- published: 04 Nov 2014
- views: 192366
Counterpunch can refer to:
Paper tiger is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐlǎohǔ (simplified Chinese: 纸老虎; traditional Chinese: 紙老虎), meaning something that seems as threatening as a tiger, but is really harmless. This Chinese colloquialism is similar to the English phrase "its bark is worse than its bite".
The phrase is an ancient one in Chinese culture, but sources differ as to when it entered the English vocabulary. It is found translated to English as early as 1836, in a work by John Francis Davis.
In a 1956 interview with the American journalist Anna Louise Strong, Mao Zedong used the phrase to describe American imperialism:
In Mao Zedong's view, "all reactionaries are paper tigers" — superficially powerful but prone to overextension leading to sudden collapse. When Mao criticized Soviet "appeasement" of the United States during the Sino-Soviet split, Premier Nikita Khrushchev reportedly pointed out, "the paper tiger has nuclear teeth."
Osama bin Ladin used the phrase describing the American soldier:
I'm not mister right
But I'll settle for mister right now
So here I am tonight
Pulling all the stops just like the night before
Emptier the words I speak
I swear the game gets easier by the day
I'm so concerned
Cosmo's never been so true
While you watch for all the signs
Of all the things that I will do.
Last call is right around the corner and I
Think there's something you should know
About me
Lets stop wasting all our time
Cause tonight you're gonna be mine
I'm not mister right
But I'll settle for mister right now
And I know I could do better
But my prospects are wearing too thin
They're wearing too thin
It's time to react.
And by now my confidence is rolling at will
You can't resist this so I'll try to take advantage
Of every single weakness you have
I'm not mister right. But I'll settle for mister right
And I know I could do better
But my prospects are wearing too thin
They're wearing too thin
Last call is right around the corner
And I think there's something you should know
About me
Lets stop wasting all our time
Cause tonight your gunna be mine
I'm not mister right