Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

Listening to the MP3, I realize that Pomfret referenced his book and his ten years of living in China in response to my original comment and Lydon's subsequent correction on his misrepresenting my portrayal of 5th Generation Chinese leaders benefiting from Western educations. He didn't bring up his Chinese father-in-law (and by extension, his Chinese wife) until much later, after I referenced Chinese working throughout the Gap on infrastructural development (his father-in-law had built a railroad in South America).

In retrospect, both such references were fair on Pomfret's part, and entirely appropriate to the course of the conversation. I jumbled up this sequence in my mind, apparently out of some nervousness/brittleness/lack of self-confidence(?) about going up against two such obvious China-watching heavy-weights, that I imagined a slight where none existed.

My webmaster, Sean, tried to talk me out of the Pomfret post last night (good call by him), but I did not let him, having wrapped myself too much in the mantle of offended father of a Chinese-American family (weird how I can get off track so easily that way, but such is the combination of a father's love and an egghead's ego).

Just goes to show that impressions from within the show are untrustworthy. Better to go to the tape.

In the end, I feel better to have misinterpreted. As I've said, I really admire Pomfret's reporting on China, and have cited it extensively over the years.