“Committee Of 100” seeks accommodation with Beijing
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4181
By Brenda Walker
In these multicultural times, a critical eye is necessary regarding the activities of ethnic organizations, no matter how reputable each may appear on the surface. Those that aren’t http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3130 of the American people.
One such group is the Committee of 100, an A-list organization founded in 1990 by “a group of concerned Chinese-Americans”, including architect I.M. Pei and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
The membership (which is actually 149) represents a variety of professions. But business leaders predominate rather than scientists or artists. In reality, the Committee of 100 appears to be just another ethnic Chamber of Commerce, only with more attitude. On December 10, the Committee used the National Press Club as the forum to present the findings of its recent bi-national survey titled “Hope and Fear: American and Chinese Attitudes Toward Each Other”. The organization engaged the Zogby polling company to do a mirrored survey of the attitudes of citizens of the United States and Red China about each other, as well as more general questions like what they want out of life.
The press releases (one for the general media and another designed for the business press) tried to balance chipper “building bridges” sentiment with actual mention of the threat. However, the emphasis was clearly on the positive:
“‘Through a better understanding of how each public feels, the leaders of both countries can work more cooperatively on common issues and tip the balance further in favor of hope, and less on http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1388,’ said General John L. Fugh, Chairman of the Committee of 100.”
The poll is not without interesting points. For example, 88 percent of Chinese believe their country is on the right track, compared to just 34 percent of Americans. Many answers are broken down according to the varying responses of the general public, opinion elites and business leaders.
Still, you have to wonder when a reported 52 percent of average Americans say they have a favorable impression of China, even after months of media coverage of millions of poison products being dumped upon local store shelves. (The poll was conducted from August 18 to September 19, 2007, in both countries.)
Are Americans really so foolishly trusting, or are they merely being polite and delivering the kumbaya responses required in any diversity-oriented questionnaire? A 2006 Zogby poll showed Americans to be similarly positive in a shockingly wrong-headed way about Mexicans, while Mexicans despised Americans. Speak no evil to pollsters, perhaps?)
However, at no point did the Committee see fit to mention that despite the improved lifestyles of many Chinese in the cities, China remains a Communist state, with no semblance of representative government.
At its heart, the place is still Red China, just with no unsightly Mao jackets.
Of course, no one wants a military confrontation with the People’s Republic. So some will argue that it is a good thing to increase cultural outreach by having Chinese American citizens doing their little surveys, gala banquets and conferences dedicated to the “Greater China”.
http://www.vdare.com/walker/071220_appeasement.htm