Patrick Boltze

Occasionally playing music to people since 2006.

[patrickboltze]

The history of racism explained in 3 minutes of stand-up comedy. (3 mins.)

[patrickboltze]

Thoughts on why many christmas movies have dark themes (9 mins.).

[patrickboltze]

An insight into some of the long-term effects China's one-child policy has in conjunction with the common preference for sons. Also gives an overview of dating practices in today's China -- once again materialism is high on the priority list.

Reading takes 10 minutes maximum.

[patrickboltze]

On mail order brides from Thailand & the Philippines

Below are links to a video documentary on mailorder brides from Thailand and the Philippines in the UK and Ireland. What are the expectations of women who sign up with mailorder bride agencies, what do the grooms expect, how do these marriages go? A sample of answers can be found below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk0jhl70TRU&list=PLth_5AY2E2bpjvrKm4O0vxiT3DSuYklFX It's 48 mins.

[patrickboltze]

A 6:04 mins. video on a Chinese migrant worker couple traveling from the city where they work to the village where they used to live. They went home to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The video depicts what expectations the couple have for their children and how much effort and sacrifice the parents themselves put into their children's achievements, especially education. It's also interesting to see the children promising to obey their grandmother and how the parents and grandmother pretty much pressure the children to learn as hard as they possibly can. Maybe that's Confucian teachings at work.

[patrickboltze]

In the USA, interracial marriage rates have been [climbing](http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/02/16/the-rise-of-intermarriage/) for some time. Lately though there seems to be one group which doesn't follow the trend: Asian Americans marry other Asian Americans or Asian immigrants more and more often now. It's especially interesting to see why a possibly rising number of Asian Americans doesn't follow the trend. Reading takes 30 minutes.

[patrickboltze]

A 7:47 minutes-long radio report on the inner workings of Scientology, on teachings, money and the treatment of believers.

[patrickboltze]

Video surveillance, state- and private-run, in China

NPR's show Morning Edition recently aired 2 stories on video surveillance in China that are worth sharing. Part 1 focuses on the number of video cameras installed in public spaces by the Chinese government: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/29/170469038/in-china-beware-a-camera-may-be-watching-you It's 7:30 minutes. Part 2 is about video surveillance and bugging by private persons: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/30/170563866/in-china-the-government-isnt-the-only-spy-game-in-town This one is 7:46 minutes long. While the main reason behind state-run video surveillance seems to be securing the power of the government, private surveillance is apparently mainly about adultery. However there is perhaps one common thing below these two reasons: Distrust. Something I am missing in part 1 is a comparison: How many government-run surveillance cameras relative to the population are there in public spaces in China (by estimate) and how many are there in the closely "watched" United Kingdom? I suspect China's number to be below that of the UK. Of course the surveillance cameras in these two nations presumably serve different purposes. A numbers comparison would be interesting nonetheless.

[patrickboltze]

BBC documentary on the killing and rape of gay men in Iraq after the departure of US troops from the country. It's 23 minutes. Especially interesting: The cultural, religious and nationalist reasons given for the killings of gay men, and the possible state involvement in the killings. Gives some insight into Iraqi gender relations, too.

[patrickboltze]

A blog post on the many anti-Japanese movies and TV series in China, on why there are so many of them and how some Chinese are falling out of love with them -- if they ever did love them. Reading takes 10 minutes.

[patrickboltze]

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) on educated women having issues to find a partner they deem suitable. Reading takes 15 minutes. Quite interesting how wide-spread this issue seems to be in Australia and what the reasons are said to be. Interesting as well: How women in college reportedly choose partners, how that plays out after college, and how those few sought-after men behave. The article makes me wonder whether this is a global or a western phenomenon, or a phenomenon particular to English-speaking countries. That question came up in me because one woman quoted in the article in the SMH suggests that she and women like her had been told they were so very special all their lives long that they were quite picky in choosing a partner. So is there a connection between women's standards for their partners and how women were raised? To go a little deeper into this matter, here's an awesome text in The New Yorker on how Americans raise their children, and how French do it -- it focuses on exactly that point, how special or normal / average children are taught they are: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2012/07/02/120702crbo_books_kolbert?currentPage=all Reading takes 30 minutes.

[patrickboltze]

In Western countries East, Southeast and South Asians are often seen as the poster children among immigrants, as generally well-integrated, hard-working and successful. However, there seems to be discrimination against Asians too, at least in the field of science in the USA, according to the above article in Nature magazine. What's most interesting about the story is the speculation about the reasons for the discrimination: The authors believe that many Westerners misinterpret behaviors typically associated with Asians as weaknesses and therefore see Asians as unfit to lead. Reading takes about 10 minutes.

[patrickboltze]

Text über die schulische Sexualerziehung von Jugendlichen in Deutschland: zu früh, zu spät, zu explizit, zu verklemmt? Aufgegriffen wird weiter, was Jugendliche in Deutschland überhaupt über Sex wissen und woher. Dabei wird auch auf Unterschiede zwischen Mädchen und Jungs eingegangen. Ein paar Statistiken zum Sexualverhalten Jugendlicher in Deutschland werden ebenfalls zitiert. Besonders interessant ist der Einfluss von Medien und Massenkultur auf die Wahrnehmung von Sex unter Jugendlichen in Deutschland. Interessanterweise werden alle Personen aus dem Bereich Schule anonym zitiert. Sex gilt da wohl als sensibles Thema. Das Lesen dauert 20 Minuten.

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Radio story on how girls in the U.S.A. are being shamed online for having done something others disapprove of. The report also details how the girls perceive the shaming, and how those who do the shaming think about it. It's fascinating how intolerant young people in the U.S.A. seemingly (sometimes or often?) react to behavior they deem immoral (it seems to be about sexual activities most of the time) or otherwise deviant. It's 8:19 mins.

[patrickboltze]

On the treatment of HIV and AIDS, and those infected, in China. The text also covers how many Chinese think HIV can be transmitted (see headline above). Homosexuality is another prominent subject. Increases in syphilis cases feature as well. Reading takes 20 minutes.

[patrickboltze]

Chinese immigrants doing well in Europe

Here are two texts on how Chinese immigrants are performing economically in western Europe: Chinese immigrants outperforming Spaniards in Spain: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/world/europe/spains-chinese-immigrants-thrive-in-tough-economy.html Reading takes 10 minutes. Chinese immigrants dominating the textile industry in Tuscany, Italy: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/17/made-in-little-wenzhou-italy Reading takes another 10 minutes. It's very interesting to see how Chinese immigrants seem to do pretty well even in generally tough times in western, and especially southern, Europe. The authors of the texts above see the reasons for that success in the work ethic of many Chinese. While it is hard to tell whether that is true, and what role a possibly lower standard of living among Chinese immigrants plays, it's certainly an interesting point. Another interesting thing is the reaction of the local people to their new competitors for jobs.

[patrickboltze]

An opinion article on how the "Delhi bus rape" is being reported in western media. It focuses on the media's portrayal of rape as a phenomenon of Indian culture, numbers on rape in India compared to numbers in the U.S.A. and England, and victim blaming. Reading takes about 5 minutes.