Monday, February 27, 2012

The Soul of China.


What do you think that is?

It's apropos of part of a follow-up to an email received last week:


Hi, Mr. BENJAMIN
Most of Chinese live, but only live...
1/ I got some info. from web, over 110,000 officers of China took over 5000 billion (781billon $) out of China.
2/ Many officer of China are China nationality, but only he/she was, his/her family are USA...
3/ China government news: previous minister of China Railways, defalcated 2 billions ...
As an american, took justice action for Chinese, I respect you !!
Thanks from [name withheld] !

Corruption is to Chinese what street crime is to Americans: the most demoralizing aspect of society.  The image at top, and those below, are of a...prison in China. A prison reserved for those convicted of corruption. Dr. Weimin Mo sent these to me some weeks ago and they're all over the web.  It made me so angry I couldn't write about it, and I'm not even Chinese. I can only imagine how galling this must be to Chinese.



The other part of the email is "Most Chinese live but only live..."  I'm going to ask the writer to fill in the ellipses. 

Sunday, February 26, 2012

On Song Binbin.


Here is a computer translation and then the original Chinese of a poem posted yesterday on the site China News Digest, cnd.org.

Elegy: To Song Binbin.

Do you know how many innocent people, 
Cry in celebration of laughter chirped? 
Did you know that behind the crown of honor alumni, 
How many people scolding you are after another murder the culprit? 
You know that 40 years, 
These movements have a huge heart of scars still? 


If you are indeed innocent, 
Please be happy to publish the truth - 
Who was beaten to death with sticks belt the principal? 
If you are so virtuous, 
Please indicate how many people died in the Girls of the dungeon, and denounced the stage? 
If you are the first sad past illness, 
Please advise the hands are still bleeding female bandits, 
As soon as possible to surrender to the law and conscience ... 


Westerners always puzzled, 
This the Mood for Love of the groups of Oriental girl, 
Zende blink of an eye becomes a bloodthirsty ferocious wolves? 
This major issue, 
As the direction of future research. 


Please do not cunningly self-defense, 
It is the salt in these movements are oozing wound.
Do not disguised speak of smb. In glowing terms, 
That is another insult denounced flexor deceased who. 
Do not pretend that the clever minds of the prestigious Dr. 
Will take all the negative details of all forget ... 


Whether or not you personally waving the belt sticks, 
Regardless of the time in the field or behind the scenes, 
How can we escape the guilt of "manslaughter"-- 
Just because your school Red Guard leader, 
Only because you have direct command of numerous bloody criticism overthrow. 
I am afraid that the notoriety of the "initiator", 
The future generation will you wound ... 


I hope a Yuebaifengqing exotic night of insomnia,
You will germinate a trace of a sincere apology and repentance; 
I hope that the flames of the free fraternity of the civilized world,
Conscience to make you freeze for many years of opening; 
I hope some day you can use in good faith,
Action itself free from a history of shame down.


你可知道有多少冤魂,
在校庆的欢笑中哭声啾啾?
你可知道荣誉校友桂冠的背后,
有多少人痛骂你是桩桩血案的罪魁祸首?
你可知道四十多年以来,
难属们心里巨大的伤痕依旧?

假如你的确清白无辜,
请痛快地公布真相——
是谁用棍棒皮带活活打死了校长?
假如你如此正直善良,
请说明多少人惨死在女中的黑牢和批斗台上?
假如你对往事疾首痛心,
请劝告那些手上还在滴血的女土匪们,
早日向法律和良心投降……

西方人永远弄不清楚的是,
本该是花样年华的一群群东方女郎,
怎地转眼间就变成了嗜血的凶恶豺狼?
请把这样的重大课题,
当作你今后的研究方向。

请不要狡猾地自我辩护,
那是撒盐在难属们渗血的伤口。
请不要变相地为自己评功摆好,
那是对屈死者们的又一次侮辱批斗。
请不要假装名校博士的聪明头脑,
会把一切不利的细节统统忘掉……

