Word: feudal
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...women hoped to compete internationally, they would have to show a little more flesh. Peking finally came around and ruled that bikinis could be worn at the Shenzhen contest. The Chinese press soberly hailed the itsy, bitsy swatches as a "great challenge to the traditional concepts and remnants of feudal ideology." An appreciative whistle might have made the point just as nicely...
Your article overemphasized the lack of democracy in China, leading to speculation about possible global catastrophe and war. Democracy can't be imposed on a nation, however; it must evolve to take root and endure. China has come a long way from the feudal regime it was only 100 years ago, and it will reach democracy on its own terms. China's strategy to meet its demand for natural resources is entirely peaceful. Fierce competition for natural resources does not preclude international cooperation. Maybe China will align its strategies with the U.S.'s if the U.S. stops interfering in China...
...China; a new English translation at last gives non-Chinese readers some sense of what the fuss is about. Based on three years of reporting in Anhui province, the book documents the myriad ways in which corrupt local cadres keep China's farmers in a state of virtual feudal peonage, enriching themselves while imposing oppressive taxes on the very people the communist revolution was meant to uplift. Some officials practice simple extortion; others resort to embezzlement schemes straight out of Gogol. In the poorest areas, peasants are literally bled dry, forced to sell plasma to pay their tax bills...
...careless pastiche of gaudiness and “history” in these homes is quite disturbing. It is likely a bad sign that our wealthiest citizens are ensconcing themselves in Disney versions of feudal manor homes. As income disparities continue to widen, one wonders if these houses might become even more fantastic. (As of yet, few have moats, but plenty of subdivisions are gated to keep out the lower orders...
...House of Bush is a more elaborate feudal operation. For one thing, it is intergenerational. There is a medieval quality to eternal advisers like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Andrew Card, Karl Rove, Condoleezza Rice. You can picture them in velvet robes, whispering in the Prince's ear, in a 15th century Venetian tableau. Their loyalty to the family is impeccable, which is what seems to matter most to the Prince?more than the national interest, in some cases...