Windows, by Mike Threatt

While teaching in Korea I became good friends with a Canadian who decided to get married and settle down there. When I first talked about moving to China he expressed the opinion that it would be wrong to work for the development of an oppressive regime. It was friendly bar banter at the time but it was also his belief and the reason he wouldn't consider looking into jobs here.

Fast forward 5 years...we still exchange emails maybe twice a year and talk about getting together for a few days of beer and carousing (normal guy talk that never goes anywhere). Last month our school was looking for the teacher's guide to a textbook and someone told me that it was available in Korea. No problem, I thought. I'll drop a line to Old Buddy Brian and ask him to send me the book (in exchange for a few more beers on the growing debt list) so in my next email I mentioned the book and asked him to see if it was in any of his favorite bookstores. I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised but he begged off sending it because of his previously stated belief that it would contribute to the advancement of a political system with which he disagreed.

Now I have absolutely NO animosity toward Brian. I think it's admirable that he is confident and secure in what he believes and that this is reflected in his actions. Too often people spout their opinions to simply provide a base for political diatribe while not having the courage of their convictions. Brian told me what he believes and even though he may support my personal decision to work in China he won't go against his own beliefs and provide any type of support for something he doesn't agree with. I know it's only a book, but to Brian it's a drop that adds to the flood and that's something I can agree with and support. Rather than worry about how this may change a relationship he has shown me that even a small thing like this is part of a relationship and it's a clear statement of who he is. Our closest friends are those who provide windows rather than mirrors.

Coincidentally one of the teachers here in China is in the midst of a similar situation with a friend of hers back home. Janet is emailing with a friend in the US who is adamant in her stand that we living in China have no clue of the real situation because we are operating within a system that denies full disclosure of current events. This person, with no reference to our internet news access or knowledge of the amount of information we may have available, has chosen to label those of us living in China as uninformed and incognizant. While true-blue Americans are out emptying the shelves of duct tape and visquene preparing the heartland for a biological attack, we poor simple fools are snickering behind the skirts of a non-involved world power and blind to reality.

Now what disturbs me about this is not that a person living in the US is making preparations for Armageddon that would do Red Green proud, it's that a person living in the US is making a judgment call on my beliefs, viewpoint, and my ability to remain informed using China's political system as a yardstick. Somehow expats are now out of the loop and are on the brink of being considered deserters just because we are not in the trenches of downtown Cleveland.

Yes, I live in China. Yes, I am in some way contributing to the advancement of this country's society. But wonder of wonders ---- No, I am not ignorant of the political climate outside the boundaries of mainland China. I know what is happening in the world and just because I don't scan the skies for inbound Ebola ICBMs every night doesn't mean I'm not aware of the threat to the US. I am concerned about the possibility of war but even if I were living in the US I wouldn't allow the minute chance of chemical attack on my home to control my daily routine and I certainly wouldn't risk a real friendship based on one aspect of my friend's lifestyle which is indeterminate of their beliefs.

As for my being the tool of a censored media, the newscasts in China are written with the interests of China in mind and this is extremely apparent when watching the news in English; but having lived in quite a few countries I don't recall any of them that don't do this to some degree. America included. Chinese news may spend more time than American newscasts talking about internal politics, American news may spend more than the English, and the English may spend more than Liechtenstein. It's all part of the game. The next time you watch the 5 o'clock news in any country try to be aware of how much of the language could be nationalistic editorializing and how much is straight hard fact. News is written and reported by people who cannot help but let their own view tint a story in some way. Be it by the use of an emotional word, inflection, or a newly popular national phrase the news is not and never will be a totally emotionless reporting of reality.

One final word, I promise. Having lived in both the US and China I opine that my view of the differences and my ability to make comparisons of social structures may be a good bit more informed than your view from only one side of the coin. I truly believe that your view of China can be as slanted as China's view of the US.

Just my opinion, but you know it's right.

-- Mike T, January 2004

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