Xia Yeliang, a Peking University professor, said many students supported democracy in theory but did not want to risk their futures to fight for it. Students joke that they will get involved once pro-democracy forces gather steam, he said. “A rather high percentage of students are not interested in politics,” he said. “They say, ‘We know this is a good thing, but what relation does it have to us?’ They think about their personal affairs, how to get a job, how to go abroad.”
It's probably no joke; their threshold for protest simply has not yet been achieved. But if enough dissidents were to protest, do you think students would join in? Read the rest.
(cross-posted).
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe article suggests that Chinese students are not driven by ideology, either for the Party or against it. They like the idea of democracy but risk to much if they openly agitate for it. The Party offers opportunities for economic and social advantages and has pulled China upd from the dark days of the late 80's to become an economic wolrd power. Students seem unwilling to risk a government proscribed but stable future for the vagaries and uncertainties of democratic agitation. The party seems to be working the valves efficently, letting off steam in ways they can handle without letting the pressure needed for significant collective political action build up. If a large number of dissidents started collective action the students may join in, but since students are traditionally one of the first groups to jump into political protest then it seems unlikely considering the argument the article makes. However this could change if there was a change in students circumstances. More stringent government crackdowns, economic hardship, lack of job prospects and international failings by the party could all change the thresholds for students to join collective action.
ReplyDeleteI think they will join in eventually. The threshold may be reached when they realise that they will be affected in some way.
ReplyDelete