Foreign Views

Danwei is a site that passes along stories that are big in the Chinese media and offers a little commentary on them. Here's a piece about a celebrity pundit who's lived in the US and tries to explain it:

Gao Xiaosong on America – a selection of quotes

“Of course, ethnically English people, or WASPs as they’re known, are America’s largest ethnicity. WASP refers to white Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Now what do WASPs do? WASPs established and maintain America’s mainstream values, its fundamental value system even today. When we’re talking about American spirit, the American dream, American mainstream values, we’re talking about these people.”

“All American presidents have all been WASPs, though more recently things have started to change. As a black guy, Obama clearly doesn’t count; the first letter in WASP, after all, is a ‘W’ for ‘White’! Before Obama, the only non-WASP to get elected was John F. Kennedy, an Irish Catholic. And although Obama’s skin is black, his campaign platform and the personal and cultural attitudes he’s shared are WASP attitudes. That’s why Americans voted for him.”

“What else are Jewish people good at [other than business]? Music! At one point more than half of the world’s violinists and pianists were Jews. So, Jewish people are adept in music and business, which is why Hollywood could only happen in America. In other places, people are either good at business or good at art; England, France, China are all like this. But only Jews love doing business and creating art and the result is Hollywood. It’s their place. When I was hanging out in Hollywood, we never said ‘cheers’, only ‘mazeltov.’”

“The vast majority of people in American high-tech, from Silicon Valley to NASA, are Chinese engineers. Chinese IQs are about even with Jewish people; together they’re the two smartest ethnicities in the US. It’s just that they have different interests. Smart Jewish guys are doing business, whereas smart Chinese guys are doing research. One time I heard someone say about Silicon Valley that ‘our most important product isn’t a PC but IC.’ ‘IC’ means Indian and Chinese. In Silicon Valley, if you’re not Indian you’re Chinese.”