On: Same but different: how Xi and China welcomed Trump and Putin

Well, I’ll be hornswoggled. It appears the Chinese have taken to welcoming our American and Russian strongmen with a choreography of visits, all carefully mirrored, they say. It’s a grand show, no doubt, like a couple of riverboats trying to out-fancy each other on the Mississippi, each with its own brass band and painted ladies. And the Chinese, bless their meticulous hearts, made sure the differences were noticed.

I’ve always wondered why folks put so much stock in these grand displays, these carefully arranged dances between nations. One would think the substance of the visit, the actual words spoken, might carry more weight than the arrangement of the teacups or the number of flagpoles. But no, it seems the world is still much like a country fair, where the biggest tent and the loudest barker draw the most attention, even if the show inside is just a flea circus. It’s a peculiar thing, this human need to make a spectacle of everything, especially when the stakes are as high as they appear to be. One might almost believe they think we’re all blind, or perhaps just easily amused by shiny objects and well-rehearsed bows.