Remembering FDR As the Founder of Modern American Liberalism

These days, a Republican campaign or CPAC speech isn't complete without a quote by President Ronald Reagan or a self claimed certainty that Ronald Reagan would believe or do X Y and Z. Some Republicans have suggested the former actor turned politician should be placed on currency, public building names, and be given his own monument. In fact, sometimes Democrats are tempted to quote Ronald Reagan and place the former conservative warrior's legacy on their side of the aisle. 

It's understandable why Republicans want to Reaganfy everything in their rhetoric and stage presence. Reagan represents the modern Republican party far more than Lincoln, Teddy, and even Ike and Dick. Furthermore, most Americans perceive Reagan as a victorious national hero, a bold leader, and a gifted statesman unlike the most recent Republican president who, it appears, can't be disposed in the dustbin of history fast enough. But still, Reagan only represents half the narrative of the American political spectrum. 

Another great president's ideas, which had previously been rejected due to the Reagan Revolution, are making a comeback, but without any recognition. President Franklin Roosevelt made modern America possible, and led the country through its most difficult societal transition, the Great Depression. It was following this transition that the era of Big Government began. But this era meant far more than just that. It was an era where Americans were called by their government to help their country and their neighbors in a time of desperation. It was a time where the concept of "public" was equally valued to that of "individual." The rise of the John Does had begun so that America could continue to build for a better tomorrow.

 It's time to resurrect FDR and establish him as the true ideological foil to Reagan. Democrats should not be afraid to be bold and pontificate the name and ideals of President Roosevelt, a president who laid the foundations for modern liberalism. FDR's vision of America is dramatically different to Reagan's vision, and this ideological gap warrants validity and recognition for both sides. Following the Reagan years, a shadow has been cast over the Roosevelt legacy which must now be removed. His ideas and vision are as useful for America's present as they were for America's past.

Today we face a similar crisis, and Roosevelt's ideas are being re-articulated by President Obama and other Democratic leaders. Like Obama, FDR entered office during a period of economic turmoil and high unemployment. During his first term, Roosevelt hardly got any progress done, but he did inspire Americans with hope and encouraged strength through unity during the dark times of the 1930s. Despite all the odds of widespread poverty and political tyranny spreading in Europe and Asia, FDR convinced Americans that a better day was on the horizon. 

In order to preempt a communist revolution in America, FDR put idle hands to work by commissioning an array of new government agencies that would oversee public works projects. He had Americans design and build roads, bridges and lodges in the nation's great national parks for future leisure activities. He employed artists by having them create sculptures and murals for new public buildings and city centers. He raised taxes significantly on the rich to help ensure the survival of Middle Class. Under his administration, the foundation of the modern entitlement system, Social Security, was implemented.  

Most importantly, FDR convinced Americans that government could be used to make society better to the benefit of all Americans. He espoused a national narrative, that the government was a physical representation of the country itself, and that it should be cherished as such. This wasn't a form of oppressive statism seen in other societies during that time (Nazi Germany, the USSR, fascist Italy and Spain). This was the answer to America's enemies, including the political threats from outside and the economic and social threats from within. It was a call to arms. From his wheelchair nestled softly next to the fire place, FDR appeared as a grandfather figure, bringing America constructive advice for how to overcome the trials and tribulations of the Great Depression. 

His America called for an end to the tyrannies of want and fear, a message we desperately need to today. We live  in a nation of massive income inequality, a nation that expects the majority of its citizens to buy expensive services and products such as a car, a house, health insurance, and a college education all of which cannot be purchased without accumulating a liberal amount of credit card debt. Our student loans and home mortgages have enslaved the majority of Americans into a game of chance played by the elite and wealthy minority. Americans live by the tyrannies of want when they watch television, go shopping, drive down the street and even use the internet as they are bombarded by a title wave of advertisements and billboards. 

The tyranny of fear has hovered over Americans since the infamous day of 9/11 2001. We are a nation flailing at the edge of hysteria. Our fears are provoked further by a fanatical media more interested in ratings than truth. Behind our backs, politicians have slipped in Homeland Security polices such as the Patriot Act which allow our actions to be surveyed by a paranoid government that doesn't seek to better society but encourage submission. 

These are the tyrannies that oppress Americans today, not the tyrannies of social welfare, taxation, and public spending, which are the basic functions of any government evil or benign. This is exactly why FDR's immortal words must be repeated by the American left. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." During President Obama's inauguration, he tried to reset the narrative made by Reagan that the government is always the problem. In doing so, he expressed that the government can take a positive role in society if it chooses to function efficiently. This exactly the message that was projected by FDR 80 years ago, and it is time to make it known by speaking his quotes and his ideas. In order to have a strong Democratic party, we must embrace Roosevelt, the triumphant leader of Liberal America.

Chinese Civilization's Capitalist Characteristics

Today I was struck by a sudden anomaly at my school. I noticed that students were carrying large boxes of school supplies in my class. When I asked a student if these were for a science project they said no. In fact, these were for a sale that students were participating in. A collective of small desks were set up underneath the building of my classroom to serve as stands for students to sell and trade their products on a market exchange. How novel I thought. An educational activity for students to practice the arts of capitalism on a micro scale. 

The surprise wasn't warranted by capitalism practiced in China alone. You don't have to be a China expert nowadays to know that China is not a communist country. The current economic doctrine practiced by Beijing is state capitalism, and on a massive scale. Industrial Revolution Era skies, jungles of construction cranes, and massive shopping centers demonstrate that China is a giant capitalist machine pumping out enough exports for 5 Americas to consume. But still, despite China's new face, it is surprising that Chinese citizens at such a young age would be permitted (perhaps mandated) to practice such activities in an educational setting managed by communist party members. 

However, if you really think about the dynamics of money and capital in Chinese culture, it isn't that difficult to discover a bridge to this conclusion. Chinese society is inherently capitalist by nature. You don't need to go to a shopping mall, stock exchange, McDonalds or Starbucks to see that. In fact, the best place to see Chinese capitalism in action is a local agriculture or seafood market. Such locations not only provide a cacophony of sounds, smells, and textures but also an opportunity to see Chinese capitalism at its finest. Numerous food stands will sell the same products (egg fried rice, dumplings, soup, BBQ kabobs) at a comparable price. The same goes for raw agricultural products from eggplants to egg-whites, from leaks to lichees, and from fish to chickens. Stand owners shout out the prices of their products to get the attention of fickle consumers. These are noisy and competitive environments, ripe for bargaining and business exchanges. 

One unique experience in China is using improvised illegal public transportation, aka tuk tuk like motorized carts called San Lun Ches (three wheeled cars). These guys will always rip us white folk off, but by cheating us, I really mean charging people psychologically acceptable prices. For instance, a destination a mile or two away will cost around 30 cents for the average Chinese, but someone with my skin color will be offered the same ride for about $1. For the average ignorant westerner, the price comparable to a ride in the US sounds like a bargain, but for those who know better it's not. Nonetheless, these drivers are figuring their prices with a psychological cost benefit analysis. White guys are rich, so they probably will be willing to pay a higher price because they'll think they are getting a bargain anyways. Some people might find this racist, but thats a capitalist mindset if I've ever seen one. The fact that the Chinese business perspective is so capable and likely to cheat customers reveals an inherit capitalist dogma within Chinese culture itself. 

The value of wealth and ownership extends to personal relationships as well, which is the very foundation of Chinese society. For instance, frequent customers are always treated with a sense of seniority at any establishment. In the pursuit of marriage, Chinese in-laws will  not consent to the marriage of their daughter unless the lucky bachelor owns property (aka an apartment), has a well paying job, and sometimes even a car. During festivals such as the Spring Festival (New Year), Chinese people will pray to particular deities for good fortune for the coming year. 

In fact, it's these relationships that have made China's ability to dominate the East Asian economic zone possible. Chinese communities have developed in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other Asian nations over hundreds of years. Singapore itself is the product of overseas Chinese immigration and British imperialism. Chinese communities in these countries are condensed, closed and exclusive and it is these communities that tend to dominate the economy of these countries. 

Overseas Chinese are noticeably richer than the local majorities in these countries. Even in the US, overseas Chinese communities tend to be economically successful and Chinatowns usually are environments where economic activity is vibrant and striking. Following China's turn towards capitalism in 1978, family relationships were extended from the mainland to overseas Chinese communities in order to advance foreign trade opportunities. Today Asia is covered by an expansive bamboo network of Chinese Guanxi (relationships) which give China an advantage in opening up new markets and business opportunities especially in Southeast Asia. In fact, some politicians in Southeast Asia, such as the exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin of Thailand, are ethnically half Chinese. The Chinese ability to succeed in a capitalist economy have made the Chinese people business leaders in almost every country in Asia. 

