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  • FRIDAY APRIL 21 2006 1:00 PM

How To Piss Off and Insult an Asian Dude

Submitted by FearTheReaper

Edited by Rahodeb

Really, really good day for the White House yesterday. The Chinese President, Hu Jintao, stopped by for a visit. It was considered a very important trip as the US and China are having some serious trade disagreements.

And this is how the White House handled it.

China wanted a formal state visit such as Mr Jiang got, but the Administration refused, calling it an "official" visit instead. Mr Bush acquiesced to the 21-gun salute but insisted on a luncheon instead of a formal dinner, in the East Room instead of the State Dining Room. Even the visiting country's flags were missing from the lampposts near the White House.

When Bush visited China recently he received a state visit and dinner. But this is a one way street.

No can do the formal state thing, sorry Honcho. Slap in the face number one. How about we do lunch ‘stead o dinner? Huh? Slap in the face number two. Couldn’t find yer flag, it’s red or somethin,’ right? Slap in the face number three.

Those were the decisions made BEFORE he arrived. Now for the exciting, “Day of Face Slaps.” Let us start with the press conference, where our Vice President took a little nappy.

Slap in the face number four. And it goes on and on...

The visit began with a slight when the official announcer said the band would play the "national anthem of the Republic of China" - the official name of Taiwan. It continued when the Vice-President, Dick Cheney, donned sunglasses for the ceremony, and again when Mr Hu, trying to leave the stage via the wrong staircase, was yanked back by his jacket. Mr Hu looked down at his sleeve to see the President of the United States tugging at it as if redirecting an errant child.

Oh, shit, that was your enemies name, not yours, right? Slap in the face number five. Sorry about Dick and the glasses, he’s beat. Slap in the face number six. Hey, hey, don’t go that way, stupid! Slap in the face number seven.

We need a BIG FINISH, come on, what can top that...

The White House had given press credentials to a Falun Gong activist who five years ago heckled Mr Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, in Malta. Sure enough, 90 seconds into Mr Hu's speech on the South Lawn, the woman started shrieking "President Hu, your days are numbered!" and "President Bush, stop him from killing!"

Mr Bush and Mr Hu looked up, stunned. It took so long to silence her - a full three minutes - that Bush aides began to wonder if the Secret Service's strategy was to let her scream herself hoarse.


Then, why not get all pissy...

The meeting in the Oval Office brought more of the same. In front of the cameras, Bush thanked Hu for his "frankness" -- diplomatic code for disagreement -- and Hu stood expressionless. The two unexpectedly agreed to take questions from reporters, but Bush grew impatient as Hu gave a long answer about trade, made all the longer by the translation. Bush at one point tapped his foot on the ground. "It was a very comprehensive answer," he observed when Hu finished.



It’s just one day but it really sums up this Presidency.

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FearTheReaper

FearTheReaper

NEWSWIRE

I'm lost

APR 21, 2006 04:09 PM

FreakPirate said:

FearTheReaper said:

Honestly, I'm an American, so that is where my battle is. China's government does not represent me and the falun gong battle is not my fight. I am not concerned with the rank poverty and lack of workers rights in China because ours are eroding here. I live here. I have no position in the Taiwan/China battle over sovereignty.

I think if you invite someone to your house, then you don't treat them like shit. The other option would be not to invite them.

And I also did not write about any of those things because I am not you. I am a different person.



It's not your problem therefore it's not worth caring about?

That's a little... full of yourself isn't it?



Could be, never really thought of it that way. I choose my battles, I can't fight them all. My philosophy in life is that each person is born into a situation that they must deal with. It is their fight. How they handle that struggle is directly related to how much peace they will have. And you know which battles to fight by the passion it evokes in you. Those are not my battles.

FearTheReaper

FearTheReaper

NEWSWIRE

I'm lost

APR 21, 2006 04:18 PM

Idjiit said:

FearTheReaper said:

In many ways, the most important thing for the visit of the president of China to the United States is protocol," said Michael Green, who stepped down in December as head of Asian affairs for the National Security Council in the Bush administration.
Green helped prepare for the postponed September visit, though not the coming trip.
He estimated that 80 percent of the negotiations in advance of a Chinese leadership trip were about protocol, largely because of Chinese concerns over their domestic television audience.
"The Chinese public, especially out in the provinces, needs and wants to see their leader being shown the fullest respect," said Green, who now teaches international relations at Georgetown University.
Chinese advance teams are meticulously prepared when negotiations commence. Lieberthal said Chinese diplomats kept detailed records on which leader received what during which visit - how many guns saluted a certain leader, what kind of meal was served at the White House, which U.S. official served as the official greeter at the airport.
Each trip must outdo the last.



