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Total entries in this category: 24
Published On: Mar 07, 2006 03:02 PM
Total entries in this category: 24
Published On: Mar 07, 2006 03:02 PM
Chinese Affirmative Action
A friend recently told us government offices are
seeking wu zhi shao nu
(无知少女)
to balance the workforce.
Wu, meaning "without," refers to people without
Communist Party affiliation and it is very interesting to me that rather than
trying to encourage more people to join the Party, the government is trying to
open the doors for non-members. Zhi refers to zhishi fenxi
(知识分子),
"intellectuals," which has a much broader meaning in China. You don't have to be
Susan Sontag or Noam Chomsky here to be granted intellectual status. All it
seems to take is a college diploma and some interest in learning or research.
Shao is an abbreviation for shaoshu
minzu（少数民族）or
"ethnic minorities," and nu means
"female."
Personally, I applaud the government's efforts to diversify the workforce. However, calling for wu zhi shao nu has elicited snide laughter because those four characters together also mean "uneducated young girl." You can imagine how this delights the mainstream male Han Communist Party members who suddenly find themselves the least desirable of prospective employees.
Personally, I applaud the government's efforts to diversify the workforce. However, calling for wu zhi shao nu has elicited snide laughter because those four characters together also mean "uneducated young girl." You can imagine how this delights the mainstream male Han Communist Party members who suddenly find themselves the least desirable of prospective employees.
Posted: Sun - May 16, 2004 at 04:20 AM