[News from the Extensive Information Net on January 31] [Epoch Column] Amei: How Morality is Ruined
A book named How Steel is Refined has long been regarded by the China's [party's name deleted] party as a guide for the Chinese young people. In fact, in Mainland China if you do not know how morality is ruined, you will not be able to know how "steel" is refined.
[Editor's Note: the book How Steel is Refined was written by a Russian writer on how a young Russian man made up his mind to become a Party member. "Steel" refers to the mind of the young man, and "refined" refers to how he decided to devote his life to the Party. The book was a required reading for all Chinese children.]
As soon as the Chinese Spring Festival holidays were over, people found that they were facing a "serious political task" assigned by their superiors. That "task" was to make further efforts in exposing and criticizing Falun Gong, based on the self-immolation incident staged in Tiananmen Square. It is required that this battle be won completely. Therefore, all professions and businesses, various communities and organizations are required to hold meetings where everyone must give their opinions publicly, to show that the majority of population is firmly supporting the ban issued by the Party and the government against Falun Gong. At the same time, the media is also used to launch another propaganda campaign so as to get well prepared for the further attacks on Falun Gong.
Everyone has to declare where they stand and everyone's opinions have to follow a certain standard; this is the so-called "stand-taking politics." If this type of politics was not invented by China's [party's name deleted] Party, it definitely has been brought to a full play by the Party. Since China's [party's name deleted] Party took power over the nation, it has taken advantage of all resources it monopolizes, namely, politics, the economy and society. It launched campaigns to mobilize the general public, to force the people of the entire nation to exert their effort to help achieve the Party's own various goals. One of the key emphases in the so-called "launching campaign to mobilize the general public" is to have everyone declare where they stand and have everyone's view be in conformity with a certain standard. Nevertheless, if you think "stand-taking" is simply speaking your mind, you are very wrong. It requires one to both "speak one's mind" and "conform to a certain standard." The content of what one speaks out is very important. If one does express one's own view, but is not in conformity with the requirement of one's superior, this person will face strict punishments. Thus, different opinions one holds will lead to different results. [So everyone chooses to give their opinions based on that of the leader]. That is why Mainland China can form a political environment that claims: "all people has one goal" and "pace as one."
People often denounce politics that lacks transparency. The fundamental point is this kind of politics lacks a moral basis. Speaking the truth and keeping one's promise are the basic ethics a person should have and also a fundamental morality that one should obey. They are also the basic ethics of the politics regulations and all other regulations that one should obey. Once a truth is spoken out, the person who speaks it will be restrained by morality. China's [party's name deleted] Party is probably the best in taking advantage of this moral restraint. It utilizes quite a few political tactics such as "deep and meticulous work of transforming one's thought," "luring the snake out of its hole," "positive guidance," "combination of praise and punishment," and "uniting the majority and attacking the minority." It is important to note, however, that those people whose views are not in conformity with the requirement of the party, will end up in a state of "living is like dying." This "negative" model exerts great pressure on "the majority of the people" claimed by the Party. As a result, the people have to choose the contents and ways to express their views that are the most appropriate for their survival. Moreover, no one can escape this stand-taking process, and no one can represent anyone else. Therefore, the opinion expressed by everyone can be regarded as personal. Once the opinion is spoken out, there will be a moral restraint on the person, that is, the person must act according to where he or she stands. Otherwise, they will be labeled as "immoral," or "lacking of virtues."
Under this circumstance, it's hard for one to be both acting at his own will and not breaking his promises [or moral standard]. There is only one way to achieve both effects, that is, "saying one thing and acting on another thing," or one acts like what the Party says "holding high the red flag [the nation's flag] and against it." Furthermore, if one wants to transcend his basic nature, repent or go against what he said publicly that was against his will, what he first ruins is his morality. Inconsistence of his words and acts, and the exposure of his opportunistic behavior when he made his own choice in expressing his view will be used by the Party to condemn this person: "Come and look, such a person does not have the basic morality, how will he be counted on for other things?" As for those who act on what they said, they will meet the requirement of the party but their morality has already been completely destroyed.
So, in Mainland China, politics takes place of morality, and morality is also politicized. The basic moral qualities that human beings have in common have disappeared. Moreover, the Party destroys the people's morality from "as early as when they were young." Over the past dozens of years, the Party has tirelessly imparted to children the concept of "only the Party can save China," and "love the Party." From childhood to adulthood, children have expressed such thoughts during public occasions. If one day, you suddenly have a thought of "going against the Party," you will be regarded as lacking morality...... For scores of years, the Party's so-called "basis of public opinions" has thus been formed. Its legitimacy is just based on this "basis of public opinions."
What's more, this way of launching a campaign to mobilize the general public allows no one to keep silent. When everyone declares where they stand, silence means that one opposes. The opposition itself means that the person who kept silent is bound to lose the basis and guarantee of survival. Hence, in China, anyone who still has some sense of morality usually yield to the pressure of survival and act against their conscience. The ordinary Chinese people's morality is thus completed destroyed.
At present, the campaign of "collecting signatures of one million people" against Falun Gong, and all artificial "scenes" that unanimously condemn Falun Gong, are only another process that the Party uses to ruin the morality of the Chinese people. According to the Central Committee's arrangement, people are currently required to publicly express their views on "what to oppose" and "what to condemn." But perhaps in the near future, people will be required to take stands on what to "support," and what to "pledge loyalty to." At that time, there might be some other activities such as "one million signature collection " or "millions and millions signature collection."
What China's [party's name deleted] Party demands is "steel" that is lifeless and unconscious, not the people who have their own judgment and morality. Therefore, in the furnace constructed by the China's [party's name deleted] Party, the "steel" that China's [party's name deleted] Party demands is continuously refined, and the Chinese people's morality is thus fundamentally destroyed.
