Re: "Slave State?"

[Hairong Yan <hairongy@Princeton.EDU>]

I missed the debate too and don't know whether Coulter's rhetoric included a honest recognition that slave labor exists in LA and NY too and that union jobs in NY can pay as low as $2! In the face of the transnationalization of sweatshop labor, the act of merely nationalizing the problem seems a very foolish and self-interested response. 

Hairong

YAN Hairong 
Society of Fellows 
Joseph Henry House 
Princeton University 
Princeton, NJ 08544 
Fax: 609-258-2783


----- Original Message -----
From: Jonathan Lassen <jjlassen@chinastudygroup.org>
Date: Thursday, October 14, 2004 12:30 pm
Subject: Re: "Slave State?"
> I missed the debate and the spin last night, thanks for mentioning 
> this. 
> Coulter's rhetoric is a bit overblown, but I don't think her 
> sentiment 
> is completely over the top. Slavery is the typical case of the 
> absence 
> of freedom, and this is a common trope for both wings of the US 
> state 
> and in common discourse as well. The AFL-CIO's case that China is 
> engaging in unfair trade is also the absence of bourgeious 
> freedoms in 
> China, and you hear stuff like this ad nauseum in the press of 
> the 
> 'free world.' 
> 
> The idea of 'generalized slavery' in 'Oriental despotism' is a 
> strikingly common idea in European thought, from Montesquieu on. 
> This is 
> the secret history of the discourse on 'civil society' in China. 
> 
> Cheers, 
> 
> Jonathan 
> 
> Alaricvisi@aol.com wrote: 
> 
> > Did any of you hear Republican cheerleader Ann Coulter condemn 
> trade 
> > with China because "China is a slave state" on CNN last night? 
> Is this 
> > an actual element of extreme right-wing dogma, or is it just a 
> product 
> > of her own unique blend of hubris and 'enthusiasm' (to put it 
> lightly)?> 
> > Her next claim was that anyone who talks about affirmative 
> action for 
> > anyone but black people is a racist, so I certainly hope that 
> she 
> > doesn't actually speak for anyone... 
> > 
> > Sorry if this question is inappropriate for this list; if so, I 
> will 
> > certainly refrain from asking similar questions in the future. 
> > 
> > Joe 
> 
>