Discriminations - 歧视

This year's US mid-term election, particularly the gubernatorial election in California engaged my mother lives in China, who is not very interested in politics but not without her opinions.

After the election, when my mother, a highly accomplished retired doctor and professor, was relieved to hear that the "run-for-office rich" Meg Whitman lost her bid to become Californian governor.  Her reason was that "women should not govern."

In China, such blatant discrimination against a group people in workplace or otherwise is rampant and acceptable and even expected.  But hearing it from my mother speaking against a person for no reason other than her sex, it unnerved me.

In China, you can see often in hiring notices that they only want to hire people of certain age, height, sex, look, or ethnicity.  Discrimination based on sexual orientation has not been widely observed simply because homosexuals habitually hide their sexual identities in order to keep their jobs.

今年的美國中期選舉，特別是加利福尼亞的州長選舉吸引了我在中國母親的注意力。她不是很關心政治，但並非沒有自己的意見。

選舉結束後，當我妈妈，一個很有成就的退休醫生和教授，聽到“富得可以竞选公职”的Meg Whitman 失去了成為加州州長的机会，很感欣慰。她的理由是，“女人不應該掌权。”

在中國，這種在工作場所或其他場所公然歧視一类人群现象很猖獗和被接受，甚至是被期待的。但是從我母親口里聽到對一個人除了她的性別外毫無理由的拒绝，我还是很惊讶。

在中國，你經常可以看到在招聘告示，公开表示他们只希望僱用有一定年齡，身高，性別，外觀，或種族的人。基於性取向的歧視還沒有被廣泛注意到，只是同性戀者為習慣性地隱藏自己的性身份，以保住他們的工作。

Election - 选举

The mid-term election in the US was an earth-shaking, and despite the low turn out rate, it was still an exercise of voters' choices, however unsatisfactory, or not.

Ever since I gained my US citizenship, I voted for every election.

When I lived in China, I voted only once - still in School.  On the ballots, there were several names nominated for the local level representatives, who actually were mere electors at the lowest level and they would elect higher level electors, who they might be were only revealed later to those elected.  They would vote representatives to the municipal level who then would vote members of parliament representing the province.
Therefore, it was safe to say that the MPs had almost no connection to the regular voters.

Some of those people on the ballots were from my school and others not.  None were allowed to run a campaign.  They were chosen and nominated.  Five people were nominated for five slots.

There were a very brief biographies of those "candidates" and they all claimed to "Adhere to the Four Cardinal Principles" - must adhere to the socialist road; must uphold the the proletarian dictatorship; Third, must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party; Fourth, and must uphold Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought.

Beyond that, we knew nothing about their stands on any other issues.

I voted no to every single candidates in the only "election" I participated before I left China.


美國最近经历了翻天覆地的中期選舉中。儘管投票率低，不理想，選民仍然行使的他们的权利。

自從我獲得了美國國籍，我每次都投票選舉。

當我住在中國是，我只参与过一次選舉 - 我仍然在學校上学。在選票上，列有幾個提名為地方一級的代表的名字，他们其实是最低级的選舉人民，將由他們選出更高層次的選民，至于那些更高層次的選民可能是誰，当时我们无从知晓。他們會選舉市一級代表，市一級代表再决定誰將代表全省成为人民代表大会代表（國會議員）。

因此，人們可以說，國會議員幾乎和普通選民毫无联系。

在選票上的人有些是從我的學校来，其他人则不是。他们不可以搞競選活動。他們仅仅被選中和提名。五人被提名“竞争”五個位置。

每个“候选人”有一個非常簡短的傳記，他們都聲稱“堅持四項基本原則” - 必須堅持社會主義道路，必須堅持無產階級專政，必須堅持共產黨的領導，必須堅持馬克思列寧主義，毛澤東思想。

除此之外，我們对他们任何其他問題的立場一無所知。

我对每一個候選人都投了反对票。那是我在離開之前參加的唯一一次“选举”。

Fire in Shanghai - 上海大火

Immediately after the much hyped World Expo, Shanghai suffered a big fire which resulted in at least 58 deaths so far.

Almost as soon as the fire burned out, the authority declared that they had detailed culprits, un-licensed welders. But the general contractors and its subcontractors have not been held responsible by the authorities, yet.

This strategy has been played out whenever there was a disaster, especially relating to the powerful and the rich. But Shanghai is different. Its citizens are much more sophisticated and demand more of their own rights. Perhaps, this time, those victims would not be silenced easily.

