The East (Side) Is Red
Imperialist Running Dog … excuse me, I mean Empire State Building goes red and yellow for Commie 60th. Big Apple: red not delicious. Fox:
New York is seeing red over the decision to turn the city’s highest beacon — and one of America’s symbols for free enterprise — into a shining monument honoring China’s communist revolution Wednesday night.
The Empire State Building shone in red and yellow lights over New York City on Wednesday night to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the bloody communist takeover.
The tower is lit in white most nights, but nearly every week gets splashed with color to honor holidays and heroes — red, white and blue for Independence Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day, true blue for New York’s Finest.
The building’s managers say they have honored a host of countries, including Canada, India and Australia, but as of Wednesday that list of honorees now includes one of the world’s last great authoritarian regimes.
Tourists were squirming as the city’s 102-story landmark — which gained a special significance for New Yorker’s after 9/11, when it again became Manhattan’s tallest building — was being converted into a shining red beacon for Chinese communism.
“I think it’s a bad idea,” said Dick Paasch, 69, from Billings, Montana. “The Chinese Revolution … in the years 1958-1960, there were something like 26 million people starved to death. Why would we want to celebrate something like that?
“I think the Chinese have come a long way since then, but I certainly wouldn’t celebrate the revolution,” he said.
Just heard a great program on the BBC all about the Cultural Revolution. Apparently it sucked all around, but the poor saps thought they had it coming. Not finding it on line, but here’s another from the Beeb: Commies stage mass celebrations for the 60th, tell people to stay home. Probably a good idea. Last time they had any freelance expression of exuberance in Beijing, they had to send in tanks. This time, apparently, it’s just tanks, infantry, missiles and 30,000 invited guests. Everyone else is encouraged to stay home to “avoid complications.”
In the interest of balance, here’s some thoughtful culturally relativistic equivocating: “Stop beating up on PRC. Benevolent repressive kleptomaniacal autocracy owns your debt, so be nice.” OK, that’s not exactly how The Peking Duck put it. No danger that site will be shut down by PRC Internet cops any time soon, despite the un-P(R)C use of Beijing’s slave name and the Charlie Chan-style graphics. (Hey, when did I become a “former” Bush attack dog? That ”Bush attack dog” gig is vastly overrated, by the way. That ingrate never calls, and I’m still waiting for my check.)
Commie terminology for western apologists is a little dated and dowdy, much like what remains of communism. Still works, though. There’s “fellow traveler.” “Useful idiot” is also good.
Topics: America, China, commies
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 10:31 am on Thursday, October 1, 2009
4 Responses to “The East (Side) Is Red”
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October 1st, 2009 at 11:08 am
Technically, the Empire State building is on the west side, as it’s on the west side of 5th Ave - I know, I know, pedantic, as it’s actually ON 5th, but
October 1st, 2009 at 11:21 am
Reactionary details. Dialetic license.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Well, since I live in TEXAS, it’s on the east side of the US…
Better now?
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
(Sorry to be late for this party, but…)
The Empire State Buliding (to soon be renamed as the “The Great Shining Path to Revolutionary Hope and Change Building) is a great shining path for our dear leader and the glorious revolution - I mean - revolutionary Hope And Change - on our Great Leap Forward to millennial wondrous wonderfulness.
Let’s all take a break and sing about how the Peoples of the World have expressed their hope and change for the Glorious Olympics, and the success of our Dear Leader: The People of the World Will Surely Be Victorious!
And one more for Dear Leader.