参观大庆油田历史陈列馆和唐山大地震纪念馆有感 - Reflections on Visiting the Daqing Oilfield History Exhibition Hall and the Tangshan Earthquake Memorial Hall

由于本文可能稍有敏感，这里仅展示英文版。

There are two things I detest rather deeply: one is compulsory sacrifice, and the other is glossing over tragedies with celebrations.

Let's begin with the idea of compulsory sacrifice.

Compulsory sacrifice is, logically, unethical. However, voluntarily dedicating oneself to the collective seems far more palatable. Our propaganda narratives (including, but not limited to, exhibitions and news broadcasts) tend to disguise compulsory sacrifice as voluntary contributions to the collective.

In the context of compulsion, everyone understand clearly that not all obligatory labors or sacrifices can be shirked. Some are tied to work evaluations, others linked to personal honor, and still more simply done to avoid social ostracization. If there's a task which isn't explicitly mandatory, yet it impacts work assessments, then one is essentially obliged to do it. Here, I'm afraid, there's a certain level of compulsion in every "voluntary" sacrifice.

The object of dedication has also been quietly replaced. Who benefits most from the collective? If everyone receives an equal share, or if the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled receive more, I would have nothing to complain about. But in most collectives, it is the leaders (including those at higher levels) who benefit the most. Therefore, contributing to the collective is essentially a tribute to the higher-ups, to the leaders.

In this respect, I can only feel sorry for Wang Jinxi, the "Iron Man", whose intense workloads leave them no time to spend with their families or children and often result in illness. While the Iron Man might be volunteering, are those learning from him also volunteering? Does the Iron Man spirit not conflict with human nature?

I do not reject collectivism, but the premise is that I voluntarily choose the collective, the distribution mode is fair, and I can freely exit. Otherwise, I would not even want to sweat a drop for the collective.

Also, slightly off-topic, when the exhibition loudly advocate for rapid development, and fail to mention whether production figures were falsified, I know that some organizations have not learned their lessons from the Great Leap Forward.

Now let's discuss the practice of glossing over tragedies with celebrations.

In essence, this approach might seem rather trivial. Its original intention could even be considered kindhearted, aiming to prevent people from being consumed by sorrow, transforming grief into strength. However, when viewed from a broader perspective, it raises the question of whether someone are manipulating our emotions.

It's been two years since the devastating floods in Zhengzhou in the summer of 2021. During the second anniversary, people were not allowed to bring flowers to the affected subway station (source: Twitter, @whyyoutouzhele). Our need to express our emotions was disregarded. When it comes to granting or withholding freedom, the government's choice seems to always tilt towards withholding.

https://twitter.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/1681990420488699905

The practice of glossing over tragedies with celebrations might be associated with traditional Chinese culture. Traditionally, Chinese culture emphasizes expressing grief without being overcome by it, or in other words, mourning in moderation. There's even a tendency to avoid talking about death as much as possible. All we can say is, there's still a long way to go in our journey towards modernization.