Years ago Oliver Stone admonished me to follow the story.
Yesterday Oliver was the story. He was calculating as he set the table to slam
China. He combed his hair 25 times on stage among some of the brightest minds
in Hollywood - none of whom brought out their combs. Stone attempted to become
relevant again. Slamming China could win a headline. He saw his chance and
thundered away. In a few days he will fade off to irrelevance again unless he
delivers a film that rivals “Gravity” directed by Alfonso Cuaron Orozco who
shared the stage with him.
Alfonso couldn’t have been more respectful to the Chinese
government that invited him to discuss an opening China on the subject of
coproductions. Alfonso’s film stole the stage when “Gravity” defied all
physical laws of filmmaking. Curon was upstaged by Stone but he wasn’t
outclassed. Curon leaves China with the relationships that matter. He leaves
with an open invitation to come back and make movies that can foster better
relationships around the world.
China has emerged as the second largest market for
entertainment. They have worked hard to produce the products that are consumed
around the world and they now possess a significant amount of the global
wealth. Their mountain of cash is available to invest in various segments
around the world including film and television. Leaving their cash in China it
becomes less valuable. Continuing to invest in U.S. Treasury Bonds is no longer
profitable. They must invest in assets around the world to win and they know
it. The interests of the United States and the interests of China are aligned
and a true partnership is upon us. We gain more by embracing rather than
alienating each other.
Rock throwing is never productive. Criticizing China for
human rights abuses or censorship isn’t helpful. They have progressed so much.
In my youth I would never have believed that China would open up as a place to
visit or a market for U.S. goods and services. I would have never believed that
China would manufacture all of the products that the United States consumes.
Throwing rocks at China is really throwing rocks at the United States. Who paid
for all of the products that China produces? Who paid for all of the
off-shoring of pollution that the Chinese people are dealing with today? Who paid
for the abuse of workers to produce cheap products? Rock throwing won’t lead to
a better world. China earned every dollar they were paid and they have every
right to invest those dollars as they see fit.
For ten years I have been reading about the inevitable
collapse of the Chinese economy. I am in Beijing and I see nothing but a
skyline filled with construction cranes. There is absolutely no evidence of an
economy that is about to implode. They are the modern day miracle economy that
continues to sustain growth because they are not subject to market
manipulations of greedy corporations who would rather put short-term earnings
ahead of the health and prosperity of the people.
While America’s economy sputters China forges ahead because
hundreds of millions of people are working every day to improve the
infrastructure of China. America can learn something here. What if every person
in American who wants to work is given a job to improve the assets of America?
Wouldn’t that lead to a better world? Wouldn’t that lead to the best America we
have ever known? Welfare and aid dependency doesn’t work. Corporate welfare
doesn’t work either. When hundreds of millions of people are employed to work
for a better tomorrow nothing but prosperity can ensue. China may finance our
coming prosperity.
Labeling China communist doesn’t really paint the picture.
China has become commercialist. They value productivity. They may be polluting
and overworking their people… but isn’t that the history of America? As a child
in Los Angeles I sat inside on many days because of the smog. Now Los Angeles
is so much cleaner. China will figure out how to be productive without
polluting. It is in our best interests to embrace them and help them figure
this out. As for human rights abuses? The Chinese middle class is emerging and
they will move toward more rights and better conditions, as they become the
most affluent consumers in the history of the planet.
Let’s put this in perspective. What if some foreign director
came over to America and started criticizing George Washington? Oliver Stone
can comb his hair all he wants. He can never comb back the friendship he lost
on that stage or the opportunity to become truly relevant again unless he
follows up his criticism with a new film that rivals the films of his peers. To
Oliver Stone, who taught me to follow the story, I would reply, that he needs
to let his art now speak for itself.