无论你是否亲自挥动皮带棍棒,
无论当时你在现场还是幕后,
“过失杀人”的罪责你岂能脱逃——
只因为你是该校红卫兵的大头目,
只因为你直接指挥了无数次鲜血淋淋的批斗打倒。
只怕“始作俑者”的恶名,
千秋万代将把你缠绕……

但愿某个月白风清的异国夜晚,
失眠的你会萌发一丝真诚的歉意和悔改;
但愿文明世界自由博爱的熊熊火焰,
能让你封冻多年的良知化开;
但愿有一天你能用真诚的行动,
把自己从历史的耻辱柱上解脱下来……



Image: Mark Rothko, untitled painting, black on gray (1969).

Saturday, February 25, 2012

On Song Binbin.


The above photo is very grating. Song is second from left, Liu Jin, fifth from left. The occasion was the (2008, I recall) anniversary celebration of the founding of their high school Alma Mater, the best in all of China, where the assistant principal, Bian Zhongyun, was murdered by her students on August 5, 1966.

The alumnae returning for the anniversary produced then-and-now displays of themselves. Song's friends, including Liu, created one for Song; it was the most elaborate. It was over-the-top elaborate and included the iconic photograph of Song pinning a Red Guard armband on Mao on August 18, 1966, just 13 days after Bian's murder. Song was the leader of the Red Guards at the school.

Song refers to the outrage produced by the anniversary celebration in her recent writing. She says she was used by her student-friends, that she told them to focus the tribute they were making for her on her academic achievements only. This photo, and others taken at the time, for example of Song satisfyingly leafing through the tribute booklet open at the page showing her pinning Mao, belie her current claims of umbrage. When she apologies for her "insensitivity" after the murder (which she refers to as "The August 5 Event"), I believe this is one of the things she is apologizing for.  It is evident that Song's apology is not sufficient for many Chinese.

On Song Binbin.


Hi, Mr. BENJAMIN HARRIS
 
I got the new from : [redacted].
 
I thanks for all you done for our chinese, took action to the evildoer, for example of SONG.
 
 
GOD bless you and USA!
 
From a Chinese
 
BRGDS !!

On Song Binbin.

Email received. Song Binbin is a deeply unpopular figure among Chinese everywhere:


亲爱的检察官先生:
 愿菩萨保佑您,和您的家人。正义一定会得到伸张。
 希望这个女人,隐藏在美国的纳粹,受到正义的惩罚。
 光明的一定会来到的。

Dear Mr. Lawyer:
 May Buddha bless you and your family. Justice will be done.
 I hope this woman, hidden Nazi in the United States by the justice of punishment.
 Bright will surely come.

Friday, February 24, 2012

I am so proud of the president of my country, and of his family.







There’s another thing on my emergency writing list that Yeeshan Yang’s book brings to mind.

When I first went to Beijing I stayed in a spectacular hotel that topped a place called “Oriental Plaza.”  The subtitle to Ms. Yang’s book is “an oriental fantasy about a Tibetan little nun” (emphasis added).

Oriental.

We’re not allowed to say “oriental” in America unless we’re talking about rugs.  Why?  Why if there’s an “Oriental Plaza” in the heart of Beijing, which is, like, in the Orient, why, if Ms. Yang, who is a very attractive Chinese woman, uses the term in the title of her book, why is it politically incorrect in America?

Because of Edward Said.

Edward Said was a Palestinian who in 1978 wrote a book called “Orientalism” which argued that the term reflected historical prejudice by Westerners toward Arabs and Muslims.  Okay, first of all, wrong: Americans do not use “Oriental” to refer to Arabs and Muslims, Americans use “terrorist.”  Second, what did Said’s book have to do with the price of tea in China?  How did that book make it politically incorrect to use “Oriental” when referring to Chinese, Japanese, or Vietnamese people?

I don’t know.

