Tag Archives: Propaganda

Triumph of the Wankers

Stadium Concerts and the Iconography of Totalitarianism I am going to start with something polarizing. I like the band Oasis. When people who don’t like Oasis find out that you do like Oasis, they will often try an intervention, like … Continue reading

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Airshow!

Family fun at America’s answer to the military parade We were living in Beijing in 2009 when the Party celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic. The main event was a giant military parade that would … Continue reading

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Fandom Politics

When do the old rules of political communication become obsolete? Note: There are two things that have been on my mind as I observe everything happening in U.S. politics right now. I am using this space to think through them … Continue reading

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Nasty for the Motherland!

Can the administrative state get horny on main? Cards on the table, I’m a fan of the administrative state. Societies are large and complex, and a little technocratic competence goes a long way in ensuring the availability of public goods … Continue reading

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How Shanghai Saved the Jews

I spent National day in Shanghai with my family, our first leisure trip back since we lived there in 2007. Like Beijing, Shanghai has caught a serious case of fabulous in the past five years. The French Concession, already precious … Continue reading

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Godzilla vs. the SARFT Monster

I’ve been watching a lot of Godzilla movies recently. This isn’t some kind of weird Cable TV accident, like stumbling onto “Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy” at 2AM when you have a microwave burrito in one hand and a vodka … Continue reading

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Imagethief movie minute: Wolverines, oil wells and balls of marine brass

For sheer surreality you gotta love Hollywood. And I’m not even talking about the films. Two PR-worthy Hollywood moments to remark upon today. First, the imminent arrival of the needless remake of cold war teen action flick Red Dawn has … Continue reading

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Unsolicited advice for Xinhua’s new CNC TV news outfit

To listen to people moan about the fact that China has sixty “Confucius Centers” in the US to America’s zilch-nada in China you’d think the Chinese were wrapping up hearts and minds around the planet while America gets relegated to … Continue reading

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A handy cheat sheet for interpreting the Google China story

Should Google have been in China? Did they make the right move in pulling out? Will this influence the Chinese government? What does it mean for foreign businesses in China? Are they evil or not? Who knows? Not me. And … Continue reading

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Consultants say hardened Chinese death-nerds are coming for your daughters

Yes, it’s true. Those Chinese death-nerds are everywhere. They’re in your bank account. They’re in the Pentagon. They’re sending naked pictures of themselves to your daughter. And they’re completely invulnerable to all known countermeasures! Or at least that’s the terrifying … Continue reading

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