song of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is "Inner Universe":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVgSuuUTwQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BJG2tQnwQw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWhM_x_g6p4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgP8YHHq1uY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovHnkKvYZ74


8. The closing theme song of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is "Lithium Flower":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XESreJjGx-I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9byLoIsqeto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnyGKtSgfLU


9. The opening theme song of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG is "Rise":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqhDFYSlj0U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhHMI_0mFZ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOG-Bhrmn_0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxgCMh204Rc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIbP_cKwg24


10. The closing theme song of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG is "Living Inside the Shell":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7t_BjXid-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSj91yopjDg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWf8P00Fw7E


11. "I Do" -- A tribute to and lament for the love between Motoko Kusanagi and Hideo Kuze that was not meant to be:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqmofWAAh1U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UGRlJPmLrY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIR8UEpMUJQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wzb2pT05DQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXg5dm3lavA

 
12. Added: Wednesday, April 20, 2016

When introducing the songs of Ghost in the Shell, how can I forget the hauntingly beautiful introductory song for Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64HCi2rQkE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc53Hya6iO0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IGTiFuDjTI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh9TriiyVHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJsEYwguuj8
 

References:

Ashcraft, Brian. 2016. "The Japanese Internet Reacts to Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell". Kotaku, April 18.
http://kotaku.com/the-japanese-internet-reacts-to-scarlet-johansson-in-gh-1771544034
(accessed 2014-04-19).

BBC News. 2016. "Is Scarlett Johansson casting Hollywood 'whitewashing'?". BBC News, April 19.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-36083113
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Blair, Gavin J. 2016. "Scarlett Johansson in 'Ghost in the Shell': Japanese Industry, Fans Surprised by 'Whitewashing' Outrage". The Hollywood Reporter, April 19.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/scarlett-johansson-ghost-shell-japanese-885462
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Chan, Melissa. 2016. "Photo of Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell Reignites ‘Whitewashing’ Controversy". TIME, April 18.
http://time.com/4297950/scarlett-johansson-ghost-shell-whitewashing/
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Child, Ben. 2016a. "‘Whitewashing’ row over Scarlett Johansson's Ghost in the Shell role reignites". The Guardian, April 15.
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/15/scarlett-johanssons-role-in-ghost-in-the-shell-ignites-twitter-storm
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Child, Ben. 2016b. "Why Max Landis is wrong about Scarlett Johansson's 'whitewashed' Ghost in the Shell remake". The Guardian, April 18.
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/18/scarlett-johansson-ghost-in-the-shell-max-landis
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Han, Angie. 2016. "Why Hollywood’s Whitewashing of ‘Doctor Strange’ and ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Is So Frustrating." Film - Blogging the Reel World, April 18.
http://www.slashfilm.com/doctor-strange-ghost-in-the-shell-whitewashing/
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Opam, Kwame. 2016. "Scarlett Johansson’s Ghost in the Shell casting is even worse than it seems". The Verge, April 18.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/18/11455160/ghost-in-the-shell-scarlett-johansson-hollywood-casting
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Romano, Nick. 2016. "Max Landis on Scarlett Johansson's Ghost in the Shell casting". Entertainment, April 16.
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/16/ghost-shell-scarlett-johnasson-casting-max-landis
(accessed 2014-04-19).

Sampson, Mike. 2016. "Exclusive: ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Producers Reportedly Tested Visual Effects That Would Make White Actors Appear Asian". Screen Crush, April 15.
http://screencrush.com/ghost-in-the-shell-whitewashing-scarlett-johnasson-vfx/
(accessed 2014-04-19).

"Ghost in the Shell", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell
(accessed 2014-04-19).

"List of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG episodes", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell:_S.A.C._2nd_GIG_episodes
(accessed 2014-04-19).

"List of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episodes", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell:_Stand_Alone_Complex_episodes
(accessed 2014-04-19).

"Music of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell:_Stand_Alone_Complex
(accessed 2014-04-19).

End.