Now I don't want my readers to get the impression that Chinese culture is a perfect example of Adam Smith's ideal free market. China has adopted a state capitalist model for a reason. Chinese society has developed under the management of a large and draconian bureaucratic state for most of it's history. Chinese cities such as Chang'An and Hangzhou were dominated by sophisticated public infrastructure and managed by complicated legal codes dictating the limits of trade and commerce. China's modern Communist System continued a long tradition of authoritative governance that values unity and stability over freedom of thought and action. In fact, the Presidency of China, the structure of the Politburo and the formality of official party ceremonies appear to be simply a modern adaptation of the traditional imperial court of the Middle Kingdom. 

Still, despite China's authoritative civic culture, the culture of Chinese everyday life is  capitalist by nature, and the Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward don't appear to have changed that. 

Hey Teacher Leave Them Kids Alone: Another Brick in the Great Wall of China

Every morning when I wake up at Song Gang Middle School, my ears are greeted by the sounds of music playing during the flag raising ceremony. The music contains an innate military quality, with a strong rhythm and loud blaring horns. Meanwhile students have there daily athletic exercises which seem more like Marine drills and afterwards make a lap around campus. By the time I get to my classroom, it is evident that school life in China is not like it is in America. Besides the books, homework, and classrooms everything else in the experience renders school life unrecognizable. At Song Gang Middle School, every student is treated like a juvenile. It is the quintessential corrupt prison school.

Song Gang Middle School is unique for its very diverse student body. A large portion of the senior high school classes are from the Xinjiang Autonomous region in China's Northwest. For these students, life is particularly hard. Not only are Xinjiang students trapped in an isolated school in a city thousands of miles away from home, but they are also looked upon as different from the rest of the student body due to their ethnicity. The administration institutionalizes this isolation by segregating the Xinjiang students into separate classes, dormitories, and even cafeterias. The reason why they must eat in a separate cafeteria is because they have a diet that is strictly dictated by religion (no pork). But nonetheless, they don't really have a choice to eat in another location, thus further isolating them from the rest of the student body.

Furthermore, during the weekends Han Chinese students have the ability to go home and visit their parents. The Xinjiang students obviously don't have this luxury. In fact, their ability to leave the school itself for leisure is strictly regulated and rationed. According to school policy, female and male students are granted separate weekends to leave the school. Therefore, the ability to leave the school gates is only granted once every two weeks for these students. However, it's not like they have much time to leave school anyways. Students have class 6 days a week and during week days class starts at 7:40 am and ends at 10:00 PM  after the last study hall. 

Song Gang's situation is only one example under the bigger picture that is the Chinese education system. Children in China are only guaranteed public education until the end of junior high school. To pursue their education further, students must pass a rigorous exam called the Zhong Kao which is the sole determining factor in their eligibility for a high school education. If they don't pass the Zhong Kao, these kids will start their career as a working class hero at age 14 or 15. 

But the fun isn't over yet. After three years of high school (four for Xinjiang students), high school students will take another exam called the Gao Kao which is far more difficult and important. It is the outcome of this exam that determines not just whether a student can go to college but what colleges they can apply for, and the competition is every high school student in China. The odds aren't very good for the average Chinese student, whose high school experience is completely dominated by practice examinations and lessons geared towards passing the exam. A whole 3 years of studying will culminate in one several hour exam, and it's that flimsy piece of paper that will dictate the career, status, and quality of life for these students; and Americans think the SAT is stressful! The response to this oppressive education environment is a widespread feeling of depression and helplessness, which results in an obedient populous with no ability to think for themselves. 

Such a system benefits from the ability to exceed in math, science, and test taking ability. But it completely eliminates the blossoming spirit of the Chinese imagination, a spirit which China desperately needs to combat the challenges of economic development and social changes from massive urbanization and mass consumerism. By the time they break out of this brutal system, I'm sure Chinese college students feel a sense of relief. But I also believe they feel a sense of apathy towards their society. They have been treated like a soldier for their whole life with nothing to believe in but grades and tests, unlike a real soldier which at least has the love of country and camaraderie to hold on to. 

No wonder China is the country of copies and opposed to patents. Such a system scares away the few that have critical thinking skills which lead to creativity and innovation. Every week, I talk to one Xinjiang student who is exceptionally intelligent for his age. He will take the Gao Kao this year, but he wants to make sure he doesn't go to college in China. He has big dreams to go to MIT in Boston, but any American college or university with a physics program will do. As long as it gets him out of China. It's students like him that can find the solutions to China's numerous problems, and it is these students that the Chinese education is weeding out by not fostering creativity and mental autonomy. As for the rest of the students at Song Gang Middle School, in my humble opinion, they are all just bricks in the Great Wall of China's schools.