People's Republic of New York

New York, once an eminent icon of the United States, has become an embarrassing case causing liberals and conservatives alike to cringe (plastic surgery not preventing). Similar to California, New York benefits from extensive natural resources and a large population, but through a gross, extensive, and long-term abuse of fiscal policy and dead-end social intervention, it is bankrupt. Its state debt is second only to California, but Governor Patterson, who is planning to run again for the position, insists this is due to vindictive racism. It may be best to ignore Albany, and most people probably do, but New York City is another matter entirely. With its famous skyline and infamous Wall Street, New York is often thought of as the pinnacle of economic initiative and the place wherein America’s tremendous wealth is centered. While this may be exaggerated or debatable, there are nonetheless few people who look at the Empire State Building and aren’t impressed by the capability it signifies. The financiers in New York often come under criticism for lacking any egalitarian perspective, and whether or not this is fair, some may well have finally sold out.
This past Wednesday, October 2nd, marked the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, and the Empire State Building was bathed in the red and yellow towards its honor. The most iconic building in North America was illuminated with Communist colors while they goose-stepped in Beijing. The lighting ceremony itself is not unusual or a particularly reserved procedure (it recently shone celebratory colors for the Wizard of Oz jubilee), but this is nonetheless a most disconcerting display. In the midst of the current obsession with the floundering economy, and as China is mobilizing troops along the Indian border, the tallest building in America is covered in communist totalitarian propaganda. People would be far more alarmed if a poster of Mao had been plastered on the Statue of Liberty, and while that is admittedly more extreme, the demoralizing and apathetic mindset witnessed in New York can easily lead to further ethical abandon.
The ESB Lighting Partners sub-committee maintains that, “The program is designed to achieve the best and most constructive publicity for the Empire State Building and its Lighting Partners. All special lighting requests are considered based on the merit of their cause, the benefit of their use of the special lighting and their treatment of the Empire State Building’s iconic image for the event and on an ongoing basis.”
Perhaps the powers that be really want China to keep buying U.S. bonds. Maybe moral fiber in New York is irrevocably tarnished, or maybe people just don’t think that advertising Chinese communism is that big of a deal. This repulsive (and tax-funded) display, in accordance with ESBLP, acknowledges that the act was intended, deliberately, to publicize China PR, and that celebrating the 60th anniversary of one of the most destructive and abusive regimes mankind endures is a cause of merit. China hasn’t only been gifted a pass on accountability, it’s had the iniquitous ideology for which it stands directly focused on the tower’s iconic presence.