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Is our culture assimilating China, or vice versa?
If we ever go to a toy store, our just-turned 3 year old daughter would inevitably end up playing a display piano in the store, singing her children's songs to anybody within ear shot. So, we bought her an electronic piano-like keyboard with attached microphone for Christmas. One setting on this piano, which (of course) was made in China, plays various instrumental tunes on the piano… I guess for the children to sing along. However, my wife (who spent the first 29 years of her life in mainland China) noticed that the songs the piano was playing were songs glorifying the Chinese army that were taught to schoolchildren there in the 1970s. I guess my daughter will be prepared for school if we ever move to China in the future!
Yesterday, while my wife was watching CCTV at home (China Central Television, I guess) on DISH Network, I noticed a commercial with several attractive young Chinese women in it...I could not understand what they were talking about, but then they started turning sideways to emphasize their chests. It was obvious they were selling some sort of product to make their breasts look bigger, which my wife confirmed. Three years ago, my wife was embarrassed when her breasts got bigger after having our baby and, now here we have television direct from China where women are advertising how to make their breasts bigger. So, I joked with my wife that they're doing that so they can attract American guys... I guess with Hooters opening in Shanghai around a year or so ago, this was inevitable.
So, it is a race to assimilation.
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