This is just an amazing conversation. Connecting the dots on foreign policy, national interests, and American K-12 education policies/programs. And that you're talking to a couple of Texans...! Who knows what will transpire in the coming years, but how encouraging that these two men are willing to engage at this level and with this degree of thoughtfulness and depth. But overall, we have a problem across the country that is profoundly cultural - that really learning another language - regardless of whether it was one for national security - I would argue Americans' irrational cultural arrogance gets in the way. Even Europeans find Americans frustrating on this front. And in the last 20 years, as I watched "Mandarin" become so coveted mostly because either people wanted their kids to get rich from China's perceived never-ending boom, or didn't want to be "left behind," resulting in a "get-Mandarin" gold rush that amounted to nothing more than an indicator you were good enough to get something coveted or only available to the wealthy elite... To learn a language, it's for use, not just for show. You would have to want to connect with people, understand them - which is about more than the mere words - but all kinds of facets of the entire culture, not just some tokens for performance, and then you move forward with your one-sided agenda. But that's all that most Americans want. While I think these gentlemen have wonderful, lofty visions, are thinking about these issues with sincerity and comprehensive soundness, I doubt the degrees/speed at which we can move the needle to be as constructive as we need it to be. As I experienced with a parent who said so plainly and coldly, "I don't care if my kids learn about the culture, I just want them to learn the language." And I heard so many other absurd claims that never would have occurred to me...There is a mind that thinks this is achievable, just as fantastical as this Trump administration would wipe out the entirety of the Iranian civilization. This is about the America-is-Number-One psychosis and the intense resistance to recognize one's own biases and cognitive dissonance. Americans need to embrace humility before language learning would make a true difference. Even then, I've come across many a finance-bro who says they're fluent in Mandarin and they're still bigoted assholes. Nonetheless, whole-hearted thank you to David and Eddie, here.
Well done overview of what US China relations could have been in the last decade. The use of the words “policy” and “approach” , though, are meaningless with Trump at the helm. Look at this view where former Trump AG Bill Barr said “ You may have voted for Trump and want his policies implemented but what you will get will be chaos” https://youtu.be/mhe0amOv5Lw?si=ysF-GS65woE-1LHs
This is just an amazing conversation. Connecting the dots on foreign policy, national interests, and American K-12 education policies/programs. And that you're talking to a couple of Texans...! Who knows what will transpire in the coming years, but how encouraging that these two men are willing to engage at this level and with this degree of thoughtfulness and depth. But overall, we have a problem across the country that is profoundly cultural - that really learning another language - regardless of whether it was one for national security - I would argue Americans' irrational cultural arrogance gets in the way. Even Europeans find Americans frustrating on this front. And in the last 20 years, as I watched "Mandarin" become so coveted mostly because either people wanted their kids to get rich from China's perceived never-ending boom, or didn't want to be "left behind," resulting in a "get-Mandarin" gold rush that amounted to nothing more than an indicator you were good enough to get something coveted or only available to the wealthy elite... To learn a language, it's for use, not just for show. You would have to want to connect with people, understand them - which is about more than the mere words - but all kinds of facets of the entire culture, not just some tokens for performance, and then you move forward with your one-sided agenda. But that's all that most Americans want. While I think these gentlemen have wonderful, lofty visions, are thinking about these issues with sincerity and comprehensive soundness, I doubt the degrees/speed at which we can move the needle to be as constructive as we need it to be. As I experienced with a parent who said so plainly and coldly, "I don't care if my kids learn about the culture, I just want them to learn the language." And I heard so many other absurd claims that never would have occurred to me...There is a mind that thinks this is achievable, just as fantastical as this Trump administration would wipe out the entirety of the Iranian civilization. This is about the America-is-Number-One psychosis and the intense resistance to recognize one's own biases and cognitive dissonance. Americans need to embrace humility before language learning would make a true difference. Even then, I've come across many a finance-bro who says they're fluent in Mandarin and they're still bigoted assholes. Nonetheless, whole-hearted thank you to David and Eddie, here.
Well done overview of what US China relations could have been in the last decade. The use of the words “policy” and “approach” , though, are meaningless with Trump at the helm. Look at this view where former Trump AG Bill Barr said “ You may have voted for Trump and want his policies implemented but what you will get will be chaos” https://youtu.be/mhe0amOv5Lw?si=ysF-GS65woE-1LHs