generational clashes

{Let me just preface this blog by saying that I am a first generation Chinese-American, my parents and immediate family immigrated to the United States in the 1980's, and finally, I am no expert in Chinese history and current events}

The 29th Summer Olympics in Beijing has the international spotlight on the People's Republic of China. From their response to the Sichuan earthquake victims to their diplomacy, or the lack thereof, toward the Tibetans; China has been under the world's scrutiny. Moreover, China has been criticized for their human rights abuse when things like the imprisonment of U.S. citizens, without trial, happen because they were protesting for Tibet. For much of it all, the PRC has been able to evade the eye of the media by withholding information and suppressing protests, which lets them avoid peaceable resolutions for their current political issues. Despite all this, the media also highlights China's performance in the international economy and in the Olympics, showing that they are in amidst of securing their role as future world power.

My parents, my aunts and uncles and probably most of the Chinese people I know have never been more proud or more nationalistic of their native country. My parents rave over how the Opening Ceremony is the best there ever was and how China will emerge from the Olympics as the world power; they even entertain the idea of growing old there. On the other hand, learning of how fettered Tibetans and the people in China's other four autonomous regions are has made me even more appreciative of having and freely exercising the rights I have as a U.S. citizen--though, let's be honest, the U.S. isn't perfect either.

To my belief, much of our differences in sentiment toward China root from the news source we rely on. My parents and relatives almost always read from a Chinese news source, which are, more likely than not, to be biased toward China. To elaborate, I recall a conversation that I had about Tibet and it's autonomy with my aunt, she described the situation as China acting like a mother, struggling to maintain unity. Tibet is like her child that needs to be disciplined to understand the importance of staying unified. When I asked her about the human rights abuse and the ongoing damage being done to Tibetan culture, my aunt even acknowledged that we are being informed from different sources and still stuck by her mother-child analogy as she tried to defend China's actions.

I've always had trouble understanding the views and sentiments of my parents and relatives toward China because I can't overlook the humans rights abuses while most of my family can't overlook China's continuous growth and prosperity.

In a conversation I had with my parents, we discussed their experience during Chairman Mao's regime. It started when I spoke of Communism in a positive light and said that if started off with the right leader and maybe on a smaller scale, the beautiful ideals of Communism could actually be realized. My parents were utterly appalled at what I said and it might have been one of the few times I've seen my dad truly angry. During the Cultural Revolution, my dad's side of the family was considered by the government lower middle class, one tier above the lower class. According to my dad, each family was given a certain number of points based on their class and received a document, which allowed them to run basic everyday errands, the extent to which was based on their class or pointage. My dad's family was basically shafted as was any other family not in the lower class.

These people, like my dad's family, were ostracized, ridiculed and some were even beaten by people who learned to hate people of higher social rank. They couldn't do everyday things without being reminded of how they weren't part of the lower class and being made to feel that it was their turn to suffer the way the poor had. This behavior was not at all discouraged by government authority, according to my dad. To that end, my great grandfather was beaten and ridiculed in public, and had been detained a couple times for unjust reason.

My great grandfather's hard-earned land and the land of others like him were stripped from them and redistributed by the government. As a result--not fully enforced--, everybody had to equally work on equal plots of land with equal effort for the community. My dad has no faith in this system because, to him, mankind will want more than what they're given. And if everybody doesn't work equally as hard, there is no motivation to keep it up when everyone is limited to fulfilling the same potential as everyone else.

At the time, people didn't see Mao as the bad guy. Every morning, in class, students would chant in reverance to China and Chairman Mao. My mom says that they were lulled into believing that China was a relatively prosperous nation when actually, millions of people died during this rule. When Mao died, my mom remembers crying in grief with her classmates. Upon learning that other developed countries had better opportunity and more successful lifestyles, much of China's people, including my parents, took disappointment in their country and grew hatred for Mao. My mom looks back in disbelief today that she actually cried for him.

China today is definitely a different country than it was then. And I suppose that much of the pride that my parents have for their country stems from the progress that China has made from the China they knew. I agree that China has come a long way, however, the oppressive characteristics of the government are still evident. For example, China goes through many unjust means to minimize the chance of revolt from the people: protesters are automatically detained whether they've been violent or not, if internet users search the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 there is no literature on it (in fact, there is a whole laundry list of words they can't search), there is extensive censorship in the media and in personal things like written mail or e-mail—just to name a few. These examples are blatant violations of basic rights we enjoy here.

With all this, it’s hard for me to understand my parents' and relatives' unwavering loyalty and sentiment toward China. When I was planning to go see the Dalai Lama, my parents didn't condone me supporting him. I do realize that we understand Tibet's situation differently but, there was no willing to understand my point of view on their part.

Perhaps this difference is a result of miscommunication or a result of this instilled nationalistic attitude they learned from growing up there. Either way, their loyalty has been something I've had trouble identifying with. It's not like I'm not proud to be Chinese because I do love and appreciate everything about Chinese culture, history, food, etc.; but, I find myself loving general humanity more. And to clarify, I'm not saying my relatives or parents are bad people; but, there is that firm loyalty to China, the miscommunication between me and them, that difference in past experiences, or [insert here whatever you think it may be] that prevents us from seeing eye-to-eye on things like Tibet's situation. Despite these differences, I still appreciate their perspectives and try my best to understand we're they're coming from.

I guess these experiences may be common amongst families with a generational crossover from an immigrant to a child of an immigrant. These attitudes of our relatives and others like them are what help us learn more about the culture we don't get to directly experience. And I suppose it is these unique experiences, these cultural fusions that give us perspective and a greater ability to understand and appreciate different people with different backgrounds.

-wendy