Said’s book did not alter discourse in England, which is, like, where Americans got the English language. Only in America.

So yeah, that was on my list. 

Why do I have to act like a guy all the time...Why couldn't I just leave well enough alone. 

Yeeshan Yang, who added me to her facebook page, is...attractive.
Goodness gracious.
Yeeshan Yang added me to her facebook page.  Yeeshan has a book out, I Know What Tear Is: an oriental fantasy about a Tibetan little nun, which I have ordered through Amazon. 

This is Public Occurrences








A happy start to the day to open the computer and see that we have a new member, 白日放歌须纵酒, which, according to Google-translate, means "day sing to be drunken," which is my favorite kind of day. Welcome, 白日放歌须纵酒.

There has never been a time like this at Public Occurrences. It is 9 am as this is written and Google Stats says there have been 979 pageviews today. In 2011 the daily average was 100. There have been 5,900 pageviews so far this month, the previous high, 4,700. In the last two hours: 109 visitors from China; the country in second place, the U.S., 9. Last 24 hours: 1,100 visitors from China, 160 from the U.S. This extraordinary traffic is being driven by the Chinese sites t.cn, club.knet, and weibo.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Red Legacy in China


BUT, it's not too late to get their "Book of the Week." :)




Our Book of the Week


Chinese Posters book

   


Dear Friends,  

This week's Book of the Week is Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution byLincoln Cushing and Ann Tompkins published by Chronicle Books.  

The Cultural Revolution in China produced thousands of powerful social and political posters inspiring the Chinese people in a sweeping transformation of Chinese society.Chinese Posters collects more than 150 of the most striking of these posters and offers background on their social and political context and production. A perfect companion to the February 22 and March 6 programs at Revolution Books.  
 Chinese Posters is an 144-page large format $19.95 value for only $12 at Revolution Books this week only.


Save one 
4 me!
Click here to hold a copy of
"Chinese Posters" for you. 
NY Revolution Books, 146 W. 26th Street, NYC 10001   212-691-3345   www.revolutionbooksnyc.org
Join
FRB 
Become a sustaining Friend of Revolution Books to ensure there's a place where people can find the books, the forums, the ferment needed to halt the horrific course the world is on and bring a radically better world into being. Here is where you can join.

A bookstore at the center of building a movement for revolution

Red Legacy in China


Our soul-mates at Rev Books are carrying on the fight
against historical revisionism and for continuous revolution. I do apologize that this is posted after the
event was held :(



Revolution Books is excited to announce the first of two discussions of the just published interview with Bob Avakian:

red detachmentFebruary 22, Wednesday, 7pm at Revolution Books
The Cultural Revolution of 1966-76 led by Mao Tsetung was the high point of the first stage of communist revolution. But it met defeat. How to sum up the achievements, problems, and setbacks of this first stage--so that we can go further and do better in initiating a new stage of communist revolution--is a critical component of Bob Avakian's new synthesis of communism. The interview with Avakian is a wide-ranging and nuanced analysis of the Cultural Revolution.

Raymond Lotta will be leading Wednesday night's discussion. Come out and be part of digging into this inteview. Bring your questions and raise your understanding of the Cultural Revolution...this pivotal chapter in the struggle for human emancipation. The second discussion will be taking place on Tuesday, March 6 at 7:00 pm (taking up the role of art under socialism).
Revolution Books / Libros Revolución
146 W. 26th St (btwn 6th & 7th Aves)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

"Song Binbin Effect."


Graph of pageviews per day, January 23-February 22, 2012:



Countries of readers for 24-hour period ending February 21, 2012, 3 pm:

China
513
United States
120
Slovenia
20
Hong Kong
12
Japan
12
Russia
12
Australia
9
Canada
6
Germany
5
United Kingdom
5

Monday, February 20, 2012

Are you interested in anything right now?  Me neither.

There seems to be a lull in the world. I keep an emergency list of things to write about for times like this; that’s why the post on Qatar…Had that one for months…All used up now.

Israel may attack Iran…but they haven’t yet…Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao’s successor, was in America last week…or the week before. I forget.  He went to Iowa…I don’t know why…Maybe they’re stilling having caucuses, I don’t know…God, what a boring place Iowa seems…Just take a xanax and save the money…Or go to Canada.

Did somebody cut Newt Gingrich’s vocal chords?   Haven’t heard a thing from him…seems like in a while, too.  He is an interesting guy: smart, glib; temperamental, that’s what makes him entertaining, his temper….Boy or boy, I was wrong about New Hampshire sewing up the GOP nomination for Mitt Romney, huh?  Republicans just cannot warm to Romney.  What you read is that conservatives don’t trust him.  I think that’s accurate but I think it would be more accurate to say they don’t think Romney’s “real.”  I get that. Remember the Republicans bumper sticker when Bush43 ran against John Kerry:  “Bush is Real.”  Kerry seemed not:  “Who amongst us doesn’t like NASCAR?”  Remember that one?  Or, “I was for that before I was against it.”  They had a point. I think that’s what bothers Republicans about Romney.  Seeking the soul of Mitt Romney.  I just can’t see the Republicans nominating anyone else—and I don’t think they see themselves nominating anyone else—but this is going to be a shotgun wedding.  Who else are they going to nominate?  Newt?  Puh-lease.  For all his intelligence and conservative bona fides, Gingrich really irritates people, including Republican people. Rick Santorum?  Republicans like Santorum, he’s real to them.  Too real, lost-his-Senate-seat-by-18-points, too real. It’s the “Pennsylvania Paradox:”  a very important state that has sent one person to the White House in 220 years—and that was James Buchanan. Santorum graduated from Penn State for godssakes.  Not even Ron Paul thinks Ron Paul is a serious candidate. He’s just a cult candidate. No, Romney will be the nominee but it was not “over” with New Hampshire.

Syria…That’s real. Real serious, real bad. I’m just all Arab-ed out.  I’ve read the headlines, never read even one full article…Greece…I’m all Grecian-ed out...Jeremy Lin was a great story...if it hadn't been for Jeremy Lin and my friend Weimin Mo on Song Binbin...I don't know, I'd have been writing a follow-up on Qatar, I guess.

Friday, February 17, 2012


What is that?

That is the skyline of Doha, Qatar.  And that is a big tea pot.  Or coffee pot.  

Why?  I don't know.

This "cutting edge" urban architecture is typical of Qatar:



Qatar is very wealthy. I think I read that it has the highest per-capita income in the world.  So they can spend money on the world's biggest tea pot and the world's biggest pearl.

Qatar is one of America's "friends" in the Muslim world (I think).  Qatar is also home to Al Jazeera (I think).

This stuff is not "real."  Not just "the lagoon is man-made:"  Qatar is not real.  Qataris don't do anything, they
just have oil. Like so many Muslim countries in the Middle East, Qatar exists as a country because it sits on an oil field.  Foreigners pay Qataris to drill the oil, they pay Qataris for the oil once they extract it, they pay Qataris for the sale of the oil. So the whole country has a foreign, "fake" look to it. The best architects and urban planners petro-dollars can buy created Doha's skyline.  

I think I read someplace that no democracy has ever existed in a country where oil was over 40% or 50% of GDP.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

On Song Binbin. 在宋彬彬.


For the conclusion to her recent writing, graciously translated by Dr. Weimin Mo, I sincerely commend Song Binbin.

她最近写作慷慨为民先生翻译结论我真诚地赞扬彬彬


Monday, February 13, 2012

China's Great Wall of Silence: The Murder of Bian Zhongyun.

