Complaints from a pretty well-read (and subsequently hard to surprise) Millennial.
- The most recent books pertaining to doing business in Asia have copyright dates of 2006-2010. I am really tired of reading “The most amazing thing in this century will be the rise of Asia as a powerhouse….” Or “It is clear that this is going to be Asia’s century”. Yada Yada Yada. I was skimming through Martin Roll’s “Asian Brand Strategy: How Asia Builds Strong Brands”and the guy didn’t even spell Ginza correctly, and he spent too much time on telling me about globalization and how the internet “is changing the way we play the game”. Well, I guess I didn’t have to read this to begin with, but I was hoping for something a little more insightful. And the panel discussion aired in 2011 discussed pretty much the same topics as a book I just finished reading about India, which was published in 2007. So theoretically, I should understand this issue very well, but I kind of forgot a lot already.
- Finally watched the highly-recommended and acclaimed Raise the Red Lantern, directed by none other than Zhang Yi Mou. I also read some commentary on the film. It was a media critique of Confucian values binding the society, with subtle symbolism. (I only know that because I read the commentary, not because I understood the movie.) It was really slow and also showcased some of the worst of human nature. Maybe I’m too jaded, or maybe I’m not the intended audience, but I wasn’t very impressed with this award-winning film. That makes two notable movies that were just “okay” in my opinion. (The first one was Man from Reno.) Why is it that the trend seems to be award-winning film is really predictable? Probably because film makers aim to highlight some aspect of society that is often overlooked. Or provide commentary on the political movements of the day. The film makers also strive to present these topics in insightful ways. But since human nature never changes, there are only so many was you can show that.
I WISH OUR LIBRARY HAD MORE BOOKS PUBLISHED AFTER 2010! I really want to know what happens to India’s economy in 2020 to see all the changes. I also really want to know what happens to China’s environment in that same year. And as I’m thinking about this “nothing new under the sun” idea, and “wow millennials are really standing on the edge of something”, I am also thinking, “When were college students not standing on the edge of something? Quite frankly, I’d like to be standing on the edge of something else. And I also think this “edge” is different in different places. Thoughts?
Castalian Accents II: Yana 