From: wcn@cs.brown.edu (Wen-Chun Ni)
Subject: Re: Constructive?
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 22:39:47 GMT

In article <BuMxoH.Hyn@rlyeh.multisys.com> rot@multisys.com (Republic of Taiwan) writes:
>
>This reminds me couple years ago how I argued 'constructed'
>opinion with other netters from Taiwan.
>
>Since than this kind of brain-washed terms seldom
>posted by people from Taiwan, but it did sow up
>a lot by the people from Mainland China.
>
>It interested to know people in Taiwan already know
>they are the master and the government is nothing
>but people's managers(or slaves).
>
>But, in the Chinese people's mind, after long time
>brain-washed by CCP, they only know how to
>serve CCP master by suggesting 'constructive'
>opinion dare not criticize CCP with 'non-constructive'
>opinion.
>
>The most depress part is not many people from China
>know the true meaning of democracy.
>
>They seems care more about the glory Huge China
>and are willing to back CCP up to start wars and
>kill people.
>
>When they are going to learn?
>

The situation is not so easy to see. Until I entered university,
my idea of KMT was perfect enough. It took me another five years
to convince myself that the existence of DPP was really important
to the modernization of democratic Taiwan.  Therefore, the Taiwanese 
are not born to be free of any "brain-wash" either, and it still
takes time to get a democratic Taiwan after the arrest of Lei Jen.

Here at Brown University, there are two "Chinese" Student Associations,
which were formed a couple of years before I came here. Except meeting
some students from Mainland at the church meeting, I don't have any
channel to talk to them. Normally, we avoid anything political here.
The pattern becomes much more evident: those who can stay in the US
usually do what they want to (like going to the Church). For those
students came here after the TAM events, they are much quieter.
This doesn't mean that those who can stay are democratic fighters;
they just got the oppotunity to avoid any political enforcement
in the near future. We show some movies every other months and
many mainland students want to join us but can't get these
opportunities. I really hate the situations like this. Mutual
understanding *IS* important. It is rather bleak to me that we will have
any contact in the coming years. In my humble opinion, it is we
(the Taiwanese students) who shut the door. If we have more 
conversations, those dirty words may not show up on the net. 
Those mainland guys I meet in the church are really nice people,
and I can't see why the others aren't.

Ideology kills people. Stubbornly adhering to one principle is
very dangerous for both sides. If you want them to respect our
opinions, you've got to hear what they say. Try to convince the
people that we are friendly and I believe that this more or less
avoids the conflicts. Then the following conversations will be
much easier. Even in the U.S., Democratic and Republican parties
have quite different viewpoints in dealing with the economy.
How can you expect mainland students to understand us if we
don't *talk much* ?

Please remember that the mainland students may be the leaders of
China after 20 years. How can you expect that they will listen to
you later if you can't convince them now when they are still 
younger and more open-minded? I know it's tough, but I am  trying
myself.




Wen-Chun Ni