Red Hot China

In the mid-1980s, when the Red Hot Chili Peppers were an unknown opening act, they were booed for their unconventional music. The lead singer once turned his back to the angry crowd, dropped his pants, and made a lewd remark about body parts. "Who are the real assholes?" he then asked. "We already have your money." And so it is with Red China. We can boo, hiss or holler about Tibet, child labor or lead paint, but the Chinese already have our money. And our technology. And our souls, as addicted consumers. Not that protesting is completely useless. At least it makes us feel better. But, as Václav Klaus suggested, what lesson can a country with one-130th the population teach China? The time for the West to protest was 30-40 years ago, before events reached the point of no return. Now we can only lament that no one is willing to be as frank as the Chili Peppers about our predicament. [Czech Republic human rights]