[Opinion] China Committing Economics Suicide?

1. I am pessimistic about China transitioning from a manufacturing economy to an information economy under its current political policies.

An information economy requires the free flow of information and China is continuing to make the wrong moves.

(BBC News 2015):

"China thinks your government should control your internet"

"At a conference on Wednesday China is arguing for cyber sovereignty, a system that allows governments to control the internet within their own borders."


2. This BBC news item reminds me of an episode in Season 5 (1991-2) of Star Trek: The Next Generation called "Hero Worship".

In this episode, a science vessel was destroyed by shock waves of increasing intensity.

It turns out that when the science vessel initially encountered the shock waves it raised its shield and raising the shield created a positive feedback loop with the source of the shockwaves which in turn magnified the shock waves.

Not knowing the reason for the bigger shock waves, the crew of the science vessel increased more and more power to the shield which led to ever bigger shock waves.

This vicious cycles eventually led to the destruction of the science vessel.


3. In analogy with the more power to the shield strategy of the science vessel, the totalitarian government of China is pursuing a more control strategy.

It seems the Communist Party of China under Xi Jinping has a very limited policy repertoire.

Whenever there is a problem, the prefer solution seems to be more control.

If China is relying on the market for the functioning of its economy, then more and more control of the market is not a solution.

A market is fundamentally an institution for the free buying and selling of goods and services.

Free flow of information is a prerequisite for the functioning of a competitive market.

The lack of free access to the Internet is one of the contributing factors to the (to date) failure of the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, the first free-trade zone in mainland China.

The government arresting people for reporting on the 2015 Chinese stock market crash makes a mockery of the Chinese stock markets.

The Chinese economy is already manifesting many weaknesses.

Ever more control of the market will create a positive feedback loop that will eventually destroy the Chinese economy.

"Cyber Sovereignty" is one more step in the direction of economics suicide.


References:

BBC News. 2015. China thinks your government should control your internet. December 15.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35106016
(accessed 2015-12-15).

Livingston, Scott D. 2015. Beijing Touts ‘Cyber-Sovereignty’ In Internet Governance. ChinaFile, February 19.
https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/beijing-touts-cyber-sovereignty-internet-governance
(accessed 2015-12-15).

Wildau, Gabriel. 2015. Shanghai free-trade zone struggles for relevance. Financial Times, September 27.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8cec0faa-6364-11e5-9846-de406ccb37f2.html
(accessed 2015-12-15).

"2015 Chinese stock market crash", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Chinese_stock_market_crash
(accessed 2015-12-15).

"Cyber sovereignty", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_sovereignty
(accessed 2015-12-15).

"Hero Worship (Star Trek: The Next Generation)", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_Worship_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29
(accessed 2015-12-15).

"Shanghai Free-Trade Zone", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Free-Trade_Zone
(accessed 2015-12-15).

End.

[Opinion] Vision for China

China

1. Quotations of the Day:

 
The Holy Bible

(Proverbs 29:18 ESV):

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,
but blessed is he who keeps the law.


(Judges 21:25 ESV):

In those days there was no king in Israel.
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.


(Proverbs 18:12 HCSB):

Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.


2. In the last 200 years, China misses opportunity after opportunities for reform.

I believe the current leadership in Beijing has done no better.

Why is that so?

I do not believe there is a lack of people who wants to see China changes for the better.

Many have laid down their lives to that end.

I believe the fundamental problems are a lack of vision, an incorrect assessment of human nature, and a consequential lack of appreciation for ethics and laws.

The followings will focus on a lack of vision.


3. The Preamble to The Constitution of the United States of America (1787):

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The Preamble expresses and is grounded in a set of fundamental values.

In the Preamble, the people of the United States are lifted up to a vision of a more perfect union, justice, domestic tranquility, common defense, general welfare and the blessings of liberty.

There is no corresponding vision in the Preamble to The Constitution of the People's Republic of China (2004).

The Preamble to the Chinese Constitution is a partisan document touting "the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the guidance of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought".

