The Bogeyman on the Moon
Chris at Eyes East sees a nascent space race to get back on the moon emerging between the U.S. and China. Personally, I’m not sure it really matters — that is, who gets back first. The moon is old-hat, even though it would still be a positive symbolic achievement for China. What’s more interesting is to see the way the moon race is being manipulated in the U.S. for political gain.
It’s part of an annoying and, some might say, virulent trend that has turned China into the bogeyman of 21st century American life.
The hallmark of the bogeyman is that it is normally pops up when a special interest must be fed. To return to the example of space:Need a rationale for promoting investment in aerospace? Cite China’s recent progress there (as Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson did a few weeks back in the Houston Chronicle – h/t Eyes East). Think the American education system is challenged? China churns out a lot of engineers. Sarbanes-Oxley too cumbersome? Not in China. Infrastructure crumbling in America’s cities? China is sure spending a lot to build its roads and airports. The list goes on and on; I could literally spend the whole day thinking of examples and finding substantiation on the web, and not get them all.
That is not to say that these interests are not valuable; in fact, some if not all represent genuine challenges and needs faced by the U.S. For example, I personally do believe the U.S. should invest more in updating its public infrastructure.
On the other hand, it must be emphasized that evaluating this issue has little or nothing to do with the relative state of China’s infrastructure. It just doesn’t tell me about the marginal value here in the U.S.
I have probably been guilty of this in past. These false comparisons should stop. They are cheap tricks that perpetuate and reinforce the idea of competition and rivalry between the U.S. and China.
The moon is just not worth fighting over.
