Post-90s Kids Do Not Take Military Training Seriously

I was born at the end of 1988 and I wrote this exactly a week ago.
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When I was about to jog as usual this morning,the soccer pitch was crammed with freshmen in their military training.I went somewhere else to do my reading but was interrupted several times by their yaup,which made me shudder and silent.At noon,I rushed to the dining hall only to discover a sea of green uniforms,which made it impossible to characterize each and every one of the students.It was about 86 degrees,but the thick uniform covered nearly all of their body,from caps to sleeves,to trousers,socks and shoes.So it appeared they were all merged into “the collectivity” losing their individual distinctions,which is exactly one of the main goals of the military training mechanism.

I’ve no idea when did “military training” become popular in modern China and I suspect it began in the Mao era,when our Red Sun periodically granted appearances to the young pilgrims,who felt enormously proud to put up an army uniform to see the Chairman, from all over the country in the Tiananmen Square.At that time,I’m sure,both the Great Leader and the Red Guards didn’t expect “Blood is on the Square” （MP3点击下载） just several decades later.That obviously didn’t matter,as blood had already been widely shed across the mainland during the Cultural Revolution,which witnessed masses of Red Guards dressed in the green uniforms violently fighting in gangs with one another,as well as innocent civillians ultimately prompting an estimated abnormal death of millions.That “armed conflict”,in addition to “verbal conflict” was not ended until also-uniformed military forces intervened,sometimes with heavy weapons like machine guns.

The next generation might have abandoned military uniforms,after all,Mr. Deng Xiaoping had put up his Baseball Cap in the Free World.However,the uniformed–and the uniformity didn’t change.Tiananmen Square observed a second round of mass gathering years after Mao died,and,unprecedented bloodshed which would remain an indelible stain,if not a condemnation,of the People’s Liberation Army,for ever.

Now this generation puts up uniforms,although barely in public.Obsessed in consumerist dressing,boys and girls endlessly displayed their fancy in weird designs and styles.They do take a break,forcibly or not,turn to the uniform once beloved by their fathers.

As I heard their yaup and saw them taking goose-steps in the burning sun,not daring to wipe the sweat on the face,I was wondering how I spent these days last year myself.Regrettably,or probably not,I recalled little of that.It should have been easy for me to melt into the melting pot,which we Chinese used to describe the army.But I don’t remeber the joyful details introduced by friends when they finished their military training,as I don’t believe they will be missing their training officer much in the future.It was unclear to me–no offense–whether it is a kind of Stockholm syndrome.After all,when you were designated to a specific abominable circumstance for an awful period of time every day and would be disciplined at the warden’s discretion,completely deprived of personal freedom including drinking water at will,what’s the difference from being kidnapped?I wonder,part of the reason that the young do not resent this,is that they do live in the spiritual vacuum so collective training,the physical and psychological difficulties of which,will more or less fill in their vacancies.

I always shudder at masses,as I did this morning.It would not be an enjoyment to see the North Korean mass performance as long as I know millions there are starving.Famine,which killed tens of millions in Mao’s era,has been long away from our land since the economic reform,which I doubt to be the only fundamental difference between us “closest allies”.One similarity,certainly,would be we both have this kind of military training mechanism.

One goal of the mechanism is said to strengthen the idea of Collectivism.Do not tell me about Asian Values,introduced by a very dictator,that culturally we are inclined to collectivism.What I know is not “one for all,all for one” but the “invisible hand” that promotes the overall well-beings while every one fights and cooperates for the good of himself.Nowadays it’s teamwork and cooperation that dominate the time,not “collectivism” which actually undermines univesal values.Independent individuals do teamwork,a “screw of revolutionary machine” is nothing but rust.

Another objective is said to be physically training,and perhapschallenging students’ body and spirit,which apart from revolutionaryagenda could be associated with strong will and perseverance.There has been no study that confirms this point and nobody seems to bother whether this theory could be established.I’d like the word inhumane.Deliberate inferior treatment doesn’t necessarily constitute a test or chanllenge of people’s spiritual quality anyway,not to mention it could improve anything in such a short time.Fitness roadmap drawn on scientific evidence is credible and overstrain derived from revolutionary heroic doctrine is not.Perseverance?What about endurance of needless hardship?Besides,strong body and mind is accumulated day by day on one’s own rather than a string of forced torture.

