From: usenet@news.acns.nwu.edu (Usenet on news.acns)
Subject: Re: Oct 1, our National Day
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 15:37:44 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.132550.10315@tamsun.tamu.edu> x0y3510@tamuts.tamu.edu  
(Xuejun Yang) writes:
> In article <1992Oct8.213940.8685@news.acns.nwu.edu> usenet@news.acns.nwu.edu  
(Usenet on news.acns) writes:
> >In article <1992Oct8.211357.27637@tamsun.tamu.edu> x0y3510@tamuts.tamu.edu  
> >(Xuejun Yang) writes:
> >
> >
> >Thank you for your education (not worse than education camp, joking again,  
> >excuse me, just can't help). I will remember your warm-heart starting right  
> >away. As I would thank other netters, I thank you.
> >
> >I do know there are good parts of Chinese culture and CCP. Of course, your  
> >precious education enhanced that. My point is CG has already trumpeted about  
> >the greatness of CCP and Chinese culture for 43 years and I don't think  
people  
> >will miss this point. However, the other side of the culture and CG itself  
have  
> >not been criticized enough until just recently. As a result, people like you  
> >(maybe you should be excluded) are still dreaming in a way CG want. It's a  
very  
> >sad fact. Take Qu1 Yuan2 for example, his honor has almost become an axiom  
that  
> >nobody can even doubt about. I don't like this, frankly speaking.

> > Carl

> 
> Again, don't be too picky(idealistic). US is a great country, yet in this
> great country, people celebrate Columus who was in actuality an  
opportunistist
> robber and conquerer. Do I blame the US people for this, NO. After all, it
> was him that started this great colonization and led to the greatest power
> of the current world. He certainly has his place in history. The same applies
> to Qu1 Yuan2 for his patriatism.
> 


Again, let me make it clear that I have never said that people should celebrate  
Columbus or not. It's everybody's personal choice.  In fact, there are two  
kinds of voices here in the US and in the Latin American countries. One voice  
praise Mr. Columbus while the other denounce him (although the majority of  
people parise him). I don't think people here turn mad to those who denounce  
Columbus. However, if somebody dare to say some bad words to Mr. Qu Yuan or Mr.  
Yue Fei, then people like you will not be able to hold your anger. Please, let  
people have different opinions.

As for patriotism, I never said it is bad. But ultra-patriotism is certainly  
bad because usually ultra-patriotism means other peoples' misery. If you like  
history, you can find a lot examples about ultra-patriotism. One of the most  
recent ones is the Nazi movement. I bet many Nazi regarded themselves as  
patriots. Even those war-criminals, who later got hanged, all shouted patriot  
slogans when the ropes were put around their necks. I see China has the  
tendency to go this way. That's why I think we need not put too much emphasis  
on patriotism. Chinese people like to go extreme although Confucius thought it  
was better to be moderate (because I am also Chinese, I found myself easily go  
to extreme too sometimes). We lack the virtue to calm down and reason and  
negotiate. We are not good at using strategy. True, many of us are not afraid  
of death. But many of them died in vain. 

Take TAM movement for example, if the students had been a little bit more  
rational and strategic, I don't think there would have been such a big casualty  
while still reaching their goal. On the contrary, if you look at things  
happened in Poland, you will find that the Solidality Union can summon workers  
for a strike and also have the ability to call off a strike. Why, they are more  
realistic, strategic and reasonable. Their blood are not so easy to boil and  
they are not so easy to explode.

Think about it.

Carl