The Contradictory Feelings Thread

[quinterbeck]

Occasionally, some ambitious local bureaucrat will get it into their heads to impress the boss by surveying the religious beliefs of foreign teachers, particularly at universities and public schools. Since this is a bureaucratic status game that is not really about you so much as it is about somebody getting a bigger desk, just give them what they want, which is that you have no particular religion.

How exactly does that boost their bureaucratic status? And why do they want to hear that you have no particular religion?

[Travis B.]

Remember, this is China we are talking about.

[Ryusenshi]

Complete shot-in-the-dark guess by someone who knows little about China, read at your own risk: maybe at some point the government was wary of the influence of religion (after all Communist regimes are known to enforce atheism), especially by foreigners. And maybe there are regulations that nobody enforces, except over-zealous employees who want to impress their bosses. And maybe "no particular religion" is the most reassuring answer because it means you won't try to convert anyone.

[Vijay]

I've never been to China, but that sounds about right to me.

[akam chinjir]

China has quite a long history of religious movements being or supporting rebellions. The ongoing persecution of Falungong often gets thought of in this context, for example, I think. And I guess the Taiping Rebellion is still relevant to attitudes towards Christianity (which I suppose is what's mostly at issue wrt foreign teachers).

[Vijay]

In what way was Falun Gong ever a rebellion, or in what way did it ever support one? Besides, other countries have a very long history of religious movements being or supporting rebellions, too: the Protestant Reformation, the Hindutva movement, both Iranian Revolutions, the American Revolution, the Jat uprising against Aurangzeb in 1669, the Pueblo Revolt, the various Jewish rebellions...

[akam chinjir]

In what way was Falun Gong ever a rebellion, or in what way did it ever support one?

The idea is that that's the rationale, not that it's true.

[Raphael]

And I guess the Taiping Rebellion is still relevant to attitudes towards Christianity (which I suppose is what's mostly at issue wrt foreign teachers).

Serious question: what's the current official party line on the Taiping Rebellion?

[Linguoboy]

Last week I posted to Facebook about my ongoing mild depression. It wasn't so much a cry for help as a heads-up, as well as an invitation for others to talk openly about their similar challenges and the coping strategies they use to overcome them. The responses were instructive in many ways. It was pretty easy to guess which of the posters had direct experience with depression. Those that didn't tended to express hope that I would "get better soon" as if depression were like a sore foot or bronchitis. Some also made generic offers to "talk about it" with me.

I appreciate their good intentions, but I can't help rolling my eyes a bit. These are the folks who think that when you talk to them, their responsibility is to "cheer you up". The idea that sometimes you just need to talk about your pain to someone sympathetic even though it won't actually "fix" anything seems foreign to them. In fact, I often feel worse afterwards, because trying to gently correct their false assumptions saps my energy and their incomprehension makes me feel more isolated and alone. I only really want to talk about depression and grief with people who have had very similar experiences.

[Travis B.]

One big thing is that depression is not sadness or even being in a bad mood as most people conceive of it. There really is nothing that it directly compares to, and nothing can simply "fix" it. It can go away, but oftentimes that requires plenty of time, meds, or, for someone bipolar like myself, a switch into hypomania or mania (but these frequently lead to even worse depression or, worse yet, mixed mood). And yes, someone else who has also experienced it is ideal for venting to, simply because they will know this and will just listen rather than attempt to make things better.

[Vijay]

I used to be so, soooo guilty of this. I probably still kind of am, but at least I managed to let that attitude ruin a whole friendship as I learned the hard way that I myself have too many problems, and know waaaaaay too little (which is probably the main reason why I have those problems...), to try going around and fixing other people's.

Serious question: what's the current official party line on the Taiping Rebellion?

Wikipedia sez "the Chinese Communist Party [...] characterised the rebellion as a proto-communist uprising."

[Raphael]

Serious question: what's the current official party line on the Taiping Rebellion?

Wikipedia sez "the Chinese Communist Party [...] characterised the rebellion as a proto-communist uprising."

Ah, thank you!

[Raphael]

So my cold has apparently gone from the constantly-running-nose stage to the occasional-intense-coughing stage. It's nice not to have to blow my nose all the time anymore, but the coughs can be annoying.

[alice]

Useful skills for conlangers #38472/54-8A: Being able to type lying down with a cat sitting on your arm.

[Ares Land]

Useful skills for conlangers #38472/54-8A: Being able to type lying down with a cat sitting on your arm.

Mine is insanely jealous of the laptop. She'll jump on my lap as soon as she sees me make a move for the computer.

[Linguoboy]

Not one of my father's siblings or niblings came to his funeral or even sent flowers. On the bright side, not only does that mean not having to deal with his bigoted brother-in-law but it also means now I can skip all their funerals without a moment of compunction.

[Ryusenshi]

I have received a serious job offer. It has more software development than I'm used to, but I can live with that. But it's in Nantes, and I don't know if I want to move yet again.

[Travis B.]

I have received a serious job offer. It has more software development than I'm used to, but I can live with that. But it's in Nantes, and I don't know if I want to move yet again.

I would take it, because who knows when one will get another job offer.

[Ryusenshi]

Who knows. Several agencies I've contacted said "unfortunately our clients are running towards the end of their yearly budget, we don't have any new contracts, so we can't hire anyone for now. But come mid-January we'll have new contracts and will probably hire some people." So I still hope I'll have other offers soon.

[Travis B.]

Who knows. Several agencies I've contacted said "unfortunately our clients are running towards the end of their yearly budget, we don't have any new contracts, so we can't hire anyone for now. But come mid-January we'll have new contracts and will probably hire some people." So I still hope I'll have other offers soon.

At least here, the unemployment insurance requires one to take the first offer one gets...