大肆宣传的世博会刚结束，上海就遭受了大火灾，至今为止至少58人死亡。

大火刚刚烧完，有关当局宣布，他们已经监禁了嫌犯，无证焊工。但是，当局至今还没有追究总承包商和分包商的责任。

每当有灾难，尤其是涉及到有权和有钱的，这一战略就发挥出效应。但上海是不同的。它的公民更见多识广和更要求维护自己的权利。也许，这一次，这些受害者不会被轻易沉默。

David Disarmed - 被缴械的大卫

We often cheer the impossible feat of David's overcoming giant Goliath, particularly because it was impossible.

When a tiny consumer tries to address the wrongs he or she suffered in the hands of commercial conglomerates, the chance of their winning is just like that of David's. Banding small people together, is the only weapon they will have to overcome their opponents. Yet, in China and the US, these little Davids are to be disarmed.

Chinese kangaroo court just imposed a two and a half year term on Zhao Lianhai, who became an activist after his son experienced kidney problems linked to contaminated baby formula. He was convicted of inciting public disorder by setting up a web site to help other parents with sick children to share information and to seek compensation, and by organizing protests.

In the US, the Supreme Court just took up a case by Vincent and Liza Concepcion complaining that they were charged $30.32 for a phone that was supposed to be free and they had signed away their right to initiate a class-action suit against the company, AT&T.

People fear that the ultra-business-friendly court might side with big business once again, and render little Davids in the US armless as well.

The width of the Pacific Ocean is getter ever narrower.


我们经常欢呼大卫几乎不可能的战胜巨人歌利亚，特别是因为它的不可能性。

当一个微小的消费者试图解决他或她在商业企业集团手中遭受的痛苦，他们的获胜的机会，就像大卫一样小。小人物们合伙诉讼，是他们克服的对手唯一的武器。然而，在中国和美国，他们正被缴械。

中国的袋鼠法庭判处了赵连海两年半徒刑. 赵连海在儿子因受污染的婴儿奶粉肾脏致病后,成为一个积极活动分子，设立一个网站，以帮助患病儿童与其他家长分享信息，并寻求赔偿和组织抗议。因此,他被判定犯有煽动扰乱公共秩序罪。

在美国，最高法院刚刚受理 Vincent 和 Liza Concepcion 对AT&T的诉讼,抱怨他们为一个"免费"的电话机付出三十点三二美元,并签字放弃他们集体诉讼的权利。

人们担心，对商业超级友好的最高法院又会边与大企业站在一起，使小大卫们手无寸铁。

太平洋的宽度在越变越窄。


Jingwei Filling Up the Sea / 精衛填海
© Matthew Felix Sun
www.matthewfelixsun.com

"名人"名言 - "Celebrity" Quotes

A slew of notorious quotes in China went viral, revealing the inequality of that society in a most astonishing way.

- A college student sped on campus and resulted in a death and a serious injury of two college students.  The culprit complained about the damage of his car and left the site to see his girlfriend, and shouted at the security and other students - I dare you to sue me.  My Dad is Li Gang.  Mr. Li Gang is a petty public safety official in a small town near Beijing.

- Another auto incident.  The drunk driver shouted his immortal quote: "My uncle is a bureau chief."

- A Vice Chairman of Writers' Association in Henan Province made such speech that ever since the new Party Chief arrived his province, the literary spring had arrived and they were excited everyday and they were able to wash faces with tears.

- The highest literary award in China, awarded another petty official the poetry awards.  Many readers in China ridiculed the choice, because the award-winning poetry were pedestrian and as poetic as the weather report.

- City of Shenzhen gave housing subsidies to a selected group of people, including CEO of Tengxun Ma Huateng , whose assets worth 29.3 Billion Yuan (about US $4.44 Billion). 

在中國一系列臭名昭著故事在网上迅速传播，揭示了驚人的社會不平等。

- 一名大學生在校園超速導致兩名大學生一死和一嚴重傷害。肇事者抱怨汽車的損害，在離開現場去看到他的女朋友前，向在场的安全人员和其他學生喊 - 有本事你去告我。我的爸爸是李刚。李刚是北京附近的一個小城市的一個公共安全小官員。

- 另一件汽車事故。一个醉漢司機喊他的不朽的名言：“我舅舅是局長。”

- 河南作家協會一副主席作出這樣的發言，自從新的省委書記上任，文學的春天已經來了河南，他們都很興奮，每天以淚洗面。

- 中國最高文學獎把詩歌獎頒發了另一小官员。許多讀者在嘲笑这一選擇，因為獲獎詩歌的詩意和天氣報告一样。

- 深圳市給選定的一群人住房補貼，其中包括騰訊公司的首席執行官馬化騰，其資產總值 29.3億元（約合 4.44 億美元）。


Mao © Matthew Felix Sun