It has been already several days after the silent rally and, even more, the pervasively flooding news and comments.
I’ve come across some friends asking me to describe the event in London.
Initially I tried to keep silent as I don’t wanna to make a sweeping statement based on my personal prejudice.
Throughout the debates of the controversial Chinese issues, I have exchanged my view with some foreign people including my teachers and comrades.
By and large, it’s an enlightening experience as ever before but i should still state that I can’t help arguing and defending my view while talking with them.This is part of reasons why I was ultimately determined to write a feature covering the story of silent rally on Apr 19th with a showcase of international prospective on Olympics(polympics?),human rights and speech freedom.
I’ve really struggled a lot and took great courage to step forward for questioning the complicated and often sensitive issue.

I chatted with my teacher Gary Merrill who are heading to Taiwan in May.
I attach parts of our arguments in English so that people with diverse backgrounds can read through and air their views.
I hope my viewpoints are clearly addressed and grammatically correct, however, any mistake or misuse of the language can be inevitable due to a lack of proficiency.
You are very welcome to point out any erroneous part and add your comments.

Here is an argument, but more than an argument on the facebook group between Gary and me to mark a start of my questioning:
(Context:debate on CNN’s racist comments that arouses indignat emotions among Chinese)

【Gary】

And this is what baffles me.
It is a major difference between the West and China. We are allowed to criticise our governments
(some even argue that it is a DUTY because it keeps politicians honest.) But in China it is seen as very unpatriotic.
What’s more some Chinese people take criticism of their government by Westerners as a personal insult.
I am not saying that we are right and you are wrong. (Or vice versa)… it is simply that I don’t understand why our attitudes are so different.
After all, you enjoy having freedom of speech on facebook… and freedom of speech is a fundamental HUMAN (not western, British or American) right.
So can someone tell me – why do Chinese people get so offended?
Is it a cultural thing?
I am genuinely interested in this because, like I said , in the UK/US, our own politicians and society in general is criticised openly, every day in newspapers and TV.
This seems to be a major difference between China and the UK/US/other western countries.
Until we in the West understand these things, there will always be tension in the West’s relationship with China (the government) and the Chinese (the people.)
PS – I agree that Cafferty made an idiotic comment but people say shit like that all the time. Just ignore him.
There are much bigger issues to get excited about – global poverty, perhaps?

【Emilie】

Chinese people are angry about Cafferty’s words cuz he hurt the feelings of the whole nation.

Gary, pls note that we are not taking the criticism personally
(I’d rather say it’s insult…cuz that make big difference..criticism are largely based on facts while insult is not.it is based on some people’s prejudice and extremism emtion as I understand)

If someone just make a sweeping judgement, for example,saying you UK people are just a bunch of idiots and robbers.
You do nothing more than rob everything from your colonial countries to be rich, how will be ur reaction?

(I’m not insulting. It’s just an example to let u know how it works cuz i can’t find other method.
I do like lots of my UK comrades and teachers and have no personal hostility towards UK!)

You ask why people show such strongly unacceptable attitude towards their sometimes stupid comments like CNN?
I assume before this ridiculous statement was made by Cafferty, most young Chinese people thought western media are unbiased objective and tell stories on both sides. Especially for the major and supposed-to-be high-quality media, young people have quite good impressions.
Yet this turned out to be fantasy with the hightlight on the coverage of recent Chinese issues.

As what I understand, people,especially young generation, are not only angry but also shocked and disappointed by such supposed-to-be high-quality western media to behave so unprofessional and immoral including shielding voices from chinese han people, fabricating the facts, using the fake images let alone racist discourse!

Gary, as u said, people enjoy much freedom speech as a sacred right for human beings in western countries.
But how do we understand the freedom of speech? From my viewpoint, it doesn’t merely mean you can express your own views!
It indicates an allowance of boasting different alternative voices!
That’s also much we respected and the reason we come to the western countries doing the media study and accepting the democratic baptism!

For the Chinese issue, western media tell stories almost all on the dark side and shield the exposure of optimistic part.
There are too many examples that i can’t count in a moment!
For example,speakng of Tibet protest,media have been all and consistently focusing on Tibet’s anger how chinese authority arrest them, and barely mention their violent behaviours towards Han people.
 For the torch relay coverage,they just said how Pro-Tibet people were against China but few reported how chinese students tried their best to protect the torch?

It’s not fair and it’s not freedom of speech from my perspective!
What i experienced by myself in London last week for the silent rally tells more.
When a UK media(I’ve no idea where it comes from)interviewed a Chinese girl, everytime she reached the key points of chinese students’ feelings, she was interrupted by the reporter.

I don’t know whether this answers Gary’s question.
We reacted excited cuz people are not only angry, but also disappointed, shameful and shocked.

Let me conclude, the emotions are complex not only for the racist comments.
Some are more disappointed and stunned by the wreckage of their image of western values boasting democracy,righteousness, morality and free-expression.
They probably expected such values to guide China to a better route while things happening around actually pushed us back.It’s just such a shame! 

 

 

 

]]> http://emiliegu.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/more-than-an-argument/feed/ 0 emiliegu http://emiliegu.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/in-the-middle-of-nowhere/ http://emiliegu.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/in-the-middle-of-nowhere/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:18:34 +0000 emiliegu http://emiliegu.wordpress.com/?p=17 ]]> Does the spring arrive come? Otherwise, why I am so sleepy these days?

Next Friday is the deadline of my literature review and i was required to hand in my first draft of nonsense to howard next Monday. I enjoy reading and penetrating myself into the subject I chose while writing up literature review and struggling with the theoretical issue like nationalism, autodecolonialization really pissed me off. What I need is, presumably, staying at BUTE and even sleeping there if necessary for staying up late to push myself, being more efficent rather than hanging around by doing nothing. Today, I have taken naps for three times, eaten up two bags of risky chocolates(What the hell Im doing after i finish it…it’s always such confession and regret after the sweetie tragedy.), made aound 500 words of LR though.

This Friday, I told Huge Kitty Abel I was so stressful for the LR that it drove me crazy and seems the life is hopelss. Then Abel said just such a little piece of work if you can’t get over, how can you deal with the later huge mess in your career. I strongly doubt my ability and prospect in this field again.

Anyway,I’m determined to detain myself in BUTE tomorrow!