Rhymes with Cars

Change takes time.  Change, especially governmental change, typically takes decades.  True regime change only happens overnight in weird little countries in South America & Africa that no one has ever heard of.  Even then, it doesn’t work out too well.

Many people are in a tizzy about the China situation with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft & AOL (GYMA – Hat tip to John Battelle).  The thing that everyone tends to forget is that the Chinese government has been running this way for 60 years.  For GYMA to go in and suggest that they change overnight to allow a billion people to look at porn and learn about covered up history is just plain kooky.  China has over a billion people and therefore, GYMA needs China much more then China needs them.

I don’t agree with the Chinese government and I am certainly not supporting the way that they censor their citizens.  At the same time, I understand that if you try to force someone to do something that they don’t want to do; they are going to hanker down.  Lead the buyer / seller dance for you Sandler buffs.

Do you think that Reagan called up Gorbachev one day and just gave the classic Mr. Gorbachev tear down that wall speech?  Doubtful.  I would suspect that he brought him over to America a couple of times.  They went to McDonalds and Ronnie let Gorby Super Size his meal.  They probably stayed up late a couple of nights and went to 24/7 strip clubs.  They watched MTV.  Reagan showed him every thing great about America over 6 or 7 years.   Ronnie treated him right and closed the deal.

GYMA is taking China out on a date right now.  You just can’t knock on the door and expect to hop in the sack.  China isn’t that kind of girl.  China is a nice ‘Girl next door’ kind of girl.  She is really hot, but you need to treat her right if you have any plans of hooking up.  In this case, there are some things that China doesn’t want you to say on the first couple of dates.  Shes laid out the ground rules in advance.  But if you are patient, and you play your cards right, and you treat China properly, maybe by the third or fourth date, you can start letting these things about Tibet and Tiananmen Square slip out.  I say all sorts of stupid things in front of my wife that she would probably prefer that I didn’t say, but, thankfully, she loves me so we are okay.   It’s taken me 10 years to get to this point, though.

GYMA and China are about to go on their first date.  China has just opened the door.  Treat her right and go on a few dates, make her laugh, hold the door for her and maybe China will give you what you want.  Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?

Grab China by her wrist, insult her family and act like a tool and it won’t matter if you are the captain of the football team, the homecoming king and best search engine in the universe all wrapped in a nice little package, she will shut you down.  Ever wonder how the ugly guy always gets the good looking girl?  GYMA needs to treat China right, but needs to keep nudging her in the right direction at the same time.

Eventually, though, if we are patient, we all die and things change.  Nice huh?  How many seconds after Castro is pronounced dead will it take for J.W. Marriott’s cranes to start building hotels right on the beaches of Cuba.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the blue prints have already been drawn out.  Change happens and society slowly evolves to what makes them smarter, faster, stronger.  It doesn’t happen overnight.  Some societies move faster then others.  Sometimes it happens in a few years and other times it takes centuries or longer.  Having freedom of speech and expression will help the people of China and I suspect that 99% of the population feels that way.  The current leaders of the Chinese government that have approved and support this censorship will eventually move out of power.  A younger person who has seen the value of GYMA will come into power and open up the flood gates.  By that point, if GYMA has played their cards right, the deal will be closed and love will be in the air.