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2005年06月12日

The Apprentice

Here in Saigon, when I have absolutely nothing else to do, I may wander into the T.V. room and let myself vegetate for a while. In Vietnam, the main source of Television entertainment comes from HBO, BBC, NHK, and for regular sitcoms, Star TV. Star buys most the the shows that do not do too well in the states I think except for a select few. Keeping in mind that my only source of info and culture from the west comes from the CNN homepage and Star TV I do not have a well rounded picture what so ever.

I recently just got done watching the Apprentice and am curious as to why this television show is so popular. To me, it is a bunch of back stabbers who share an all to common vision of making the big time in the business world and will do anything to achieve success. When I was in business school, it was mostly about crunching numbers, labor contracts and other pretty dry subjects. It wasn't until my Senior Seminar that we got to conduct case studies and had to put on presentations. I guess it would have been more exciting if we started yelling at each other or if there had been tense background music. It is intriguing how this reality tv show has glamorized putting together marketing packages and boardroom meetings. I guess this is a boon for business schools across the land but the reality is that business is not as much fun as it would seem. Constantly worring about deadlines, cash flow crunches, and lack of sales does not seem so fun without a T.V. crew around.

Further, in modern society it is hard to imagine why we give such prestige to companies that sell soda water (coke) clothing (levis) and movie stars who serve the same function as clowns, which is simply to entertain. Perhaps it is the power that these companies command which is so alluring. I have met many country managers of companies such as these here in Vietnam and more than a few of them are a bit arrogant. If we look at the big picture, I think they should all be taken down a few notches (who cares if they make soap more sexy) and should elevate those that truly help humanity progress. To me, the scientists at NASA, advocates of Human Rights and those who bridge cultural differences should be elevated.

If we look at what country managers of companies such as Nike and Levis actually do I'm sure it would not seem so attractive as T.V. tries to make it. Imagine those people in dirty sweatshops negotiating with the manager of said sweatshop to produce more orders for less price. This creates more overtime and less pay for the workers. The country managers also have to meet demand for their markets and a budget, but the people actually creating the jeans also have to make a living. The sweatshops often bid for contracts and the winners are those who can do so at the least cost (basic rule of business). But to win, they usually have to break the law and push their employees harder.

It would be fun to see the contestants of the Apprentice be assigned to produce the most amount of jeans in a sweatshop in a 6 month period on a normal workers pay. The US is now a service oriented society and in the position to buy manufactures from the poor countries instead of producing it themselves. I believe this to be a normal path to help countries develop since they had absolutely no economy before and sweatshops at least provide some income where there was none before. It just irks me to see the reality behind all the glamour that the Apprentice creates.


Posted by Mateo at 15:04 | Comments (0) | TrackBack

2005年06月06日

Star Wars


I just saw the new Star Wars move "Revenge of the Sith" last night. As it plays in the theaters in the USA it's already out on DVD in Vietnam.

The movie was excellent and some of the lines really stuck in my mind. It appears George Lucas is paralleling the political environment of our times, especially that of George Bush.

Darth Vader says - If you're not with me, you're against me. - Sounds like something I've heard before.

Obi Wan says - Only a Sith thinks in absolutes - Sounds like the good vs. evil campaign

Padamir - "And that's how liberty dies, with thunderous applause" To me, it seems that the electorate will applaud anyone who is charasmatic or simply thinks that the presidential contender is simply a "good guy" without thinking too much about the issues. They are only aware of what the president is currently saying, but not the vast other items on his plate that he will put into place that will affect the future of the country. In another writers words, the electorate is an "unpolitical animal." Therefore, most of the middle class that were clapping loudly clapped for their own demise and loss of jobs. The president speaks about defending the country from terrorism by restricting the rights of the citizens to "thunderous applause."

Finally, the Chancellor or Sith Lord says "What is good or evil depends on the point of view." This could not be more true. What I have learned from living abroad is that people will most likely hold the views of their community, village, city or nation. If they travel and encounter other points of view, they will most likely classify these points of view as simply "wrong" without further thought because it is contrary to what they have been taught all of their lives and are not in line with those of their community.