Below is the original Chinese and then the English translation, courtesy of Weimin Mo, of the conclusion to the recent writing by Song Binbin, aka Song Yaowu, aka Yan Song.  I post this now and will comment after having had a chance to think about it:



四、我的反思和道歉

  40多年过去了,我曾一次次地问自己,为什么会参与写女附中的第一张大字报?答案是,在那个年代自己满脑子想的都是保卫党、保卫毛主席,不让资本主义复辟,都是响应党的号召批判修正主义教育路线,自觉地在阶级斗争的大风浪中经受锻炼。后来,我逐渐认识到,尽管文革是全国性的运动,但具体到我们学校,这张大字报实际上起的是拉开学校文革序幕的作用。我参与写了,就应当承担责任。作为女附中的一名学生,我永远忘不了1966年8月5日这一天。校长被自己的学生殴打折磨致死,这是女附中的奇耻大辱,也是我和许多同学心中无法解开的结。我从内心感到深深的自责,我不能原谅自己那天的阻止不力和反应迟缓,正当盛年的卞校长因受尽自己学生的凌辱和折磨而失去了生命,卞校长的丈夫失去了妻子,卞校长的儿女失去了母亲。我想利用这个机会,向八五事件中不幸去世的卞仲耘校长表示最深切的悼念,向她的家人和所有八五事件中受害的校领导及其家人表示深深的歉意。文革后,我一直想去看望王晶尧先生,当面表达我的歉意。但是,我的处境又使我不能不谨慎行事。2006年清明期间,几位同学去看望了王先生,向卞校长的遗像献花以表达我们40年来的思念、哀悼与歉意。我想去又不敢去,我不想因自己的敏感身份,给老人带去刺激和哀伤。

  女附中的八五事件,是长期以来阶级斗争教育产物。当时,工作组因为犯了压制群众革命的错误而被撤走,党报社论号召群众自己解放自己,自己起来闹革命。因此,绝大多数同学想的也是怎样才能跟上革命形势的发展。8月5日,学生发起游斗所谓黑帮,出现了暴力局面,导致卞校长不幸去世。阶级斗争教育让我们大多数人在看见校领导被施暴时,虽然心里同情,但不敢说什么,更不可能站出来坚决反对。一些无力的劝阻虽暂时缓解了事态,但根本无法制止新一轮的殴打折磨。现在我认识到,这种对生命的集体性漠视也是发生悲剧的重要原因。最后我想说的是,我对上述所说的每一句话负责。我将以对母校、对文革受难者、对历史负责的态度,继续进行反思。我更期望我们的民族、我们的国家永远不要再发生那样的动乱和悲剧。

