For the past few lessons, we have been looking at how China or America can provide each other with lessons, based on their respective ideologies and philosophies, on managing societal problems. Frankly speaking, I was unaware of a few of the issues that were raised during class. For example, I did not know about the devaluation of Yuan. Luckily enough for me though, most of the other issues were quite familiar and I was able to catch on in class.
As we moved on through the lessons, I learnt many problems which Chinese or American societies face, and some of the solutions which can be adopted.
In China, one of the most well known problems is the media censorship. Twitter, Facebook, and many other social media have been blocked in China, only to be replaced with their own versions of the social networks. This is a problem because it gives very little freedom to people to interact with other people and voice their opinion freely. This gives a very controlled and oppressive atmosphere. China's education is also stressful. This can easily be seen by the unbelievably high suicide rates in China. Corruption is likewise prevalent in the Chinese society. This damages the people's image of the government.
As for America, a totally different set of problems can be observed. Perhaps due to the fact that America is very liberal, there have been many protests and social unrest in the society. The allowance to carry guns also might have increased the crime rate in America. America has a bipartite political system, which unfortunately caused a very low efficiency and rolling out policies, because the two parties (Republicans and Democrats having opposite ideas) debate so much on policies.
We see that the China and America have very different problems. Perhaps the two countries can build on each others' strengths and correct each others' weaknesses?
For example, the Chinese education system and censorship problem can be solved by the implementation of the Western ideologies of liberty. With a more liberal system in effect, the Chinese will be free to voice the opinions, thus improving the community as a whole.
Ideally, this can work. However, this is not practical. The fact is that Confucian values of strict hierarchy have already been ingrained into the mindsets of the Chinese. Thus, it will be very hard to change the system and change the mindset of the people in China. Likewise for America.
However, there is a solution to all the problems faced. One could change the way which the values are perceived. Ideologies are after all merely words, and one can choose to perceive it in anyway he wants. It is similar to how Osama Bin Laden and his team of terrorists twisted the words of the Islamic religion. I'm not implying something as extremist as the example above, but merely the extent into which one can perceive rules differently.
For example, Confucianism values education. This does not necessarily need to mean rote learning. A liberal form of learning is also a form of education! Introducing this idea could potential improve the education in China.
Western ideologies include freedom of speech. Thus the bipartite system in America. Why not choose to interpret the ideologies in such a way that it means to say "a majority of one party, with a minority of another". Constructive feedback can still be gathered. The effectiveness of this system has already been tested in Singapore, in fact. See for yourself how much Singapore has grown in the past 40 years! (propaganda unintended, but still, true.)
Thus, I believe that solutions to the problems of these countries lie not in other countries, but in how they themselves choose to perceive their set of values!
(622 words)
Hi Akira,
ReplyDeleteI think that your reflective journal is a bit inclined to content. Perhaps, you can add in more of what you think are viable methods that the governments from either sides can learn from each other. Other than that, your blog post is well organised into multiple paragraphs which is a plus point.
However, there is a paragraph which is slightly messy. As from what I see, paragraph 4 of your reflective journal is confusing. Firstly, you talked about how America being liberal would result in unrest and political protests. China being a state known for its strict hierarchy also has unrests such as the steelworkers protest in Chengdu. This shows that being liberal does not equate to unrest or political protest. Even so, you did not go into further elaboration or providing evidence for your point. Following that, you included a point on how the allowance of carrying guns in America led to high crime rates. Then, you talked about the political system in America without giving more details on how China can help solve these problems.
Personally, I feel that this liberty that the American government gave to its people is like a double-edged sword. It can be beneficial at times such as self-defense but it also leads to the sky high crime rates in America. I feel that this is one of the exceptions whereby the government should not give freedom to its people. The implications greatly outweigh the reasons. The American government can enforce legislation to ensure that its people do not carry arms.
All in all, I find that some of your points are quite vague and need more explanation on your part. I find that for America and China to both succeed, they need to achieve the Utopian thought of Aristotle’s golden mean whereby there is not too much freedom or hierarchy over its people.
Cheers,
Leonard
Hey Akira,
ReplyDeleteI find your perspective of re-interpreting the founding principles of the two ideologies rather than incorporating the two ideologies together interesting. It is something that I do not think we have discussed in class, and has provided me with a new insight as to how the various societal problems can actually be resolved.
However, what would the citizens of both countries think, if there is a sudden, drastic change to the systems they have had for so many years? Of course, incorporating ideologies from other countries is also a rather drastic change, but a re-interpretation of the founding values of a nation is equally radical. I feel that the interpretations of these various ideologies are the foundations of the two different cultures, they are like the pillars holding up the type of society they have. To just re-interprete it would be akin to saying, for example, that murder now is acceptable. Since young, we have been brought to believe that murder is evil, and re-interpreting it to mean that murder of say, everyone but Jews is not acceptable, would cause quite an uproar. Similarly, to just re-interprete the ideas of freedom of speech in America to mean one party having more power than another would not just be not well received, especially since the people supporting each side are relatively similar in numbers, and it would also go against their value of equality. In my opinion, introducing a new ideology will actually be more acceptable, because re-interpreting an ideology is saying that what we have believed in for so long is actually wrong, whereas just introducing a new ideology is more of providing different perspectives and ideas, and does not necessarily mean that the current interpretation of a set of values is wrong.
In my opinion, the best way for both the countries to resolve their societal problems now is not to just follow one ideology completely, or to re-interprete the founding values of their ideologies. I feel that now, the world is much more globalized, thus, there are many concepts and ideas floating around and different people may value and prefer different concepts. I do not think just integrating two concepts together will help. Instead, I think that perhaps, in matters such as education, there should be a choice in the different kinds of learning environments they want, be it one which focuses on rote-learning or one that gives more freedom. Although this may segregate society a little, I think the country can still be united if they still maintain a shared idea of how the political system should run, as the political system must be a common one to suit everyone. Thus, I feel that in social and economic issues, a choice of different ideologies can be given, but there needs to be a shared system in politics.
Regards,
Chong Kai En
Hi Akira,
ReplyDeleteI feel that your reflective journal contains too much content. The solutions that you gave for the problems are mostly what we have discussed in class. I am not saying it is wrong, but perhaps you could have added a bit more on your opinion on other viable methods of solving these problems. Other than that, your reflective journal is well organised and easy to follow. Another point you could consider was to provide some evidence to support your point instead of just voicing your views.
I agree with your points about how China can solve its problems by adapting ideologies from America. Examples include how the Chinese government should inculcate some liberty into its strict hierarchy system and not censor everything from the public, which will cause the people to feel oppressed and constrained. All in all, I enjoyed reading your journal and you can keep in mind my suggestions.
Regards,
Jiun Wei