Americans: Not “Patriotic”?

“It’s all right to thank your parents, but firstly, you should thank your country,” said Yu Zaiqing, deputy director of the State Sports General Administration. He made this remark at the group discussion of the sports sector at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 7. He also said that athletes’ moral education needed to be emphasized.

Yu’s remarks have aroused heated discussions on the Internet. Although some people clarified that these were just “general comments” instead of criticism of Zhou Yang, others didn’t buy this explanation. Zhou Yang’s parents said that Zhou Yang was young and inexperienced, and hoped that leaders would not find fault in her words. Zhou Yang’s mother even said that she would tell Zhou Yang to thank her country, instead of her parents, first.

As we know, at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Zhou Yang won the gold medal in the women’s 1500-meter short-track speed skating event, creating miracles with her teammates and winning honor for the country. After the game, Zhou Yang said, “This gold medal matters a lot — I will be more confident. Also, my parents can live a better life.” The words were so sincere that many people were moved. I also believe that this 17-year-old child does mean what she says — just like the Chinese saying, “natural beauty of the hibiscus rising out of clear water.” It is because of her sincerity and honesty that we were deeply touched.

But now, through “education” and “care” from the leaders, Zhou Yang has “matured.” Recently when she was asked whether or not she needed to thank many people, she answered, “Yes. I want to thank my country for providing such a good environment that we could take part in the Olympic Games. Also, I want to thank the people who have supported us, including my coach, all the staff and my parents.” This time, her parents were thanked last, after her country and her coach. Mr. Yu, the deputy director, should be satisfied with the answer this time. But compared to her previous answer, Zhou Yang is now mature, instead of innocent; sophisticated, instead of sincere; seasoned, instead of honest. Her beauty is “artificial” rather than “natural” this time.

I’m not clever enough to understand the conflict between thanking parents and thanking your country. Why should one be regarded as “superior to the other,” instead of equally important? Isn’t it human nature to thank parents and want parents to live a better life? What’s more, Zhou Yang’s family is quite poor: Her parents don’t have a stable income, and she earns only 500 yuan (about $75) per month. Under these circumstances, Zhou Yang’s previous answer — not the new one — is by no means improper. Instead, it reflects the beauty of human nature and it has nothing to do with morality. However, lies, clichés and empty words reflect the immorality of the speaker.

It just so happened that the 82nd Annual Academy Awards also took place a few days ago. Many winners expressed their thoughts and feelings in the ceremony. The organizers didn’t like tears of joy or winners who spoke too long — using auto-mute if you spoke more than 45 seconds. But of all the award winners, not one expressed gratitude to their country in the short, precious time allowed. There were, however, two who showed heartfelt thankfulness to their parents. One of them was Best Actress award recipient Sandra Bullock who thanked “ … the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from. Those moms and parents never get thanked.*” The other one was Best Actor award recipient Jeff Bridges, who said, “Thank you, Mom and Dad, for turning me on to such a groovy profession.” Both of them thanked their parents first, not their directors or colleagues (if the order actually matters). According to our logic, do these successful people have some moral defects? Don’t they love their country? Anyway, when Zhou Yang won the gold medal, when the Chinese flag was raised and the Chinese national anthem played, the entire world showed admiration toward China. Just the same, these actors attract fans from all over the world with their movies and have made a lot of money. I can’t help asking: is this related to patriotism, or not?

*Editor’s Note: Sandra Bullock did thank her own mom, Helga Bullock, for a variety of other reasons.