Mission Statement of CG Network
Say No Drugs
Say No Unemployment
CG Network is a transnational organization that works to facilitate the creation of community enterprises to empower people who are unskilled or unemployed. This includes those from low-income or broken families. We provide training and guidance for them in hope that they will be able to earn a decent living and to eventually become social entrepreneurs themselves.
Earn Even More with VigLink: Referer click here
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Chinese government: smog has at least five benefits
A tourist with a protective mask takes a self-portrait at the Bund under heavy haze in Shanghai, China, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. The dirty air that has gripped Shanghai and its neighboring provinces for days is attributed to coal burning, car exhaust, factory pollution and weather patterns, and is a stark reminder that pollution is a serious challenge in China. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
In America, we're used to our government, our industry and our media putting a spin on events to make the world seem a brighter, better place than it really is. But China is showing some impressive spin talent of its own, with a rationalization for pollution that is, quite literally, breathtaking.
Much of China has been suffering through choking smog in recent weeks, which has hampered daily activities and forced the closure of schools. In response, the government published a list of reasons documenting the benefits of smog. Yes, benefits.
A Time magazine translator indicated that Global Times offered up the following rationalizations for smog:
1. It unifies the Chinese people. 2. It makes China more equal. 3. It raises citizen awareness of the cost of China’s economic development. 4. It makes people funnier. 5. It makes people more knowledgeable (of things like meteorology and the English word haze).
That's some interesting rationalization. Following that line of thinking, hurricanes also unify people by forcing them to leave their isolated homes and gather in collectives. Tornadoes give people a sense of the power of nature. Wildfires place everyone on an equal footing by burning everyone's possessions to the ground. See? The problem isn't nature, the problem is you.
Oh, but the disinformation campaign wasn't done. The Global Times, a newspaper connected to the Communist Party's preferred publication the People's Daily, noted that smog has a defensive benefit. “Smog may affect people’s health and daily lives," the newspaper wrote, "but on the battlefield, it can serve as a defensive advantage in military operations." The article pointed to military operations in Kosovo and Saudi Arabia that used smoke as a means of obscuring the enemy's sight lines and fouling electronic equipment. This takes "we had to burn the village to save it" to a completely new level.
Assuming these comments are real — and the Chinese government historically has little patience for satire — it's a stunning attempt to deceive a populace about the true seriousness of a man-made environmental threat.
In future weeks, expect the Chinese government to endorse smoking (toughens your lungs!), junk food (purchasing larger items of clothing helps the textile industry!) and reality television (gives you a healthy distrust of your closest friends and family!).
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment