Week+2

Articles for Week Two

China - The Roots of Madness China's New Left Grows Louder Deng's China - Lessons for Now? I really enjoyed this article, and will probably use the facts found in it in future arguments against blatant anti-communists. It is nice to finally see an example of a positive communist leader, since so often, as the media will often do, we only get to see the bad stuff and the good things tend to get skipped over. The article is also really good about being easy to read, it doesn't use any strange political words, it just describes Deng's simple system and how it helped China  --Michael Remembering the Lost Art of China Watching Murder Case Digs Up Ghosts of Cultural Revolution “Who was the biggest murderer during the Cultural Revolution? I think every Chinese person knows in their heart who it is: His last name was Mao! Ten years, so many lives taken, so much talent wasted. Who should be made to pay? Don’t forget, the search is still on for escaped Nazi criminals.”-Yin Xiaogeng The statement made above comes from the article listed above, a riveting account of a murder case for a crime that supposedly happened during the cultural revolution, which according to Chinese law currently, does not fall within the statute of limitations on serious crimes. Mr. Qiu is charged with murdering a Mr. Hong during those turbulent times. His trial, though, has ignited a firestorm of controversy concerning the troubling events that transpired during the cultural revolution. Some feel that people like Mr. Qiu and others like him who contributed the the large murder count during the cultural revolution should not be tried do to the cultural attitude and long period of time that has lapsed since their crimes. there are others though, like Mr. Xiaogeng, who hold firmly to their beliefs that people who committed murder during the cultural revolution should be tried. Mr. Xiaogeng takes his opinions farther, though, by stating that really Mao should be held responsible for these horrid events, since after all, he was the greatest murder during the time period. Yet attitudes like Mr. Xiaogeng are what keep the cultural revolution a concerning topic for the Communist Party, who have edited controversial and generally upsetting events initiated by the government out of history text books, effectively erasing events that are not pleasing to them out of Chinese history and therefore out of Chinese criticism. -Laura Unpacking the Propaganda Legacy of China's Lionized Communist Hero, Lei Feng Widening Discontent Among the Community Party Faithful
 * Chinese Communism **

 

After Two Decades, Kidnapping Victim Reunited with His Family
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Pains of Development **

This article was extremely interesting to me. I found it fascinating that after over twenty years, the boy’s family was still looking for him. This reminded me, (and I’m sure it reminded everybody else) about this exact same thing happening in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago. It is weird to me how two such similar and rare incidents happened so close together in time. It scares me how it happened. A man asked a little boy if he was hungry and wanted food. As a normal boy would (and probably me too at that age) he said that he was hungry, and went with the man. The man then took him on a boat to coastal China. After this happens, the boy, in my opinion was very lucky. He was sold to a family that cared for him. There are so many other things that could have happened to him that would have been much, much worse. -Robbie

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Big Money Bets on China Growing Old and Rich <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Child Dumpster Deaths Turn Propaganda Against Party

The article talks about many issues at once. It talks about the gap between the rich and poor of china, it talks about the government turning a blind eye to the problems in China, it talks about the horrible death of 5 young boys, it talks about how Capitalism is perceived in China and it talks about how the media can sometimes not portray the whole truth. Many people thought extreme poverty or familial problems was something that only happened in Capitalist societies. They were taught to believe that’s why they didn’t want to be capitalist. When the death of these five boys mirrored what they had heard as horror stories about capitalism, it caused people to open their eyes. Many politicians kept up the front of everything progressing forward with China gaining wealth, but only the wealthy seem to be getting wealthier, while the gap between the wealthy and the poor increases.

~Ari Sanson

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">China Struggles for Solution to Growing NIMBY Movement <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">How China Social Media is Changing Lives

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">This article was very interesting because you usually hear about how the Chinese government blocks certain websites and just generally are harsh on the Internet. The 1KG Project reminds me of Kiva, a program where you donate/loan money to people and they eventually pay you back. To me, its fascinating how small things go overlooked, but if you put them out in a certain way, the social media sites will pick up things, usually heartbreaking conditions and will help get the word out. I find it touching that just one thing can turn into a whole funding and much, much more for certain people. - Emma Ming

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Poverty in China

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">State-Sponsored Amnesia <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">This article comments on the “state-sponsored amnesia” that exists as a prevalent feature in modern Chinese society. Many members of the younger generations have never heard of some of the less favorable events in China’s relatively recent past. The author points out that this lack of mention of events and resulting omission of these events from the education of the youth stems from a sort of collective amnesia implemented by the state. The forgetfulness is a consequence of the widespread deletion of memories rather than the natural slipping of memories from the minds of the younger people who did not witness the events firsthand; this operation leads to the paring down of the population’s memory to include only the information that those in charge want the public to know. As this practice forces memories out of people’s minds, lies easily fill the gaps. What began as a revolutionary measure by the state has now become a common method. Records and textbooks omit undesirable information concerning disasters and atrocities, completing the erasure of certain events while leaving a rosier picture without the inclusion of these acts. The censoring of television, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet renders trying to keep harmful memories alive less of a possibility. The people who experienced these events yield to these measures, as their unpleasant accounts prove too upsetting to share with younger people. The state restricts art and literature in order to limit writers and intellectuals in their expressions of opposition by giving prestige and money to those who remain within the “state-approved boundaries,” thus using China’s economy to the advantage if the state. Because the intellectuals appear satisfied to comply with this system, the public suffers as a result. The laws in China do not help in protecting freedoms or memories to a great degree, adding to the deterioration of the remembrance of the past. The state desires the obedience of the people and the production of a young and moldable generation with no recollection of negative past events so that these young people can be fed a glossed-over version of history. Eventually, the society reaches a point at which the public exists as so restricted in its thinking and so familiar with these limitations that it balks at those who question the implemented order. This idea of somewhat forced collective amnesia is frightening because it shapes the minds of individuals and creates a new generation of highly impressionable people who presumably will carry on the system with which they were ingrained. Also terrifying about this concept is the fact that as this process continues, individuals will become more unaware that it exists, and the measures will become more widely accepted by default. This concept also puts into stark contrast the freedom of thought that people in other parts of the world possess in comparison to Chinese society in this respect. -Sophia T.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Two Million to be Moved <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif;">This article surprised me. I clicked on it thinking it would be similar to the video I watched last week. I assumed the two million people were being forced out of their homes so high rises could take their place. I did not expect to read about unbelievable poverty sticken people that were be relocated for their own benefit and much to their happiness. It was encouraging to know that there is some real good going on in the world, when so often our news is tragic stories just to capture the reader. While the process wont be easy for anyone envolved. The government, the people being moved, or the people their going to be moving near, the article convinced me the process is more than worth it. In America, even the poorest people have access to clean water, but here is a case of 2 million people who can't consistently count on that. I would love to read a follow up article with interview snippets from the people who moved. To hear about their culture shock, and how they assimilated (or maybe still haven't) would be fascinating. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif;">-Sylvia Snyderman

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">