I believe it is this lack of vision that makes China misses opportunity after opportunities for reform.

To reform is to change in a certain direction.

A vision provides the goal or direction for change and the reforms are means to the end of that vision.

Without vision the people cast off restraint; without vision everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Without vision, the policies and decisions of the Chinese Government are just a series of maneuvers to gain strategic and tactical advantages in the political, economics, and military arenas.


4. The two main constraints and drivers for recent historical changes are human nature and the power of a free market.

It is human nature to have material needs and wants and it is a free market that is the most efficient vehicle to deliver those material needs and wants.

A free market is most efficient because in a free market only the fittest survive.

One way to read recent world history is to read it as a series of events to align the world's political and economics systems with the existence of a free market.

Because of the underlying human needs and wants for material things, market forces became one of the main driver for historical changes.

But not all political and economic systems with their underlying values are compatible with the existence of a free market.

From this perspective, the main question for recent world history is:

What political forms and value systems are compatible with a free market?

[Free Market] <==> (compatible with) [Political Form?] + [Value System?]


5. Arnold J. Toynbee (1889 - 1975) famously analyzed the genesis, growth, breakdown and disintegration of civilizations in terms of challenge and response.

The challenges for contemporary civilizations are the challenges of modernity and the main challenge of modernity is the challenge of alignment of political forms and value systems with the existence of free markets.

(a) Western European nations were the first ones to step over the threshold of modernity.

The political form of Western Europe (i.e. democracy) and its underlying value system (i.e. Reformation and Enlightenment) have basically made peace with the existence of free markets.

[Free Market] <==> (compatible with) [Democracy] + [Reformation and Enlightenment]

(b) Religion is a source of values and the challenge for contemporary Islamic countries is to find a political form that is compatible with itself and a free market:

[Free Market] + [Islam] <==> (compatible with) [Political Form?]

We are witnessing the birth pains of Islamic countries in search of a political system that is compatible with itself and the existence of free markets.

(c) The challenge for the Communist Party of China is different from Islamic countries in that it is in search of a value system that is compatible with itself and a free market:

[Free Market] + [Totalitarian Government] <==> (compatible with) [Value System?]

China has tried to revive some form of Confucianism as its value system but it has been to no avail.

But the more basic problem is that a free market is fundamentally incompatible with totalitarianism.

The totalitarianism of China is political in nature -- everything is interpret in terms of politics and is done in service to politics.

In pride the totalitarians think that even a free market will be subject to their control and manipulation and will bow its head to politics.

In the last few months, we have witnessed the consequences of what happened when the Chinese government tried to control the stock market through administrative means.


6. In the last 200 years, China misses opportunity after opportunities for reform and it is continuing to do so.

A fundamental problem is a lack of vision for China.

The Communist Party of China lacks a vision for China because it has always put its self-interest over the national interest of China: its highest priority has always been its own continuing grip on power.

The early years of reform under Deng Xiaoping (1904 - 1997) saw the interests of China and the interests of the Communist Party of China more or less coincide.

But the divergence between the two interests became apparent after the events of 1989 Tiananmen Square.

China became a member of WTO (World Trade Organization) in December, 2001 and that membership has bought China another 15 years for implementing reforms.

Internal party politics and not implementing many of the WTO requirements (or blocking them through administrative means) have squandered this window of opportunity.

Without a vision to guide them, the policies and decisions of China are reduced to strategic and tactical maneuvers to gain temporary or short-term advantages.

The TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) that was drafted last Monday (October 5, 2015) signaled the coming to an end of the comparative economic advantage China has gained under the WTO.

If China does not seriously implement reforms, then eventually its choice will be limited to taking a big left turn politically.

There are many indications that the change in political direction has been underway.

To insure its own survival and with the concentration of power under Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China may take a very big left turn yet.

But that is not in the national interest of China.

May God bless China and her people.


Reference:

"Preamble to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China (2004)", npc.gov.cn,
http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/Constitution/2007-11/15/content_1372962.htm
(accessed 2015-10-10).

End.