Public Forum

ASA Should Not Support China

I was surprised and affronted to see in the May 2007 Member News and Notes that the ASA is offering members a tour to China. Numerous organizations agree that China’s human rights record is one of the worst on the planet. Many are calling for a boycott of products made in China and of the 2008 Olympics. However, the ASA has decided to send more of our dollars to the most brutal nation.

The online description mentions that the trip will “help reveal the beauty of this ancient society” and will give a “first-hand view of traditional life.” The tourists will see what the Chinese government has approved and sanitized, much as they would have done if they visited Nazi Germany in the 1930s and seen a dynamic, well-run society. I will list a few instances of what ASA tourists will not see in China. They will not witness the forced abortions, confiscations of property, and heavy fines levied to enforce the one-child policy. They will not see the weapons, helicopters, and vehicles sold to Sudan, sustaining the brutal conflict in Darfur. They will not see China’s oil trade with Sudan, bankrolling the genocide. The tour will not include glimpses of the statesponsored violence suffered regularly by members of the Falun Gong, as well as Catholics and Protestants, or those outside officially sanctioned churches. They will not see jailed dissidents who speak out for democracy and are “Re-educated through labor.” They will not see the people of Tibet, occupied, repressed, and made paupers by China since 1949. They will not see the eviction of human rights activists from their homes in Beijing, in an effort to minimize the “problems” that might occur during the 2008 Olympics.

To me, China’s record on animal rights also matters. Although its treatment of people is shameful, its treatment of animals is far, far worse. China’s zoos have been called “insane asylums for animals,” and a “national disgrace.”1 Its live animal markets are hellish places where one can purchase nearly any kind of living creature. China is the world’s leading dealer in rare and endangered species. The rhino, tiger, and bear have become critically endangered through their use in traditional Chinese medicine. In 2006, China engaged in a reactionary campaign to control rabies. Tens of thousands of pet dogs were confiscated and executed—not “put to sleep,” but simply American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and Criminology, and discussed them in a variety of media outlets, including the New York Times, The Economist, and National Public Radio. With Jeff Manza, he wrote Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy (2006). Chris’s teaching interests include crime and drug use, discrimination and inequality, and sexual harassment, and he has incorporated community service learning into his criminology courses. His work as an expert witness and in providing public testimony on felon disenfranchisement has garnered national recognition and a number of awards, while his more recent forays beaten to death. China has quickly become the world’s largest exporter of fur, most of which comes from animals who are skinned alive. In studying the treatment of animals, I have endured hours of video footage depicting various kinds of brutality. However, the footage taken in a Chinese fur farm will haunt me to my grave.

These represent just a few examples from an appalling record. To verify these claims or learn more, perhaps start with the websites of Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org) and Animals Asia (www.animalsasia.org).

The ASA has refused to hold its annual convention in cities where hotel workers are engaged in labor disputes. To offer a tour to China seems hypocritical and irresponsible. When the full details become available in September, please do not bother mailing them to me.

Leslie Irvine, University of Colorado- Boulder

Endnotes

1 http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1266775,00.html

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I ♥ (Alternative Modes of Transportation to) New York

ASA’s instructions on how to get to New York City (NYC) were less than thorough.

First, why list only airports? From many parts of the United States, such as Portland, ME; Burlington, VT; Richmond, VA; and of course the Northeastern corridor, the most comfortable and productive way is by Amtrak. Overnight Amtrak service comes from Atlanta and Chicago, and given that one has to sleep anyway, can also be time-effective. Greyhound services NYC from cities throughout the Northeast and other points in the East. Then there are the bargain buses, such as the “Chinatown Express,” which might be of particular interest to graduate students. But only if you told them.

Second, the ways suggested to get to Manhattan from the airports are without exception expensive and subject to surface traffic. What about the “train to the plane” service to JFK? The Amtrak and NJ Transit service, complete with monorail, from Newark? The NYC bus and subway service from LaGuardia?

These alternatives are not only cheaper, they are also much more environmentally friendly than airplanes and shuttles. Next time, please do better.