It occurs to me that every U.S. citizen needs to spend a substantial amount of time in China (or an equivalent third-world or developing country with a government more restrictive than our own). Exactly how much do we take for granted as the almighty Star-Spangled Kingdom? It is immeasurable. Americans are in desperate need of some perspective. Today was the sixtieth anniversary of communism in China. Now, this may not be something that you and I would celebrate, but the Chinese went to extraordinary lengths to make it a memorable event. In Beijing, some big doings with uber-military marches and whatnot, including an all-female regiment with white go-go boots. Quite the spectacle. Rumor has it the Chinese government wouldn’t allow anyone to march if they weren’t a specific height. If you can bring up a video, you’ll notice all members who marched were the same height.
My plans for this evening were to make my way over to West Lake to watch the celebratory fireworks and other goings on. I imagine there would be plenty. However, residual jetlag caught the better of me and I found it too tedious to make the trek to the other side of the river in the rain. After all, I can just as easily watch the fireworks outside my window as they burst my eardrums.
As I saw sections of this ordeal on Chinese news channels, I thought to myself, how is it that they are so proud of communism? Then it hit me. I have never experienced the ordeals of growing up through a revolution. Compared to the strife that older generations had to endure, I’m sure the introduction of the Communist party in 1949 was a welcoming site. Just imagine being so hard pressed that you think communism is a step up. We have a lot to be grateful for.
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