Asset Protection

I spotted this bumper sticker on a Nissan on my way to lunch. Literally, it says "car is Japanese car, heart is Chinese heart."

I'm less sure on this one. The big letters are Diaoyu Dao (which is what we call the Senkaku Islands here). On bottom says something about protecting the homeland and... I don't know, because I'm updating my iPod and can't use my dictionary. 

I have no opinion on who should get the islands, although a cursory read of a couple history articles tells me China staked them out in ancient times. I almost wish I could side with Japan on the issue after the disgusting, mindless bout of nationalism that went off recently wherein Japanese folks were assaulted, their businesses attacked, their embassy egged and Japanese cars (many of which were made in China...) trashed. The most entertaining story out of it all was a man in Shanghai who torched his own Honda Civic. Would love to sit down for a beer with that guy.

Right now you see a lot of bumper stickers like these around town. Actually, they're about the only bumper sticker you see. I've seen a few commemorative Olympics ones, and some people put those cheesy devil horns on their car emblems. But mostly it's anti-Japan stuff of varying degree of racial offensiveness/war mongering. That's what you get when there's only one thing people are allowed to have an opinion on, as these guys - who unfurled a banner advocating human rights and constitutional rule at an anti-Japan rally in Shenzhen - found out the hard way.

Oh, China. I'm looking forward to a nice long spell of separation from you. Two weeks wasn't enough.  Actually, I just noticed that I did something I've never done: I didn't blog for more than a month! Expect a huge uptick in original, Leslie-generated content when I am FUNemployed!