Fear of the Asian giant played a cameo role in America's bipartisan wars
In the days leading up to the mid-term elections in the United States, I was glued to the television set here in Washington, especially during primetime, hoping to catch some of the political ads aimed at demonising China and inducing fear among Americans about the rise of China.
Many of these ads ascribed dubious if not outright unpatriotic qualities to candidates said to have helped create jobs in China instead of America. Playing to voters' anxieties about the outsourcing of jobs, some ads argued that by opting for economic stimulus and healthcare reform, the Democrats have plunged America into greater reliance on China credit.
Taking China-bashing to new heights, one commercial titled Chinese Professor - slickly produced presumably on a liberal budget - depicted a Chinese classroom set in 2030 festooned with posters of Mao Zedong. The professor asked a roomful of students why the US had declined alongside the Greek and Roman civilisations. Blaming America's downfall on stimulus spending and the costs of healthcare reform, the professor prompted uproarious laughter when he concluded that excessive American borrowing meant that "Americans now have to work for us" since China owned US debts.
But despite days of keeping a close vigil by the television, I was disappointed. All I saw were countless mudslinging ads between candidates, such as those by Maryland's Martin O'Malley and Robert Ehrlich. I was also inundated with innumerable ads on prescription drugs that purport to soothe ailments ranging from diabetes to asthma and over-active bladders. But I did not manage to catch a single anti-China commercial. Maybe I just did not tune in at the right time; I ended up watching the ads online instead.
I asked my American colleagues and friends about the dearth of such television commercials in the Washington metro area where I live, and one explanation was that the area consists of "mostly educated people". I took that to mean people who would not be easily swayed by sensationalist ads - hence political campaigners would have seen little point in wasting their time, money and effort on this demographic. According to US media reports, 250 ads targeting China were aired in just under half of the 100 competitive districts, such as in Pennsylvania.
Another explanation was that the anti-China ads were mainly televised in areas where unemployment rates were higher, such as Michigan and Ohio with around 13 and 10 per cent unemployment, respectively, higher than the national average of about 9 per cent.
Read more at TODAY Online
Recent Comments