When Chinese are Rich

[August1991]

1. What do rich Chinese do?

2. What do westerners do faced with rich Chinese?

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Europeans were once rich (Greek/Roman), then poor (Medieval) then rich again (Renaissance).

I reckon that we are in a new world.

[xul]

Make a big rocket to colonize Mars I suppose.....since all other places on earth have already been colonized by civilized, freedom seeking and human rights respecting nations....??

 

[August1991]

On 4/24/2021 at 6:02 PM, xul said:

Make a big rocket to colonize Mars I suppose.....

 

You mean that the Chinese will simply copy what Americans want to do?

No, I ask what rich Chinese will do?   

Edited May 9, 2021 by August1991

[Michael Hardner]

8 hours ago, August1991 said:

 

No, I ask what rich Chinese will do?   

Rich people tend to act the same way. It's not a matter of nationality. Or even history. Read the biography of Buddha, as a young businessman

[CITIZEN_2015]

Same old peasants unless they have a long family background of richness. Money doesn't bring class.  Rich in wallets but not worth a penny from head to tow. Look at the rich oily Arab sheiks or the murderous dirty mullahs in Iran. Having billions of nation's stolen money in the banks but they stink even from a distance.

Edited June 20, 2021 by CITIZEN_2015

[August1991]

On 5/9/2021 at 9:36 AM, Michael Hardner said:

Rich people tend to act the same way. It's not a matter of nationality. Or even history. Read the biography of Buddha, as a young businessman

I'm reminded of Hemingway's response to Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald: "Rich people are different from you and me."

Hemingway: "Yes. They have more money."

[August1991]

On 6/20/2021 at 1:05 PM, CITIZEN_2015 said:

Same old peasants unless they have a long family background of richness. Money doesn't bring class.  Rich in wallets but not worth a penny from head to tow. Look at the rich oily Arab sheiks or the murderous dirty mullahs in Iran. Having billions of nation's stolen money in the banks but they stink even from a distance.

Years ago (1980s?), I was flying in the Middle East. Beside me, a British engineer explained that he was returning to Saudi Arabia.

I recall his comment: "Imagine that we gave several billion dollars to Henry VIII." 

[Michael Hardner]

7 hours ago, August1991 said:

Hemingway: "Yes. They have more money."

I can think of three interpretations of Ernie's response.

1) the obvious one: he's telling Fitzgerald that the difference is obviously explained in the descriptor, and implies that there's no other difference

2) their differences are why they are wealthy

3) their wealth caused the difference, ie. Changed their common characteristics

[August1991]

On 8/1/2021 at 6:30 AM, Michael Hardner said:

I can think of three interpretations of Ernie's response.

1) the obvious one: he's telling Fitzgerald that the difference is obviously explained in the descriptor, and implies that there's no other difference

2) their differences are why they are wealthy

3) their wealth caused the difference, ie. Changed their common characteristics

Michael,

As they say, you are reading far too much into this.

IOW, Hemingway's point is simple: rich people are no different from you or me but they have more money.

So, what does it mean to have more money?

=====

IME, people mistake money with wealth. Rich people have choices. The more choices that you have, the richer you are.

 

[Michael Hardner]

7 hours ago, August1991 said:

1. Hemingway's point is simple: rich people are no different from you or me but they have more money.

2. people mistake money with wealth. Rich people have choices. The more choices that you have, the richer you are.

 

1. Then Hemingway is an artsie fluff.  He never met a Zuckerberg.  Radio stars in his day made the equivalent of $200K a year from their contracts.  He couldn't conceive of an Oprah.

2. Rich means you can buy a nice car.  Wealth means that you can buy government and restrict my freedom.  Doug Ford's friends can convince him to reduce control of nursing homes.  They are so free that they can lock the elderly in their rooms.

Are you starting to understand yet Auguste?  There are no Gatsbys in 2021.  

[August1991]

On 8/10/2021 at 6:32 AM, Michael Hardner said:

1. Then Hemingway is an artsie fluff.  He never met a Zuckerberg.  Radio stars in his day made the equivalent of $200K a year from their contracts.  He couldn't conceive of an Oprah.

2. Rich means you can buy a nice car.  Wealth means that you can buy government and restrict my freedom.  Doug Ford's friends can convince him to reduce control of nursing homes.  They are so free that they can lock the elderly in their rooms.

Are you starting to understand yet Auguste?  There are no Gatsbys in 2021.  

Your point 2.

Years ago, I was in Saxony looking for the place where the treaty ending the Seven Years War was signed. (Hubertusberg, look it up.)

Anyway, as I walked around this derelict but impressive hunting palace in once was the the DDR, I thought of hungry young women and men in the 18th century. This prince had food.

Point 1. Make no mistake: the US Revolution (like the French Revolution) changed who had money - and choices.

=====

Returning to my OP, what do ordinary Chinese people do when they're rich?

Edited August 19, 2021 by August1991

[August1991]

In case anyone reads this thread, the transfer of Canada from France to England was the result of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) which in fact had two treaties.

Many people in Canada view the Plains of Abraham as a significant battle place, Montcalm vs Wolfe, French vs English. This is false.

In the late 1750s, there were far more significant battles, involving far more men between Prussia (weirdly allied with England) and Austria (allied with France) . I've walked around many of these  battlefields.

====

BTW, Napoleon refought the battles.

Edited September 27, 2021 by August1991

[August1991]

So, once again, I ask, what will the Chinese do when they are "rich"?

[ChristopherCross]

On 4/14/2021 at 1:53 AM, August1991 said:

1. What do rich Chinese do?

2. What do westerners do faced with rich Chinese?

=====

Europeans were once rich (Greek/Roman), then poor (Medieval) then rich again (Renaissance).

I reckon that we are in a new world.

1.  Make more money.

2. Marry their daughters.

Here is one of those rich Chinese.

The others are looking for ET

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by ChristopherCross

[August1991]

This is my fear too. Like Singapore, and Lee Kwan Yew, rich mainland Chinese will simply imitate other successful societies.

There is no innovation.

In Confucious/Buddhist/Maoist China, there is no Mozart. No Victor Hugo. No Steve Jobs.

Edited December 18, 2021 by August1991

[Michael Hardner]

9 hours ago, August1991 said:

in Confucious/Buddhist/Maoist China, there is no Mozart. No Victor Hugo. No Steve Jobs.

Two questions:

1. Are you sure ?  Is Weibo less of an innovation than Twitter for example ?
2. Does it matter, if America innovates for all of us ?  Germany produced the thinkers and creative minds of Europe for centuries and Europe benefited, as the countries specialized in their own things.  England innovated technology, and France and Italy... well I don't know what they did... maybe innovated adultery.

[OftenWrong]

11 hours ago, August1991 said:

Chinese will simply imitate other successful societies.

There is no innovation.

Chinese have innovated themselves, in a way that brought them from a nation of peasant farmers to the economic/ military superpower of today. All nations may kneel before her.

Technogically, they are sending rockets to the moon. They have hypersonic missiles. Their experimental fusion reactor is years ahead of the ITAR tokamak.

[eyeball]

On 10/14/2021 at 6:22 PM, August1991 said:

So, once again, I ask, what will the Chinese do when they are "rich"?

Start pining for wealth, same as most anyone else would.