Fight or Flight

Speech: A Farewell to Blood, Race, and Everything Else Before I say anything else, first let me say, I am (partly) Chinese. Not that I'm proud of it. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit it. Although the Chinese are an ancient race with an interesting history, what was the purpose? You can't call it the "Chinese History," because the wars fought by the Chinese were mostly against each other. Take the Romance of Three Kingdoms. Three kingdoms fighting amongst each other. And they are Chinese. One Chinese kingdom wages war on his brethren, and for the purpose of expansion of territory. It's more acceptable and understandable to wage war on another country for the purpose of expansion. Take modern China and compare it to the state of the United States during the Civil War. If the Tibetans throw a fit and want to become their own country, China drops in and says "Hell no, you belong to us you damned idiots. We won't abide your disregard for our rule. Time to tea...

Anirban Bose, a Have, who lives in a gated complex with a pool, wonders if the guillotine blade is being sharpened Although, as it turns out, Marie Antoinette’s famous saying was actually a rumour perpetuated by the revolutionaries, these four words best epitomise the callous indifference of those in any position of wealth or power (the haves) towards those who cannot afford bread, let alone cake (the have-nots). And, when people ask me about my impressions of India after returning from the US after 12 years, although generally positive, time and again I am reminded of these four words. Presumably, being able to afford a nice apartment in a gated complex with a gym and a swimming pool, I’m a ‘have’ and a chill runs down my spine imagining if some day my head will roll off the sharp blade of a guillotine. But India is prospering, they tell me. Double-digit growth. Low-cost tech capital of the world. Largest democracy. Superb banking and financial institutions. Special Econom...