Comments on: Battlestar China: It has all happened before… http://www.asiahealthcareblog.com/2009/03/25/battlestar-china-it-has-all-happened-before/ Exploring the intersection of investment and development, in Asia Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:37:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Damjan http://www.asiahealthcareblog.com/2009/03/25/battlestar-china-it-has-all-happened-before/comment-page-1/#comment-244 Damjan Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:48:41 +0000 http://www.asiahealthcareblog.com/?p=553#comment-244 Fiction certainly offers a nice way to put some of the great themes of the world into a cohesive narrative. The best shows don't shy away from the tough themes, and Battlestar (James swears I'm obsessed) has done a better job than most at confronting the tricky issues. The problem with upheavals/revolutions is that they are rarely (I can't think of one) led by doctors and medical staff. At best, or worst in the case of the Nazi horror, doctors play supportive roles during times of seachange. Healthcare's best chance is during times of prosperity, because those in power have finally stepped back enough to put it down as a priority. But, it is precarious because when a nation rises without a proper health care net, it is like a very tall house of bricks that has been put together without the aid of mortar. So, unfortunately, fixing the problem, like we are seeing now in America, often requires one to take down the house in order to fix it. Fiction certainly offers a nice way to put some of the great themes of the world into a cohesive narrative. The best shows don’t shy away from the tough themes, and Battlestar (James swears I’m obsessed) has done a better job than most at confronting the tricky issues.

The problem with upheavals/revolutions is that they are rarely (I can’t think of one) led by doctors and medical staff. At best, or worst in the case of the Nazi horror, doctors play supportive roles during times of seachange.

Healthcare’s best chance is during times of prosperity, because those in power have finally stepped back enough to put it down as a priority. But, it is precarious because when a nation rises without a proper health care net, it is like a very tall house of bricks that has been put together without the aid of mortar. So, unfortunately, fixing the problem, like we are seeing now in America, often requires one to take down the house in order to fix it.

]]> By: Lloyd Lofthouse http://www.asiahealthcareblog.com/2009/03/25/battlestar-china-it-has-all-happened-before/comment-page-1/#comment-198 Lloyd Lofthouse Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:42:52 +0000 http://www.asiahealthcareblog.com/?p=553#comment-198 Thank you for your thoughtful response. It's amazing how often fiction mirrors reality. I’ve read that fiction often reveals and explains what is happening in the real world. If we want to know what it was like to live in the past, read fiction written from that time to find out. Also, the work by some of our greatest authors seem more like time machines taking us toward a future that we may not want to reach. I'm thinking of H.G. Wells. Then again, some fiction shows alternatives that give us hope. I've also enjoyed watching Battlestar Galactica. Currently I'm watching a series called la femme Nikita wondering how close to the truth it may be and if so, what does that tell us about the world we live in. It just so happens that I’m also reading a book, Murder of an American Nazi, which goes into detail about the CIA’s totalitarian/fascist shenanigans during and after WWII, and there seems some parallels to Nikita that are frightening. I agree that China may eventually decide to branch off and go its own way. After all, in China the culture is guided by Confucianism and Taoism’s philosophies (and of course the Five Great Relationships that Confucius wrote down and taught more than twenty-four hundred years ago, which means the government has to think of the welfare of the people sooner or later and do what is right or face the consequences, The Mandate of Heaven. That means if the “Communist” Chinese government doesn’t fix it, someone else will after the next revolution/upheaval and change. In China, when one dynasty fell and was replaced by another, this was usually the reason why. Thank you for your thoughtful response. It’s amazing how often fiction mirrors reality. I’ve read that fiction often reveals and explains what is happening in the real world. If we want to know what it was like to live in the past, read fiction written from that time to find out. Also, the work by some of our greatest authors seem more like time machines taking us toward a future that we may not want to reach. I’m thinking of H.G. Wells. Then again, some fiction shows alternatives that give us hope. I’ve also enjoyed watching Battlestar Galactica. Currently I’m watching a series called la femme Nikita wondering how close to the truth it may be and if so, what does that tell us about the world we live in. It just so happens that I’m also reading a book, Murder of an American Nazi, which goes into detail about the CIA’s totalitarian/fascist shenanigans during and after WWII, and there seems some parallels to Nikita that are frightening. I agree that China may eventually decide to branch off and go its own way. After all, in China the culture is guided by Confucianism and Taoism’s philosophies (and of course the Five Great Relationships that Confucius wrote down and taught more than twenty-four hundred years ago, which means the government has to think of the welfare of the people sooner or later and do what is right or face the consequences, The Mandate of Heaven. That means if the “Communist” Chinese government doesn’t fix it, someone else will after the next revolution/upheaval and change. In China, when one dynasty fell and was replaced by another, this was usually the reason why.

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