The current fad of "having an open mind" is an illusion. Most people cannot deviate from what they have been taught all their lives. To do so would make them feel stupid and weak and nobody wants to feel that way. The more one learns the more confused he becomes. It is impossible to assimilate all the information out there, and people can only comprehend only one slice of all this information which they hold on to for dear life. And these conflicting views cause war death and destruction. In the movie, the Sith only desire more power. This does not seem much different from what most nations do.

Most nations, religions and so on teach their young to open their mind and care about others. But as they grow older they become corrupted and most simply desire more money, power and so forth. As every nation or religion continues upon this path there will be conflict and war when interests collide and power must go to one or the other. It would seem that adults never learned to share or simply became corrupted.

Posted by Mateo at 21:28 | Comments (0) | TrackBack

2005年06月05日

Thoughts of the day

When I was a kid, there were times when explanations were given that just didn't make much sense. At that time I simply thought I was not smart enough to understand. However, as I have gotten older and traveled, I've found that many adults have an answer but really do not have a good understanding of the answer. They simply repeat what they have been told and take it as truth.

Today, I was thinking about discussions with Westerners on Communism and Capitalism and how most westerners would have an inate fear of Communism. In an earlier blog, I wrote about Communism as simply a word, then an economic theory and then the fear it instills in westerners. I've come to the conclusion that the Communism of the Soviet Union and China were simply poor models of the Communism Marx was talking about. Throughout my childhood, I too was afraid of Communism. Then I met Europeans who have a much deeper understanding of this theory and most treat it as simply another economic model. Therefore, I had to ask myself, why did I fear it in the first place?

I now live in Vietnam and I feel very comfortable here. I do not feel like my rights are being trampled in any way or oppressed and feel that the natives do not feel this way either. I used to believe that most of the population could not leave a Communist country because of the government. But speaking with a Chinese in Japan, I found that it is the other way around. Chinese (and Vietnamese) are free to leave the country but it is the rich nations that will not let them in!!!! The reason is that much of the population is poor and a big influx of people from poor countries would cause political problems for the rich countries governments in the form of these new immigrants taking jobs away from the rich county's population since they would work for way less.

But back to why I feared communism. The only conclusion I can come to is a form of "brainwashing" or to put in a less negative way, those in the west simply believe that their form of government is better so that is what they teach. Yet, if we make comparisons there are a lot of similarities.

In Communist countries we often refer to "propoganda." In the West the same thing is called "Public Relations," or "Marketing." The goal is to get the public to believe something and governments in both the West and Communist countries engage in this practice to a high degree.

In Communist countries we often refer to "corruption." In the west we also have corruption but also an elevated form of corruption called "lobbying." In both cases, groups influence the government and the ones with the most money usually have the biggest effect. If a Communist country's groups paid officials to obtain something, Westerners would call it corruption. But in the west, these same groups influence their leaders by paying for their campaigns, giving them gifts, or free trips, etc.

Therefore, when I was young and I failed to see the difference between the two, I would have assumed that I was simply not smart enough. But now, through my studies of language and my travels, I've found that simply changing the name of a weed to a flower, does not change what it actually is. We have simply given the item, theory or practice a different name to make the public see it as we would like them to.

Posted by Mateo at 11:54 | Comments (0) | TrackBack

2005年06月03日

Experiences in Saigon

As I sit here typing this entry, it is pouring buckets just like it does everyday during the rainy season. Many people do not like rain, and neither do I, except for these types of thunderstorms we get everday. I love a good storm and this is the first country I have lived in where a new storm rolls in every 15 hours.

Also, the main form of transportation here is the motorbike. So when these storms come in you see the entire crowd of traffic pull to one side and put on ponchos. You have never seen anything more ridiculous than myself in a suit, backpack with computer inside, motorbike googles, and a poncho. I swear I will take a picture next time just to prove silly I look. But that is life here. Most people just don't have the luxury of cars to sit in and keep out of the rain. No matter how good your poncho is you will always get a little wet.