写于2007年12月,2012年1月改
The rest of her article is just her recalling and explaining about what happened more than 40 years ago. According to what she said in the article, she was used and messed up by those who tried to exploit the anniversary celebration of her Alma Mater in spite of the fact she had warned them and insisted that only her academic accomplishments should be mentioned. It sounds credible. The above is the last part of the original. The following is the translation:
Over the past 40 years or so, more than once I asked myself why I would be involved in the making of the first large-character poster of my school [at the beginning of CR]. The answer is that at that time my mind was filled with the ideas of how to defend the Party and Chairman Mao, and how to stop capitalist restoration – all in response to the Party’s call to criticize the revisionist line in education and the call for young people to self-consciously experience the tempering of the stormy class struggle. Later on, I came to realize that even though C.R. was a nation-wide political movement, specifically the large-character poster I was involved in played the matter-of-fact role of starting the C. R. in our school. I was part of it. Therefore, I should be responsible for it. As a student at that time of the girls’ school, I can never be able to forget the day of August 5, 1966. The fact that its principal was beaten and tortured to death by its students is not only the greatest ignominy to the girls’ school, but is also the knot which is so difficult to untangle inside me and many of my fellow students. I’ve been blaming honestly myself and unable to forgive myself for delinquency in stopping the violence and insensitivity in response to it, which eventually led to the fact that Ms. Bian, while in the prime of her career, lost her life as a result of suffering unspeakable humiliation and torture at the hands of her own students, the fact that her husband lost his loving wife, and the fact that her children lost their mother. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my deepest regrets to Ms. Bian who fell victim to the August 5 Event. I’d like to apologize to her family and all other administrators and their families who suffered alot during the August 5 Event. When the C.R. was over, I thought of going to see Mr. Wang Jinyao, her husband, to show my regrets in person. Unfortunately, my situation forced me to be extremely careful. In 2006 around Memorial Festival, some of my friends went to see Mr. Wang and present bouquet to Ms. Bian’s picture to express their reflective thoughts over the 40 years as well as regrets and mourning. I wanted to go with them, but I didn’t go, for concerning that my controversial role at that time might further upset him or cause more pains.
The August 5 Event of the Girls School was offspring of the education of class struggle. While the working team sent from above was found to have committed an error, that is, suppressing the revolutionary enthusiasm of the masses and was driven out of school, the Party’s media added fuel to fire by calling on people to rebel and liberate themselves by making revolution. As a result, many of the students were thinking how we could catch up with the development of the revolution. On August 5, 1966, some students came up with the idea of rallying and tackling the “sinister gang” head-on. It culminated in violent actions and eventually led to the unfortunate death of Ms. Bian. The education of “class struggle” eventually influenced us in such a cynical way that most of us might feel sympathetic witnessing the school administrators being tortured, but no one dared to speak our mind, to say nothing of standing up against the violence. Our weak persuasions might have slow down the development, but were never able to dismiss effectively the forthcoming rounds of torture and beating. Now I understand, this kind of collective negligence of life is one of the critical causes of this tragedy. Finally, I’d like to say, I am responsible for every word I said above. I will continue to reflect on the past from a perspective that is based on the fact that I share the responsibility for my Alma Mater, for the C.R. victims, and for the history. Above all, I hope this kind of turmoil and tragedy will never happen to our nation, to our country again.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

The joy experienced by many over Jeremy Lin is eclipsed today by the sadness shared by many more worldwide over the death of popular-song singer Whitney Houston. She was 48 years old.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Joy of America.

There is much joy in New York City today because of Jeremy Lin, and because New York City is located in the United States of America.

Jeremy Lin is a 23 year old professional basketball player for the New York “Knickerbockers” (“Knicks”).  He is American, born in Los Angeles, and is of Chinese descent. Lin graduated from Harvard.  The saying is, “You can always tell a Harvard man but you can’t tell him much.”  Well, you can’t tell a Harvard man on an NBA basketball court. There are too few of them. 

Harvard is not why there is so much joy over Lin; nor is China.  There is so much joy over Jeremy Lin, first, because he has succeeded (America does not take to failures, especially New York Americans).  Last night Lin scored 38 points against the Los Angeles “Lakers,” outscoring their star player Kobe Bryant.  In his three previous games Lin scored 23, 28, and 25 points.

Second, Lin has created so much joy because his stellar performances have been so unexpected. Out of Harvard, Lin was not selected by any NBA team. He played minor league basketball for teams named the Reno “Bighorns” and Erie “BayHawks.”  Americans love underdogs to succeed. It is part of the American dream that one can be born in a log cabin and grow up to be President (Abraham Lincoln), born to a white woman and African man and grow up to be President (Barack Obama), born poor in Scotland, immigrate to the U.S. and become a millionaire (Andrew Carnegie).  And so: of Chinese descent, athletically handicapped by Harvard, out of Reno and Erie, lights up the Lakers with 38 points?  Yeah, Americans are going to go nuts over that.

There was another feel-good story in American sports this past football season. Tim Tebow, as good a human being as there is, proved his doubters wrong by leading his NFL team, the Denver “Broncos” on a long winning streak that culminated in reaching the playoffs.  Tebow however was voted the best player in the country when he was in college.  He was still under-appreciated in the NFL but was not the nobody from Harvard that Lin was.

The stories of Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow are all the more welcome this year because of the Penn State scandal.   It has been the worst year in American sports.  Lin and Tebow have brought joy to people in a country founded on the pursuit of happiness.