I assume a "tug on the jacket" would not go over well. But tell me, why did you decide to focus on just one aspect of what went wrong, when clearly the emphasis of the article was about the MANY things that went wrong?

Link



Right, you assumed. We've all heard the stories of protocol and know the historic insensitivities of meetings past. The point is that you're making it sound like a capital offense when it may not be that big of a deal when it comes down to it. I noticed that you didn't actually answer my pointed question about what you think the right protocol would be. For all you know Bush may have averted a real disaster by bringing him back - perhaps the protocol for a Chinese leader getting lost on a stage is to commit suicide for such a national embarassment.

And I'm picking on this one thing because I think it's ridiculous, and I'm sick of people analyzing every single fucking thing dickwad Bush does. He's a douchebag. He's a liar. He's a dumbass. We all know it (well, most of us). But these acrid, vehement and incessant jabs at him are just getting old. I know it's your job and all, so carry on, but picking on Bush for tugging on someone's coat seems slightly petty.



Fair enough. We disagree. I'm glad I was here to receive the pounds of bile you built up from people picking on Bush.

I, however, think this was a very important moment in our country's relations - just as Nixon actually shaking the hand of a Chinese leader was a HUGE moment. So much so that learned about it in my high school history class. And based on what I have read in foreign papers, these gaffees were bad ones.

BurningKrome

BurningKrome

San Jose, CA
April 2005

APR 21, 2006 04:26 PM

Idjiit said:

FearTheReaper said:

In many ways, the most important thing for the visit of the president of China to the United States is protocol," said Michael Green, who stepped down in December as head of Asian affairs for the National Security Council in the Bush administration.
Green helped prepare for the postponed September visit, though not the coming trip.
He estimated that 80 percent of the negotiations in advance of a Chinese leadership trip were about protocol, largely because of Chinese concerns over their domestic television audience.
"The Chinese public, especially out in the provinces, needs and wants to see their leader being shown the fullest respect," said Green, who now teaches international relations at Georgetown University.
Chinese advance teams are meticulously prepared when negotiations commence. Lieberthal said Chinese diplomats kept detailed records on which leader received what during which visit - how many guns saluted a certain leader, what kind of meal was served at the White House, which U.S. official served as the official greeter at the airport.
Each trip must outdo the last.



I assume a "tug on the jacket" would not go over well. But tell me, why did you decide to focus on just one aspect of what went wrong, when clearly the emphasis of the article was about the MANY things that went wrong?

Link



Right, you assumed. We've all heard the stories of protocol and know the historic insensitivities of meetings past. The point is that you're making it sound like a capital offense when it may not be that big of a deal when it comes down to it. I noticed that you didn't actually answer my pointed question about what you think the right protocol would be. For all you know Bush may have averted a real disaster by bringing him back - perhaps the protocol for a Chinese leader getting lost on a stage is to commit suicide for such a national embarassment.

And I'm picking on this one thing because I think it's ridiculous, and I'm sick of people analyzing every single fucking thing dickwad Bush does. He's a douchebag. He's a liar. He's a dumbass. We all know it (well, most of us). But these acrid, vehement and incessant jabs at him are just getting old. I know it's your job and all, so carry on, but picking on Bush for tugging on someone's coat seems slightly petty.


Actually, I think the key to pointing out this faux pas is it is simply indicative of how poorly Bush thinks on his feet…or perhaps how unconcerned he may have been with the appearance of the dignitary.

A more appropriate solution would have been to immediately engage the Chinese leader with a quick “off mike” conversation, thus allowing the President to do the “Let’s walk off stage together while talking” thing...easily possible even with a translator.

Regardless, the minimum appropriate response would have been for President Bush to walk off stage down the same incorrect staircase…thus saving face for Hu Jintao. I mean, anyone who has ever held a cocktail party knows this. When the president doesn’t…it does not bode well.

Viva

Viva

Las Vegas, NV
August 2004

APR 21, 2006 04:37 PM

Its a shame america has gotten into this role of world leader, The country just wasnt created for that purpose, it just fell into our dopey laps when the rest of the world tried to blow each other up. When their lil plans for world domination went kablooey. What a pain in the ass.

Were pretty much stuck with the fact that most Americans want to have a President they could smoke a bowl with.

All this decorum crap harshes our mellow.

siamkittie

siamkittie

New York, NY
March 2006

APR 21, 2006 04:40 PM

This is another example of why the world hates America. It's just so sad.

