I don't watch TV or read the newspaper regularly. I get free cell phone news briefs twice a day with my subscription from China Mobile. It is a distilled version of news that always comes with four pictures, one in politics/military/international, one in sport, one in entertainment, and the last one is the same logo picture. Presumably it is the best sanctioned view of the current events as they are known or supposed to be known all over China. This is my daily information and education directly from the mobile source. I get to read simplified Chinese comfortably now.
About every two to three weeks recently, I have read about coal mine explosions and accidents. The safety condition must be pathetic. These Chinese mining enterprises manifest themselves as the money-grabbing apparatus taking advantage of the poor in the society who take the most deadly job in China to make a living. It appears that every coal mine operation is the same, that which coal mine is next in line to have accidents is random. When that happens, investigations will begin, responsible parties will be jailed, and party chiefs and government officials will be removed. For many, it is worth the risk since there is no faster way to get rich, and gambling like this is not a bad deal in China. This reminds me of the Junk Bond King Michael Milken. Many wish that they have a chance to do the gambling. Many people, including me, still feel that it is not right to get people killed or buried alive 1 mile below the earth's surface.
By the way, the immediate removal of party membership of the involved officials alwaysis accompanied by scapegoat-hunting exercises as a form of political excommunication. Those doing the scapegoating hope it would indemnify them from any wrongdoing or prevent the tarnishing of their perfect image.
Another recent news item was the recent SanLu (Three-Deer) baby milk scandal, in which many infants were exposed to melamine and suffered kidney damage. Fatalities occurres in many parts of the country including in several cities. It is an industry-wide practice to enhance profit margins by adding melamine while the raw milk is diluted to pass the test for nitrogencontent, and thus protein content. Soon after the government started the test, very few brands test negative for melamine contamination. Many countries are more aggressive in testing and publishing the test results, and the importing of food products from China is seriously curtailed.
This is another case of corporate greed and lack of business ethics. The corporate China is making profits by cutting corners putting the health of the general population at risk. Again, the punishment pattern is similar to other scandals and it is worth the risk to get rich fast in this country.
On a sad note, a friend from Taiwan told me that similar scandals took place there about 20 years ago. He suggested that this phenomenon might be natural for any developing country. Is this truly a predestined phenomenon that as a society we all have to suffer and learn together from? I mean that the greed and the suffering part is a necessary part of the development. If so, some societies will learn fast and will gradually move to a new and civil level of playing field, while some stagger and never move forward. What moves things forward and what leaves us fumbling, never to become a civilized nation that treats its citizens as individuals and not as targets for profit-making?