My recent discoveries:

1. You need a passport to enter the library and you are not allowed to bring your own books. The reason is they do not have a security system to guard against theft so if you are not allowed to bring in your own books then they are able to make sure every book is checked out and don't have to ask.

2. Many institutions here will not accept older bills. There is also a counterfit bill problem and bills are often rejected. I went to the bank yesterday and got my salary after which I went to the electricity provider of HCMC to pay my bill. They would not accept one of the bills I had just gotten from the bank!! The only other time this has happened is when I first arrived in the country. I exchanged some yen at the Vietnam Bank counter at the airport. I was then in a local disco (Apocolypse) and they would not accept about 5 of my 100,000 VND bills because they were counterfit!!!

Posted by Mateo at 13:26 | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The ex-pat life here


Living in Saigon has almost always been a pleasant experience for me. Yet, when I go back to the USA and tell people I live in Nam, they look at me like I have three heads. On the other hand, nobody has ever asked me why I live in Saigon while in Saigon. In fact, most people I meet here who are not living here yet, make plans to do so.

I think the reason is that this place is very relaxed and the people are very friendly. It is true that it is mostly males (usually middle aged) that make plans to move here and that reason is to find a girl. But there are many others who just got tired of the rat race and find much better opportunities here such as the ability to start a business with much less competition. The only hinderance to starting a business here is that a Vietnamese partner is still needed but most men/boys find this "business partner" in a spouse.

Their usual complaints about the west are the rat race and general restrictiveness of the west. They have gone to their office, put in 14 hour days and yet still have made only middle manager by midlife. They take a look at all they have accumulated such as a house, car, and high salary but then ask themselves; Is this it? Here in Vietnam they have dreams of opening their own business and taking trips to the beach or golf course every week. In the west, I believe much of their pride is built upon their career, and how they look to their peers. They are constantly defined by "what they do" instead of who they are. Here, job status is also important but the negative feelings of not having a great job usually go away since most of the population do not have a fraction of what they do. Therefore, they can feel rich here. As for personal relationships, the women are much more docile and the guys can feel in control.

One can look at this in two ways. One is that men are generally weak and need to feel like "the man of the house" when they are often deprived of this in the west. The other is that many simply prefer a non "ball-buster" for a wife. From my experience in the west, most ladies are attracted to power and prefer the men with the high paying jobs. Most men in the world are not in this situation and could possibly feel like failures. However, here they can regain a little bit of this status and many women want them just for the color of their skin and the perception that they have money. I'm not arguing that this is good or bad, but just the way it is......

I can predict some ladies back home reading this post and what their reaction might be which will most likely be anger. Then I could get a lot of angry comments about this post saying all sorts of things which would simply prove my point. Women in the west are simply more aggressive then they are here in South East Asia. Men have lost much of their power in the west and the rising status and power of women have made many middle aged men feel like they are weak. Perhaps most men are weak?

As for myself, I do not prefer a docile girl. I like to be challenged in a personal relationship but not in a direct way which is good for work but not so great in personal relationships. I prefer the Japanese way which is through compromise and constantly trying to figure out what the other persons's thoughts are and trying to keep the relationship "harmonious" as the Japanese say.

Perhaps, many women in the west are seen as aggressive because they believe that they must be aggressive or direct in order to have power. Many also look at Japanese women as docile but they completely misunderstand the Japanese women. The Japanese wives are usually the ones to control the purse strings and actually give their husbands an allowance! Yet, they would never contradict their husbands in public and let him feel like he is in control even though it is usually the woman who has the real control.

To compare, I have experienced numerous women contradiciting their husband when we are talking about the club. They flat out say that their husband is wrong in front of me! If the husband is "well trained" then they never make a decision and constantly defer to the wife. (The two ladies I'm thinking about were super aggressive!!!) But I have never met a Japanese couple or Asian couple in general where the wife has ever publicly contradicted their husband. If the wife is not in agreement she will usually tell the husband privately and in a more gentle way. Some women in the west may regard this as weak but this is untrue.

Posted by Mateo at 07:29 | Comments (0) | TrackBack