speaking in Beijing
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- Category: current online writing
- Published on Tuesday, 25 October 2011 08:56
- Written by Erik
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I'll be giving a talk at the Bridge Cafe in Beijing on Thursday, October 27 at 7 PM. The topic is European imperialism and the need to forget the past. If you're in Beijing please stop by. They printed up a nice poster too.
Oct 28 update: the talk went well I think. There were some 100 people crowded into a coffee-shop in one of the university districts. Everyone listened politely, no one left during the talk, and there were lots of questions afterwards. I only wish I had had more of a nigh-club act. That setting called for some song and dance.
I never quite realized what an explosive topic this is: a couple of Chinese students got very upset with that they interpreted as my attempt to undermine their patriotic pride. Of course they can feel proud of their nation if they like it that way, but I have the right to worry about the consequences. Patriotic pride has a bad track record; the young generation is storing up problems for themselves. Or perhaps better: problems are being stored up for them.