Has Trump made you change your opinion about your country?
I am born, raised Chinese. For the past 5 years I lived in America.And yes. Trump indeed has changed my opinion about China, and is more balanced. “Whatever works, works” is probably the best way to describe my attitude now.Before Trump:I thought democracy, in which citizens vote for their governors is the better way of election. America may not be the right example of direct democracy. But on the scale of 1–10, perhaps I can give it a solid 6. By which I mean, the majority’s votes eventually will matter to a great extent in America. I had faith that, people as a collective will always make the right choice.After Trump:I now question people’s political literacy, and perhaps even think that most voters are, in fact, not well-equipped to participate in political decisions. China is an example of technocratic dictatorship/ aristocratic democracy, with a very strong authoritarian flavor. An average Chinese citizen, who is not affiliated with the CCP, will never participate, directly, or indirectly, to select their president/general secretary. Although there is a voting system within CCP, but the process is very much a “closed door” to the general public. The selected Chinese technocrats, although they may be selected not by people’s will, but they need to be more or less tested as policymakers in the first place, and public figures who at the very least, know how to properly behave. I had always thought that this kind of system is outdated, and not good for long-term development. Perhaps I still do a little bit.But for all I know, China could possibly have collapsed had it given its citizens a complete power to directly vote for their governors from the get-go, because simply, I don’t think most Chinese, myself included, have been politically literate enough to vote for anything. Crowds are easy to sway. You throw at them some ear-pleasing, empty promises about job security, tax reduction, better eduction and life quality, despite not having any realistic concrete plans but otherwise appear confident, most people would just follow you like naive ducklings not knowing who is the real deal.
What did we learn from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster?
We learn that:1. Nuclear power is definitely safe. The accident killed 28 people within few weeks and up to 60 people until now. For an accident labelled as “disaster”, such low number of casualties is truly remarkable. People killed in road accident in Indonesia per day exceeds that number. 2013 coal mine explosion in Turkey killed no less than 300 people.2. Safety protocol must not be violated. Even such horribly designed RBMK will operate safely as long as safety protocol is fulfilled. If the operator didn’t foolishly ignores warning from reactor safety system, Chernobyl accident will never happen.3. Radiation isn’t as bad as people thought. Chernobyl and Pripyat is now safe and habitable without adverse effect to life. Strictly speaking, human did more harm to Chernobyl environment than radiation from the accident and its fallout materials.
What is it like to live in Buffalo, NY?
Buffalo is the best small city I know. I live in Buffalo, but grew up in Rochester and Syracuse. I travel a lot for work, so I've been to quite a few cities, but none have the energy and atmosphere of Buffalo. The younger crowd is friendly, accepting, and active in the community, always holding events for the betterment of Buffalo, and the older crowd recognizes that Buffalo has a bright future, and they shouldn't stand in the way. I'm not sure what anon is so upset about, it seems his troubles stem from his lack of friendliness, I moved to Buffalo almost two years ago, and was immediately accepted into circles I thought I had no business in, people of "power" in the city are humble and accepting of others, and whomever wants to make their mark certainly will be helped all the way as long as they ask. When I talk about friendly, I don't mean friendly southern hospitality, no one puts on a show to make sure you're comfortable and smiles when they don't mean it. Its a mutual respect thing that they will help out anyone who needs help or asks for it, and are genuinely nice when you are nice to them. Buffalo has a fantastic restaurant scene, with places like Vera, Mothers, Liberty Hound, Chophouse, and much, much more that can make your Friday and Saturday night one to remember. The architecture is amazing even with the fact that more has been destroyed than exists today. Famous designers such as EB Green, Fredrick Law Olmstead (Designer of Central Park), and of course Frank Lloyd Wright have made their mark around town that cannot be missed. Buffalo also has a rich history, from Grover Cleveland to Teddy Roosevelt, many historical greats have left their mark on the town. Presidential assassinations, Tesla experiments, secret societies, and more. Buffalo was rated as the second best city to relocate to in the US for a reason, and as time goes on, I can only imagine it will be harder and harder to say it isn't number 1.