On 2007-12-22, [one of my students] forwarded the following message:

学这么多年英语,突然发现一个有趣现象:

clever      聪明的

honest      诚实的

intelligent 智慧的

noble       高贵的

excellent   卓越的

smart       机灵的

elegant     优雅的

把以上这些英文字的头一个字母

放一起就是：Chinese---中国人

junk        垃圾

adult       色鬼

prostitute  婊子

ass         蠢驴

nasty       下流

evil        魔鬼

scamp       流氓

excrement   臭狗屎

把这些英文的第一个字母

放在一起就是：Japanese---日本人! 

是中国人就在你的每一个群里发一次

My response: have you ever noticed what you get if you combine first letters of the following phrases?

Remember only what your authorities tell you

Attack innocent neighbors

Confuse the past with the present

Ignore your real enemies

Sell your body only to native oppressors

Tear the human race apart

You get “racist” (种族主义者)!

As your English instructor, I should also point out a few errors in the translation above:

Adult means 成年的 or 成年人, not 色鬼 (lecher); evil means 邪恶 not 魔鬼 (demon or devil); excrement just means 粪便 in general, not 臭狗屎 (stinky dog shit); and clever is probably closer to 机灵 and smart to 聪明

  I think we’ve talked before about anti-Japanese racism on this group. As anyone who paid attention before knows, I’m well aware of the bad things the Japanese military did to innocent Chinese people in the 1930s and ‘40s, but you should also keep in mind that, even at that time, many Japanese people fiercely opposed their government’s decisions and their military’s actions, to the point that many sacrificed their lives in the name of justice, some even joining the Chinese resistance. And now, 70 years later, when most of the people who did those things are dead, most living Japanese people think those things were bad, to the extent that they understand them. How many of you have met a Japanese person who thinks the Nanjing Massacre was a good thing? I’ve probably met hundreds of Japanese people, some nice, some not (just like Chinese, Americans, or anyone else), and I’ve discussed this directly with several. They’ve all said they think what the Japanese government and military did at that time was an atrocity, and that very few Japanese people support those actions today, and indeed, that many opposed those actions when they were happening. How many Chinese compatriots do you know who are willing to think critically about the things your own governments and militaries have done against their own people, some nearly as bad as what Japan did?

 
       Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to all of you today. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about some of my experiences that may be relevant to your situation as new students here at Chengdu College.

You may have heard that I’m from the USA. To be specific, I’m from a small town in the southeastern state of Tennessee. I first began to learn about China back when I was in middle school, when I was only 12 or 13 years old. Like many of you, at that time I left my small town to go to secondary school in the nearest big city, and, for me, that was already similar to moving to a foreign country, because I had to leave most of my old classmates and friends behind, and to try to make new friends in a strange new environment. Whereas in my home town and my primary school, everyone I knew was not only white, like me, but also very similar culturally, in my new secondary school I found myself surrounded by people who looked different and acted differently. In addition to white boys from nearby small towns like myself, my new school also had white, black, Latino, and Asian students from all over the country, and even a few from other countries. A few years later, in high school, a new student named Qian Hanlin came to our school directly from China. At that time I was already curious about China, since I had begun to watch movies and TV shows about Chinese martial arts, and to read books about Chinese culture and language. I was curious because, after moving from my small town to the big city, and after meeting people from all over the world, I began to think critically about my own culture, and to grow curious about other cultures, that is, about other ways of thinking and doing things. For example, whereas my own culture taught us to worship a god who supposedly created the world and lives outside of it, I learned that certain traditions in China worship nature or life itself, and have even developed ways of improving life and preventing illness by living in harmony with nature. Whereas, in my experience, the Christian religion rejected life and led to closed-mindedness, unhappiness, and even war, certain traditions in Chinese culture seemed to embrace life and lead to healthier ways of living. The Chinese language also appealed to me, and the Chinese writing system seemed much more beautiful and elegant than English. So I had already become curious about Chinese culture and language when Qian Hanlin came from China and became my classmate. Both of us played musical instruments, so we ended up playing in the school orchestra together, and this gave us an opportunity to get to know one another. He invited me over to his house for supper, and there I got to meet his parents and try my first authentic Chinese food. I liked it, and found it very different from the Americanized Chinese food that I was used to. So through him, and later through other Chinese friends, I began to learn more about China, and about Chinese culture and language, and this inspired me to study Chinese language and history when I went to college, and eventually to come to China to live and to work.

So you see, if it weren’t for my originally painful experience of leaving my home town to go to secondary school in a strange new place, and of leaving my old friends behind and having to make new friends with people from different backgrounds, I may never have learned much about China, and may never have come here to talk to you today.

 As new students in a strange new place, you are in a similar situation to the one I faced when I left my home town to go to secondary school in the city, and then again, when I left my home state to go to college in another city, and finally, when I left the USA to go to graduate school in China. Each time I moved to a new place, I had to leave behind my old friends and familiar surroundings, and I found myself in a strange new place surrounded by strange people. At first, this sudden change was uncomfortable, and I missed my old friends and my old life. But it was also exciting to meet new people and learn new things that I would never have learned had I stayed at home. It was also a lot of hard work, especially when I moved to China, to adapt to my new life and make new friends at the same time that I had to stay up late at night doing homework, and get up early in the morning to go to class. Throughout secondary school, college, and graduate school, I felt that most of my studying and homework was a waste of time, that I was forced to learn a lot of things that didn’t interest me, but I did it anyway because I was the first person in my family to have such an opportunity, and I didn’t want to disappoint my parents. Only years later did I begin to appreciate many of the things I had learned, and I even regretted that I had not devoted more time and energy to studying back when I had the opportunity.

If I can emphasize one thing to you today, I want to emphasize something that your other teachers and authorities may not say to you. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to tell you to study hard so that you can get good grades and eventually find a good job and make a lot of money. I know that you already hear that kind of thing all the time – from your parents, your teachers, your television, and so on. What I want to emphasize to you today is that, in addition to getting good grades and possibly learning some practical things that may be useful wherever you end up working, as students at Chengdu College, you also have the opportunity to expand your horizons and learn all kinds of things that may not necessarily help you make money, but which may help you to better understand your situation in the world, to better understand the good and bad things about our world, why our world is like it is, and how we might be able to change it for the better. For example, I often hear students complain about certain classes which you are required to take, but which seem uninteresting and irrelevant to your life. For example, many students complain about your classes in Marxist philosophy, political history, and government policy. But I personally think that these are some of the most important classes you may take during your time at Chengdu College, because they introduce you to facts and ideas that can help you to understand why our world is like it is, and what we must do if we want to make it better. Or, for another example, in my own oral English classes, most students focus only on the practical things that I tell them about how to speak English, or on the funny stories that their classmates tell, but I hope that you also pay attention to the content of what we talk about, for example, about the differences and similarities between life in the USA and in China, or about current events in the USA and elsewhere. I hope that you use our class discussions as an opportunity to reflect on your own experiences, and to learn from the similar and different experiences of your classmates.

This points to another aspect of your opportunity to learn new things here at Chengdu College. In addition to listening attentively in class, reading your homework carefully, and putting serious thought into any papers you have to write, I hope that you also take advantage of this opportunity to meet classmates from all kinds of different backgrounds, with all kinds of different experiences, or with experiences very similar to your own. It is common for students to talk only about superficial things, about fashion, sports, and television, and to know each other for years without ever talking about your own lives. I want you to make an effort, when you get to know your classmates, to ask them personal questions about their lives, about the good and bad things they have experienced, and to share your own personal experiences and feelings with your classmates. And I want you to make an effort to discuss the things you learn in class with your classmates. What do you think of what you’re learning? Do you agree or disagree with the teacher? Only in this way can you really begin to take advantage of the opportunity that Chengdu College offers for you to expand your horizons, to learn new things, and to begin to think in new ways about your situation in the world, and how to change it.

Thanks again for giving me this opportunity to speak to all of you today. I hope that many of us will have the opportunity to speak personally and get to know one another in the future.