In fact I was just arguing two points that are irrelevant.To say the least,let’s assume all the benefits in the military training could be true,why don’t I have a choice not to?One of the reasons that Hunan TV’s Super Girl should be struck down is,say,the program is superficial and inferior.Come on ,don’t “we the people” have the right to superficials and inferiors?The suspicion that democracy doesn’t automatically lead to a great leader(let’s just pass the part of the definition) and may well slow down the pace of development is crap too.Aren’t “we the people” entitled to pick a bad(?) choice?If you’re confident,let us choose.People are rational and,they have every right to the good as well as the bad.My choice is to jog every morning rather than exercise eight hours in the militarty training for two weeks.I will customize what’s in my best interests,not you,let alone you do not have the right and are unable to.In this sense, “reeduction-through-labor” is very much comparable to military training mechanism,under which we may have somewhat bigger freedom.

And my suspicion and resent toward the People’s Liberation Army contributed too.I will keep the videos and pictures of that night in my mind and do not condone them until there is a full investigation and clear apology.People’s Liberation Army massacred hundreds of “People”.I simply can’t live with it.Don’t you dare lecture me about what good service they had done to the people and nation.I’m sorry,they are paid by us taxpayers to do just that.I repeat,it’s their DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY to do disaster relief and whatever else.They are maintained to make a living by the taxes we paid.I’m not vilifying the troops,I’m just telling the truth.Much as I respect the individual serviceman who personally made great sacrifice for what he considers good,as a whole the PLA should not be titled “the most lovable people”.How cruel could it be to use machine guns shooting unarmed civilians openly?Instructing students to learn from such a force,where nationalistic hawks are usually bred,makes me sick and feared.

Of course between the lines that set the framework of this thing,is the obsolete “tradition” which has a history of fewer than half a century.It survived the ups and downs of the past and became some political taboo no one dared suggest to abolish.Maybe our generation just don’t wear it on our body,but when I saw angry youth burning French flag outside Carrefour in hometown,I couldn’t help thinking of the uniformed Red Guards set the British Commission on fire amid the anti-imperialist climate.It is different nowadays,isn’t it?
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I wonder what kind of training this is. My female friends from Israel (and their mothers) said their requisite military training was more like home-ec and less like the basic training we would see in “Full Metal Jacket.”

You don’t fire weapon or learn fighting or anything in these military trainings. This is not for army recruit or anything. In real army, obviously this kind of things can’t happen, since they can be a lot harsher. And no this did not start after 89. I think this has always been a tradition. You go to it for a week or so in transition between elementary school to middle school and again in transition between middle school to high school and again between high school to college. You basically learn to not be so spoiled, experience living in less pampered conditions and do physical exercises. Not really any indoctrination going on, doesn’t teach anything and I would appreciate it for people who don’t know anything about this not commenting on how this is brainwashing. This is really a necessity for single child living in a spoiled comfortable life where your parents give whatever you want.

I think you should judge the younger generation by their action, rather than by what they wear. The younger generation are more independent in their thinking to us lao wai. True, some of them are selfish and self centered, but this also applies to the older generation!

The majority of the younger generation (one child family), even those brought up in oppulence , are well mannered. In China, there is still a lot of respect for their elders, and they are still innocent to the nastiness in this world

I would like to think that the majority of these younger generation are idealist as their minds have not been corrupted by games adults sometimes play to advance their business/career. Notice the volunteers particularly the blood donators) in the eartquake disaster and olympic by these young generation! There was not one bad word from the international visitors for these vounteers. These are the next generation of China and as a hua ren I feel so proud of them!

I really don’t think they should be wearing accessories, it is an army and people should respect the rules instead of making it a fashion show. Just like at school, students accessorise themselves too much, there needs to be uniform rules in order for everyone to feel equal.

Well, when we have to go to war with china… it will be just as easy as fighting untrained somalians