Is it funny?

wondering

Feb. 13, 2007

I heard a joke from a popular federal judge today and I feel I need to write my feelings down before I forget.

This so-called joke was the judge's own experience in Shanghai, China. There was one time he was invited to visit a local court in Shanghai. The Chinese judges took him very seriously because this American judge is senior and famous. So after a business meeting they decided to entertain their VIP -- making him relaxed and happy. The court just moved into a brand new luxury building. The American judge was taken to the 7th floor of the building and he surprisingly found that they have a Disco (I think it was a multi-function room as we usually call this kind of place where you have the entertainment facilities you may need for group party etc.) on this floor. In the next two hours, they were Kara-OK'ing in that luxurious Disco...

The American judge considered this story a joke because in his (and most of the Americans' view) it is really funny if you see a Disco in the court building. I didn't find this funny at all and started getting defensive for his ironic tone when telling the story. I thought he was just one of those smug Americans who always assume the United States is the center of the world, always evaluate another culture with their own values and always ignorantly criticize others. I was about to comment/correct him then I heard him saying:"why I tell this story? What's wrong with it? The Chinese judges use tax-payers money to build a Disco in their court, and they are even showing off the Disco to their foreign visitors!"

I felt terribly uncomfortable when I heard this comment. I have to admit that he's dead right in his problem statement though he could have made the statement in a little more friendly way. It's very true that we, poor tax-payers in China, don't have visibility/control to the usage of the taxes we pay. And those who use the taxes also don't think they are responsible for spending the money fairly and reasonably. In contrast to that, in the US, the government's office buildings are usually older and shabbier than other buidlings in the city...

However, the US also has its own problem in using the taxes. I think spending the money for enteraining a couple of judges in Shanghai is at least better than spending the money to bomb innocent civilians in other countries like Iraq. So the US is also mis-spending the taxes from their people. What makes things different is that the people in the US are well heard when the government is going to do something that will affect them. The US Congress just had a whole day debate on the Iraq issue today. I sincerely hope they come to the conclusion of passing the bill for requesting the President to withdraw the troop from Iraq. The US government makes mistakes too but their people seem to be better informed and heard though they may not be able to stop the government.

CENG

The Chinese judges use tax-payers money to build a Disco in their court, and they are even showing off the Disco to their foreign visitors!"

FCH

Post by wondering;574132
。。。
However, the US also has its own problem in using the taxes. I think spending the money for enteraining a couple of judges in Shanghai is at least better than spending the money to bomb innocent civilians in other countries like Iraq. So the US is also mis-spending the taxes from their people. What makes things different is that the people in the US are well heard when the government is going to do something that will affect them. The US Congress just had a whole day debate on the Iraq issue today. I sincerely hope they come to the conclusion of passing the bill for requesting the President to withdraw the troop from Iraq. The US government makes mistakes too but their people seem to be better informed and heard though they may not be able to stop the government.

And the president is elected by its people, so he has the right powered by majority of the nation. He may make mistakes but he will bear the consequence -  lose his job. This is a better systme, though it's not perfect, I believe.