Unintended Consequences 102

Now as a supplement to Catherine’s post about unintended consequences, here is an illustration.

Unintended Consequences 101: An Australian Response to China’s Arrogant Display of Nationalism at the Canberra Torch Relay

Update

Since this story was published, I received another tip-off from a reader who alerted me to some personal accounts of three Canberra residents who were present at the Canberra torch relay.  Their unpleasant encounters with the pro-China thugs were published on 26 April 2008 in The Canberra Times.

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The arrogant display of nationalism by visiting Chinese during the Canberra Torch Relay may have invoked some unintended consequences that will yield perverse effects contrary to what China originally intended.   The propaganda exercise orchestrated by the Chinese Embassy in Canberra showed little respect for Australia’s social values and national integrity.  The damage they have inflicted on Australia-China relations is nearly catastrophic.

The extent of the damage can be seen from the following comments to the latest Crikey Report about the Canberra Torch Relay: