Second Post

In the beginning of this section, Hessler tells the story of a blind homeless man playing the erhu accompanied by his young daughter. What had shocked me the most about the story was that the man had no option of receiving government benefits because he was disabled like we have in America. Besides playing the erhu it seemed as though there were no other options for him to get the help he so desperately needed for his family. Because of the culture we have created in America, it is ok to ask for help from the government when there is nowhere else for you to turn to. Another thing I found interesting were the red id cards that had regulations on it. Hessler observed that even in school, politics came first. The top priority was to frame education around Chinese Communism rather than what the students really needed to learn. It was also surprising that the students believed so much in what they were being taught about Communist despite the obvious contradictions that surrounded. It was almost as if they didn't know how to formulate their own opinion and take question to what is around them. They believed exactly what they were taught and there was little to no wiggle room outside of that. Personally, I sit in class and listen what is being taught but I question it so I can get a better understanding of it. In the Chinese culture they value their educators and wouldn't dare to question them about anything. That's a huge cultural difference between America and many other western nations.