When Lydon called him on misrepresenting me regarding future Chinese "values," he trotted out his family connection, super-credentialing himself because he's married to a Chinese woman (actually, he cited his Chinese father-in-law primarily).
I gotta say, on some level, that seemed weak (like pulling rank). On another level, doesn't Pomfret prove my point? I mean, he's got a great new book out about Chinese history that I think could be described as sympathetic and very perceptive. Where did he get that? Well, he spent a good chunk of his tertiary education in China, and eventually ended up with a Chinese spouse. Does that make John "Chinese" in his values, or transform his family back in the States? Well, it certainly does something to the man, does it not? He's a very different guy on the basis of that seminal, life-defining experience. Certainly, all of us who had the privilege of going to college feel like where we went clearly influenced the nature of that maturing experience, making us slightly different people.
As the father of a Chinese-American family (you might think that statement's a stretch, until you notice that racist's hate-filled stare at your daughter on your hip), I guess I could claim that I've got plenty of relatives in China too. I just don't know who they are, so I have to treat them all as potentials.
Doesn't make me smarter on China per se, just perhaps more perceptive, or at least less knee-jerk, because my innate biases are constantly challenged.
So yeah, worth citing, especially for the bias. I hug a panda every day.
But it felt uncool to me that Pomfret pulled out his family connection in that manner, like a trump card or something.
"Some of my best friends..."
Yeah, right!
Still, Pomfret's an excellent journalist, so don't get me wrong, I'm not clinging to this exchange to somehow define him. Check out the endnotes in both PNM and BFA: you'll see his name well over a couple dozen times, I would estimate.
| Permalink |
