- Joined
- Oct 7, 2012
- Messages
- 5,228
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The designer of Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium was talking about China, but what he said is truer for Sinkies than Ah Tiongs. For the Ah Tiongs dared to protest and if not for them, SG would not have had its first strike in decades, after which the Sinkie Govt did what it does best – retribution or 秋后算账。The tactics used by the PAP are very similar to those used by the CCP. The Asiatic mindset of Sinkies is also quite similar to that of Ah Tiongs.
Overcoming fear to build a courageous society in China
Ai WeiWei, Washington Post
[Ai begins his article by sharing his experience in conducting citizen investigations of government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the scandal following the collapse of so-called "tofu-skin schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.]
A courageous person is most identifiable in situations where two sides of a confrontation are unbalanced in power and strength. It takes courage for individuals to stand up for the weaker party, but by expressing our beliefs and positions we gained courage. The issue of the death count was seen as politically untouchable, but our refusal to accept the government’s silence was a call for change and a challenge to those in power.
Courage is not a fixed entity that belongs to a single moment; rather, it accumulates and is tested over time. It takes courage to face a challenge. That process, in turn, generates further courage. Our life experiences enhance our ability to understand our roles in society and strengthen our will to take further actions. A society can have courage only when its members can have faith in justice and fairness and know that their constitutional rights are protected. Civil courage is born of openness to education, access to information and recognition of a society’s strengths.
After decades of crackdowns on freedom of expression and basic human rights, people in China often lack courage. Their voices are regularly ignored or rejected. It is easy to become discouraged in such circumstances. In my father’s time, people taking a stand on issues could be sentenced; speaking up might even cost them their lives. These conditions have ruined the lives of several generations. Anyone with the will today to seek the truth is often regarded in China as stupid and naive. Given such pressure, it is almost impossible to encourage people to fight for their rights. Further, China has no independent media and exercises extreme ideological control. People can share information and have discussions online. But strict censorship — my name still cannot be mentioned on the Internet in China — demonstrates the fragility of the totalitarian society. Chinese authorities fear public access to information. They are afraid that people will identify with each other and share ideas.
In the West, people are equipped with the basic prerequisites for participation in a democracy: protected human rights, judicial independence, relative media independence and platforms for free speech. If individual rights are not safeguarded, then people are unable to imagine what it means to possess civil courage. (There are certain exceptions: In cases of foreign aggression, democratic struggles among ethnic groups or conflicts between religions, human rights often disappear.)
In China, the constitution is hardly sacrosanct, and the rights it confers are not protected. Under the Communist Party’s control, there is no judicial independence, and the media exist solely for propaganda. Even the most basic information is incomplete and twisted. Individuals have no religious freedom or freedom of association, nor are they at liberty to express their ideals. When the tanks drove into Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, Chinese society lost all forms of public civil courage. In recent years, land disputes have given rise to tens of thousands of group conflicts, but they have never caught on at a meaningful public level.
The tactics those in power use to repress challengers vary by society. But all forms of repression share a few traits: Public discussions and direct responses are avoided. Institutions of power are arrogant and indifferent, and they are keen on eliminating direct public input into the decision-making process. When unfairness cannot withstand basic tests of ethics and morality, a power’s own distrust of self and of logic is often revealed. For challengers, the biggest protections are the insistence upon a human stance, faith in fairness and justice, and trust in people and in change. It is also important to avoid being influenced by the other side and becoming a part of what one is challenging.
It is impossible to appreciate freedom without having courage. A person without the freedom to initiate challenges is like a flower withering away. Courage is the prerequisite for one’s well-being; it is the sunshine and moisture needed to thrive in society. I often see young children show courage in acquiring new skills and knowledge. They expose their vulnerability and innocence through failing and learning, and they become more mature in the process. That willingness to make mistakes and fail — this sort of learning is life-affirming.
Full article is here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...78338e-ae7b-11e2-8bf6-e70cb6ae066e_story.html
Overcoming fear to build a courageous society in China
Ai WeiWei, Washington Post
[Ai begins his article by sharing his experience in conducting citizen investigations of government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the scandal following the collapse of so-called "tofu-skin schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.]
A courageous person is most identifiable in situations where two sides of a confrontation are unbalanced in power and strength. It takes courage for individuals to stand up for the weaker party, but by expressing our beliefs and positions we gained courage. The issue of the death count was seen as politically untouchable, but our refusal to accept the government’s silence was a call for change and a challenge to those in power.
Courage is not a fixed entity that belongs to a single moment; rather, it accumulates and is tested over time. It takes courage to face a challenge. That process, in turn, generates further courage. Our life experiences enhance our ability to understand our roles in society and strengthen our will to take further actions. A society can have courage only when its members can have faith in justice and fairness and know that their constitutional rights are protected. Civil courage is born of openness to education, access to information and recognition of a society’s strengths.
After decades of crackdowns on freedom of expression and basic human rights, people in China often lack courage. Their voices are regularly ignored or rejected. It is easy to become discouraged in such circumstances. In my father’s time, people taking a stand on issues could be sentenced; speaking up might even cost them their lives. These conditions have ruined the lives of several generations. Anyone with the will today to seek the truth is often regarded in China as stupid and naive. Given such pressure, it is almost impossible to encourage people to fight for their rights. Further, China has no independent media and exercises extreme ideological control. People can share information and have discussions online. But strict censorship — my name still cannot be mentioned on the Internet in China — demonstrates the fragility of the totalitarian society. Chinese authorities fear public access to information. They are afraid that people will identify with each other and share ideas.
In the West, people are equipped with the basic prerequisites for participation in a democracy: protected human rights, judicial independence, relative media independence and platforms for free speech. If individual rights are not safeguarded, then people are unable to imagine what it means to possess civil courage. (There are certain exceptions: In cases of foreign aggression, democratic struggles among ethnic groups or conflicts between religions, human rights often disappear.)
In China, the constitution is hardly sacrosanct, and the rights it confers are not protected. Under the Communist Party’s control, there is no judicial independence, and the media exist solely for propaganda. Even the most basic information is incomplete and twisted. Individuals have no religious freedom or freedom of association, nor are they at liberty to express their ideals. When the tanks drove into Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, Chinese society lost all forms of public civil courage. In recent years, land disputes have given rise to tens of thousands of group conflicts, but they have never caught on at a meaningful public level.
The tactics those in power use to repress challengers vary by society. But all forms of repression share a few traits: Public discussions and direct responses are avoided. Institutions of power are arrogant and indifferent, and they are keen on eliminating direct public input into the decision-making process. When unfairness cannot withstand basic tests of ethics and morality, a power’s own distrust of self and of logic is often revealed. For challengers, the biggest protections are the insistence upon a human stance, faith in fairness and justice, and trust in people and in change. It is also important to avoid being influenced by the other side and becoming a part of what one is challenging.
It is impossible to appreciate freedom without having courage. A person without the freedom to initiate challenges is like a flower withering away. Courage is the prerequisite for one’s well-being; it is the sunshine and moisture needed to thrive in society. I often see young children show courage in acquiring new skills and knowledge. They expose their vulnerability and innocence through failing and learning, and they become more mature in the process. That willingness to make mistakes and fail — this sort of learning is life-affirming.
Full article is here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...78338e-ae7b-11e2-8bf6-e70cb6ae066e_story.html
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