I saw \u201cSoft Power\u201d at the Curran theater last week. The play with a musical in the middle is ostensibly about the adventures of a Chinese-American screenwr<\/b>
\nI saw \u201cSoft Power\u201d at the Curran theater last week. The play with a musical in the middle is ostensibly about the adventures of a Chinese-American screenwriter in Hollywood as he works with a producer from China to craft a successful TV sitcom set in Shanghai. It is laugh-out-loud funny in many places, and the performances are terrific.
It\u2019s also very political, with much of it taking place during the 2016 Presidential election. The play explores cultural appropriation, how countries perceive one another, and how they present themselves. It discusses how messy democracy can be, compared to the orderly but authoritarian political system in China.
But lest that make it sound boring, let me reiterate: \u201cSoft Power\u201d is very funny. When the Chinese producer lands at the \u201cHollywood Airport,\u201d for example, everyone he sees is blond and carrying a gun. In another scene, Hillary Clinton hilariously dances for votes on a giant hamburger at a McDonald\u2019s, complete with roller-skating waiters.
The show\u2019s program succinctly defines \u201csoft power\u201d as a \u201ccountry\u2019s ability to persuade others through the attractiveness of its culture, art, and ideas.\u201d Coined in the late 1980s by political scientist Joseph Nye, soft power stands in contrast to the \u201chard power\u201d of military and economic strength, which aim to force, not persuade, others to do what you want.
In his 2004 book \u201cSoft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics,\u201d Nye said: \u201cA country may obtain the outcomes it wants in world politics because other countries \u2013 admiring its values, emulating its example, aspiring to its level of prosperity and openness \u2013 want to follow it.\u201d
Consider what happened during the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union vied on the world stage for influence. The Soviets gained support in some third world countries because of their opposition to European imperialism. They had a mighty military. But their hard power couldn\u2019t compete with America\u2019s democratic ideals, economic opportunities and vibrant popular culture.
Earlier this month I watched the documentary \u201cFree to Rock\u201d on KQED that chronicled how rock and roll spread throughout Russia and Eastern Europe despite
Soviet attempts to outlaw it. The documentary makes the case that rock and roll played a large part in the West \u201cwinning\u201d the Cold War. That\u2019s soft power in action.
As one reviewer noted, \u201cPerhaps presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle could learn a thing or two from \u2018Free to Rock\u2019 about how culture, ideology, and music are some of the most powerful weapons that one can wield.\u201d
And yet, today we have an administration that seems to have no understanding or interest in soft power.
Trump only cares about hard power. He wants to bully other countries into doing his bidding through trade wars and threats of actual war. His insults, his attacks on the press and the courts, and his claims of widespread voter fraud have undermined public faith in democratic institutions. His decision to take babies and young children from their parents at the border \u2013 especially since he had no plan and, apparently, no intention to reunite them \u2013 have eroded America\u2019s international reputation, perhaps irreparably.
China, on the other hand, has never had much soft power, largely because it is such an authoritarian state. But the Chinese government is investing huge amounts of money in infrastructure projects around the world, increasing its reputation and its soft power.
When Trump pulled the U. S. out of a trade agreement in Asia, he removed important potential limits on Chinese influence in the region.
For years, China has made the argument that America\u2019s democratic ideals are not as desirable as they may seem because they promote instability and chaos. Sadly,
Trump is proving them right. China\u2019s soft power is rising, while America\u2019s is slipping away.
The musical at the Curran plays with the idea of a future where, after Trump\u2019s election, China\u2019s soft power ultimately exceeds America\u2019s and China leads the world.
Still, it ends with a rousing musical number \u201cDemocracy\u201d in which the actors reaffirm their support for democracy, flawed though it may be.
\u201cSoft Power\u201d runs through July 8. You\u2019ll laugh a lot. Like America\u2019s soft power, enjoy the play while it\u2019s still here.
Sally Stephens is an animal, park and neighborhood activist who lives in the West of Twin Peaks area.<\/p>\n

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