UpTight

UpTight

I'm lost
December 2003

APR 21, 2006 05:12 PM

If anyone else wants to sympathise with the grievous mistreatment of a totalitarian, communist abuser of human rights, please type your messages of support into the box below.

Phantasy

Phantasy

Australia
October 2005

APR 21, 2006 05:17 PM

Oh we don't hate America, we just hate Bush.

SlimCreeper

SlimCreeper

I'm lost
August 2005

APR 21, 2006 05:43 PM

Hey, UpTight, it ain't got nothing to do with the individual Hu. It's about doing shit right. It was not. These things are what diplomacy is built on. The interesting question is whether or not the insults were intentional to put pressure on China over trade and human rights. Altho I find it kind of difficult to believe the leaders of any significant power are that concerned with humanity as long as they continue to ignore the genocide in Darfur. There's somewhere we could actually make a difference (not talking about military force even) just by paying attention. China imprisons people, doesn't allow freedom of speech (to many people in the world not a sacred right as it is to westerners -- hell not to all westerners), etc, etc, but there are limits to what we can do. Recognize Taiwan? You comfortable with the war that would result?

This post is a tangent within a run-on sentence within a tangent. Suffice it to say I rather hope they were intentional. Jesus above, they can only screw up so much. mad surreal

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

APR 21, 2006 06:00 PM

FearTheReaper said:

Could be, never really thought of it that way. I choose my battles, I can't fight them all. My philosophy in life is that each person is born into a situation that they must deal with. It is their fight. How they handle that struggle is directly related to how much peace they will have. And you know which battles to fight by the passion it evokes in you. Those are not my battles.



Thank god not everyone thinks this way.

UpTight

UpTight

I'm lost
December 2003

APR 21, 2006 06:11 PM

FreakPirate said:

FearTheReaper said:

Could be, never really thought of it that way. I choose my battles, I can't fight them all. My philosophy in life is that each person is born into a situation that they must deal with. It is their fight. How they handle that struggle is directly related to how much peace they will have. And you know which battles to fight by the passion it evokes in you. Those are not my battles.



Thank god not everyone thinks this way.



Thanks for restoring a modicum of my respect for liberalism.

Long live Rick Blaine

JohnClement

JohnClement

Silver Spring, MD
January 2004

APR 21, 2006 06:28 PM

rampage121584 said:
I'm on the "fuck the PRC" band wagon. We should grant full diplomatic status to real REPUBLIC of China and to hell with the others. They don't like it, well they need our markets more than we need their cheap shit and we have more than enough bombs for the whole world, so war is a moot point.



You aware that their economy's going to dwarf ours by 2039?

realistic67

realistic67

Vancouver, BC
August 2005

APR 21, 2006 06:43 PM

BillHaverchuck said:

rampage121584 said:
I'm on the "fuck the PRC" band wagon. We should grant full diplomatic status to real REPUBLIC of China and to hell with the others. They don't like it, well they need our markets more than we need their cheap shit and we have more than enough bombs for the whole world, so war is a moot point.



You aware that their economy's going to dwarf ours by 2039?



Not only that but, China ownes most of America's Debt in the form of U.S. bonds.

If China cashed them in due to a personal slight from the United Sates government. Economically, living in America would be like Germany after WW1. Where instant inflation due to goverment bankrupcy made personal savings worthless and a loaf of bread cost thousands of Deutchmarks. That kind of economic insanity led to the 30's Nazi fashist government...

Oh, I forgot, you already have one...

FearTheReaper

FearTheReaper

NEWSWIRE

I'm lost

APR 21, 2006 07:07 PM

FreakPirate said:

FearTheReaper said:

Could be, never really thought of it that way. I choose my battles, I can't fight them all. My philosophy in life is that each person is born into a situation that they must deal with. It is their fight. How they handle that struggle is directly related to how much peace they will have. And you know which battles to fight by the passion it evokes in you. Those are not my battles.



Thank god not everyone thinks this way.



Agreed. If everyone thought the same thing the world would be really, really boring.





[Edited on Apr 21, 2006 7:11PM]

[Edited on Apr 21, 2006 7:12PM]

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

APR 21, 2006 07:43 PM

UpTight said:

Thanks for restoring a modicum of my respect for liberalism.

Long live Rick Blaine



I have no idea if you're joking or not.

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

APR 21, 2006 07:44 PM

FearTheReaper said:

Agreed. If everyone thought the same thing the world would be really, really boring.



And likely we'd all be doomed as well.

The world doesn't get by on your country's well being alone, whether you want to believe that or not. It might be prudent to pull your head out of the sand once in a while and show some concern for people who have it a lot worse than you.

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