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The Food is Terrible, …, and such small portions

October 16, 2015 by Black Pheonix Leave a Comment

… so said Woody Allen, in an eloquent expression of an exemplary post-modern human tendency of “glutton for punishment”, or even worse whining about lack of punishment.

If the food is indeed terrible, then any portion would be too much.  Then why complain about the portion being “small”?

The same illogic is often thrown about in the argument of “China stealing jobs.”  In one such work recently, by Paul Theroux, “The Hypocrisy of ‘Helping’ the Poor”,

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-hypocrisy-of-helping-the-poor.html?_r=0,

Paul Theroux complains that China has been enriched by America, at the expense of job losses in America that impoverishes Americans.

It’s a typical, you took what we had kind of logic, except Paul Theroux also complains that the enrichment of China and India were also corrupt, and didn’t really help the Chinese or the Indians.  (Thus, the Food is terrible).  But the US corporations should impose such corrupt help to lift more poor Americans.  (Thus, “such small portions”).

I can’t help to note that Paul Theroux invariably expressed a kind of American Exceptionalism and a hint of racism, because his faith in his own logic seems entirely rested upon his belief that the same corporate greed would somehow be put to better use by Americans, (even as he poo-pooed on whether China or India put them to better use).

It is akin to an add-on expression to complete Woody Allen’s quote:  The food is terrible, and such small portions, because we Americans LOVE terrible food.

 

Filed Under: Analysis, culture, economy

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