D - Truth and Freedom

I can't claim credit for one of the most interesting observations I've heard while being in China. C has remarked on several occasions that Americans may have a mistaken impression about freedom. We believe that every person in the world is longing for American-style freedom. They may whisper about their desire in dark corners to avoid the secret police, but it exists. To an extent, I agree with this common American belief. The desire to be free is a part of human nature. Most of us just want to be left alone to live our lives how we see fit.

It may surprise many in the West however to learn that ordinary Chinese people don't share this belief, and it's not simply a matter of being afraid of their government. People here are incredibly accepting of their lot in life. While Americans commonly rage against the machine - by protesting on the National Mall or even just cursing Uncle Sam around the kitchen table, the Chinese do not. In class this week, we were practicing words and phrases for expressing opinions - e.g. "I'm for it" / "I'm against it" / "I support this" / "I'm opposed to this". First, I taught the students the words and gave examples. Next, I would write an issue on the board and they would have to write down if they were for it, against it, or didn't care - and why. For example, I wrote things like "smoking in public places", "taxes on beer and liquor", "women in the military" - relatively benign issues I thought they could easily have an opinion on. It's not like I asked them if Taiwan should be an independent state (which will get you a lynch mob and deportation in China).

Well, you would have thought I had three heads. "You want us to express an opinion? What?! But we don't know how to do that!" Before asking individual students about their opinions, I would try to help them develop their democratic impulses by asking the "For"s to raise their hands and the "Against"s to raise their hands. You know, see where public opinion lay. Both times I would get a smattering of hands - but not anywhere near the total number of students in the class. "Do you understand what I am saying?" "Yes we do." "Then why aren't you raising your hands?" The concept of expressing your opinion actively was so foreign to them. They almost seemed embarrassed to have one. I'm sure the language barrier has something to do with it but I don't believe it can account for the reluctance they showed. After repeatedly haranguing them about giving me their opinions the general consensus was that smoking in public should be illegal, there should be no tax on beer, and women should serve in the military along with men. Another interesting aspect of the discussion was that they were much more loathe to talk about women in the military - presumably because it's the only thing the government has a clear opinion on (they are pro-equality, woot!).

Anyway, at the end of one of my For & Against classes, I asked them if they liked the War on Iraq. Of course unanimously, they were against it. They asked my opinion and I talked about my dismay with how things have been done and how they are going.

"Do you think it is strange I disagree with my government over the war?". "Not at all!" they said - you are right, it is a bad thing. "But my government says we should continue to fight!" "It doesn't matter, you are right." So I asked if anyone in the room ever disagreed with the Chinese government. Dead silence. Finally I asked one of the students that speaks English well if he ever disagreed with his leaders - he need not tell me where his areas of disagreement were - just that he did. He indicated there were some things so I inquired why he wasn't trying to change the government's policy. "There is no point - I have no ability to change things". And that sums up our interactions in a nutshell. The people here are not idiots. They have opinions about their government, mostly positive but certainly they are aware of failures and poor policies. But Chinese culture has an incredibly strong acceptance of things as they are. They don't get bent out of shape like Americans do. The idea of the Republicans getting thrown out of power this November would blow them away.

On the other hand, people here do want to know the truth. Last week we went to a Korean restaurant with S (student volunteer/best Chinese friend). After dinner we were walking home and she told us a story about one of her friends. This friend gave her a video of the Tian'anmen Square confrontation in 1989 and told her to watch it behind closed doors. She was struck that students could get so angry with their government. How could it be that they could try and fight the government? Her explanation? Someone put them up to it. It wasn't an independent movement. Maybe Taiwanese or Tibetan spies forced them to rebel. The concept of spontaneous revolt was untenable - the idea that Chinese people would break out of their cultural deference seemed impossible. At the same time, I understand. You grow up your whole life being fed the stories of the greatness of your government. It's infallible and always has the best interests of the Chinese people at heart. Yet despite the conflict between her education and the facts of 1989, no amount of education could steal her desire for truth.

S comes and tutors us in Chinese once a week and we return the favor and help her with her English compositions. I decided to take a risk and offer to print off the independent account of the Tian'anmen Square event from Wikipedia (which even has a Chinese language version). She very much wanted the account. C was reluctant given how dangerous this was for us - we could get fired from our university and deported or worse for supplying her with this information. She promised not to tell anyone, just to read it privately.

It's an interesting dynamic between truth and freedom. Maybe we have it a little backwards. Perhaps the desire for freedom does lie in every human heart - as is oft spoken about America's efforts to democratize the world. But I am beginning to believe though that the stronger power is truth. As the light of truth pierces the darkness and touches the human mind, change can and will come to China.

They will know the truth and the truth will set them free.