People talked about polluted environment and so on in China. I didn’t want to response because if I responded people just thought it affirmed their assumption that I would defend my country. Besides, they are just bored. It is not like they really care about this issue. If they have sense, they will come to the sense themselves. But here on this blog, I will make some comments on this. And I will first tell you it is not for the purpose of defending China, it is for the purpose of clearing your ignorance.
They do read news. And what they talk about are all the things they read on the news about China. So here maybe you would like to hear something that you usually don’t read on the news.
The first point, the current China now (the pollution, the child labor…) is just like the early stage of American industrialization or British industrialization.
The second point, let me connect the dots for you here. It just means that China is very far away from becoming the next super power as some media try to depict. China has too many problems it needs to solve itself. China is still in the stage of reaching a modern society while the west is already talking post-modernism for a long time.
The third point, economic development at the expense of the nature is not Chinese invention. It was imported (or better put, it was forced upon us). Chinese tradition is strongly emphasizing the harmony between human being and nature. On another note, yes, China is communism, but that is only because we were so disappointed with western capitalism and at that time people felt that they had to save China first (thus had no time to educate the mass).
The fourth point, I am very glad that people are talking more about China. When I first came here 8 years ago, I barely read any news of China in the newspaper here. I just wish they can know more of China. I seriously think the world peace depends on American people have more knowledge of what is going on in “the rest of the world”. This culture engagement is mutual beneficial to both countries and very crucial for both countries to get out the box of their own cultures. So I only want to encourage more cultural communication. Not just communication, we need more engagement.
The fifth point, I can understand better that why American born Chinese here don’t want to say they are Chinese and got angered if people assume they are Chinese. Please don’t be bothered by other people’s stupidity. You have to grow bigger.
The sixth point, this is a little far off. But in a larger picture, this reveals the failure of the current education system (press is supposed to be part of education system, fulfilling the role of educating the citizen to be well-informed and independent thinking). Mankind’s future is a highly sophisticated society (according to Noam Chomsky). “Sophisticated” might not be a right word. I think it will be like looking at a beautiful garden with many different kinds of plants and flowers. It is rich and beautiful. The mind of those people should be more beautiful. Such a society can only be achieved by empowering individuals to pursue their own arts. The change in education (e.g. the way we learn) has to the path to there.
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