We all have different ways of doing things. A system of such ways can be thought of as a model. Like the U.S. model of democratic political system. Or the Chinese model of economic development. And inherently, we all want to implement good and successful models, because such ways of doing things improve lives for everyone under that model.
The controversy is in the way that such models spread beyond those who came up with them.
There is no dispute that the U.S. model for economic development is successful and proven. It is, after all, the top economy in the world. The Chinese model, too, has been proven to work well. The difference, then, is in the way these model are spread.
The U.S. takes an active approach toward spreading its model, plus accompanying models like its model for political system. The starting point is good; the U.S. only wants others to benefit from its successful model. The issue, though, is with the way the U.S. tries to spread its model. This active approach, which borders on coercion and sometimes, even forceful implementation (think Iraq) tends to leave a bad after taste. Yes, those societies may be better off implementing the U.S. models. But the unwilling are not going to thank the U.S. for it; they will only remember being forced to do things.
The Chinese way of doing things, on the other hand, is a lot more passive. Unlike the U.S., China does not actively seek to export its models of doing things. Instead, it seems to think that if its models are good, people will copy them on their own. The Chinese seem to think that the best way to spread its models is to make them successful, and show people the models' successes.
A quick dive into history, and we see a bit of link with belief systems. Christianity takes a more proactive approach toward converting people. The Western powers have a history of proselytizing, which is basically spreading their model of belief to others (and yes, sometimes by force). Contrast this with China, which, in the past, has been more of a "if you like Confucianism, you are free to take it back with you" approach toward spreading its belief system. This, of course, probably has more to do with the Confucian thinking about setting good examples. Here, we see how traditional Chinese thought continues to influence modern-day actions.
There is no right and wrong way of spreading good and successful models. But the way we do things is very much rooted in our culture.
The controversy is in the way that such models spread beyond those who came up with them.
There is no dispute that the U.S. model for economic development is successful and proven. It is, after all, the top economy in the world. The Chinese model, too, has been proven to work well. The difference, then, is in the way these model are spread.
The U.S. takes an active approach toward spreading its model, plus accompanying models like its model for political system. The starting point is good; the U.S. only wants others to benefit from its successful model. The issue, though, is with the way the U.S. tries to spread its model. This active approach, which borders on coercion and sometimes, even forceful implementation (think Iraq) tends to leave a bad after taste. Yes, those societies may be better off implementing the U.S. models. But the unwilling are not going to thank the U.S. for it; they will only remember being forced to do things.
The Chinese way of doing things, on the other hand, is a lot more passive. Unlike the U.S., China does not actively seek to export its models of doing things. Instead, it seems to think that if its models are good, people will copy them on their own. The Chinese seem to think that the best way to spread its models is to make them successful, and show people the models' successes.
A quick dive into history, and we see a bit of link with belief systems. Christianity takes a more proactive approach toward converting people. The Western powers have a history of proselytizing, which is basically spreading their model of belief to others (and yes, sometimes by force). Contrast this with China, which, in the past, has been more of a "if you like Confucianism, you are free to take it back with you" approach toward spreading its belief system. This, of course, probably has more to do with the Confucian thinking about setting good examples. Here, we see how traditional Chinese thought continues to influence modern-day actions.
There is no right and wrong way of spreading good and successful models. But the way we do things is very much rooted in our culture.
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