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Korea: Can a Law Change Society and People's Perspectives?

Hyejin Kim · 23:12

lingua → pt · jp · es

Can a law change society and people’s perspectives?

10월 2일에 법무부에 의해서 성적지향(동성애)가 포함되어 있는 차별금지법안이 입법예고되었습니다.

이 법안이 시행되면 동성애는 정상으로 공인되어 차별의 범위에 포함됩니다. 따라서 동성애에 대해서 공개적으로 비판하면 손해배상, 벌금 혹은 징역을 살게 됩니다. 학교에서도 동성애를 정상으로 가리켜야 합니다. 동성애를 하지 않도록 상담조차 할 수 없습니다. 이 법이 문제가 되는 것은 다음과 같은 이유입니다.

첫째로, 동성애 공인이라는 중요한 이슈를 국민적인 토론과 공감이 전혀 없이 은근슬쩍 통과시키려 한다는 점입니다.
동성애 공인이 문제가 되는 이유는 동성애 부부의 결혼, 입양 문제까지 순차적으로 인정되게 하기 때문입니다. … 특히 입양 문제는 결코 동성애를 개인의 자유로만 볼 수 없게 하는 큰 문제입니다. 반드시 국민적인 대 토론과 의견수렴이 필요합니다.

둘째로, 이 법은 동성애에 대해서 반대할 자유를 박탈합니다. 동성애에 대해서 반대하는 사람에게 손해배상, 벌금, 징역을 살게 합니다.
우리나라의 전통은 물론 대부분의 사람들이 동성애에 대해서 거부감을 느낍니다. 그러나 이 법은 동성애를 무조건 정상으로 여길 것을 강요합니다. 특히 예민한 청소년 아이들에게 동성애를 정상으로 가리키도록 강제합니다. 우리 아이들이 동성애의 유혹을 받아도 아무런 대처도 할 수 없습니다. 이런 일은 동성애를 반대하는 사람에게는 터무니없는 인권 침해와 자유 박탈입니다.

셋째로, 동성애에 대한 분명한 건강상 해악입니다….

넷째로, 동성애 확산입니다…

영국에서는 동성애를 반대하는 내용의 전단지를 뿌리다가는 경찰에 잡혀 간다고 합니다. 미국에서는 동성애의 해악에 대해 반대하는 목소리를 냈다가 많은 사람들이 줄줄히 벌금을 부과 당한다고 합니다.

우리나라에서도 이렇게 되어야 합니까? 그 대답이 어떤 것이든 간에, 국민적 공감 없는 날치기식 동성애 공인은 불가합니다. 자손을 보고 가문의 명예를 물려주는 것을 소중히 생각하셨던 우리 조상님들의 유교 전통을 보아도 불가합니다….동성애 자체에 대해서 반대하는 것이 아닙니다. 그러나 법으로 만드는 문제는 다릅니다.

성별, 나이, 종교, 직업을 넘어 모두 힘을 모아 동성애에 대해서 반대 못하도록 강제하는 법안은 반드시 저지되어야 하며 최소한의 사회적 보호망을 후손들을 위해 지켜야 합니다.

On the second of October, I heard that a bill prohibiting discrimination against homosexuality will be passed by the Ministry of Justice.

If this bill will start, homosexuality will be recognized as normal and protected in the boundary of discrimination. Therefore, if we criticize homosexuality in public, the concurrent fine, imprionment, or compensation will be enacted. Schools also should teach that homosexuality is normal and can’t consult not to do it. There are several reasons why this law will be problematic.

First, without any discussion and sympathy with people, the Ministry tries to pass this bill. Legal marriage of homosexuals and adoption will be recognized by order. … Adoption is an important matter that we can’t just think of as individual freedom. We need some discussion time.

Second, this law is taking the freedom to oppose to homosexuality away. People who are against homosexulaity have to take responsibilities of the damage compensation, fines, and imprisonment. Traditionally, most of people feel aversion to homosexuality. But this law forces us to believe it is normal. Especially it forcefully teaches sensitive teenagers to believe it normal. Even though teenagers are enticed by it, there is no way we can deal with it. This is the infringement of human rights and deprivation of freedom toward people who are against homosexuality….

I heard that if you distribute papers against homosexuality in England, you will be arrested. In America, you have to pay fines.

Should this country change like them? Acknowledgement of homosexuality without peoples’ agreement should not be allowed. Considering the Confucian tradition of our ancestors who regard family dignity and descendants as important, it should not be allowed….

…I am not opposed to homosexuality, but making a law for it is a different issue. Beyond sex, age, religion, and occupations, we should oppose the law against discrimination toward homosexuality and keep the social protection for descendants at least.

A similar opinion is below.

이런 글을 쓰면 동의하는 이들이 있는 반면 거세게 반발하는 이들도 있습니다. 사람을 차별한다고 하는 것입니다. 그러나 이 글은 사람 자체에 대한 비난의 글이 아니라 동성애라고 하는 어떤 현상에 대한 비판의 글입니다. 또한 동성애라고 하는 것이 일반적으로 받아들여지는 사회분위기가 되지 않도록 막기 위한 글입니다.

성적 지향이라느니 타고났다느니 하는 말을 하지만 모든 동성애자들이 선천적인 것만은 아닙니다. 어떤 경험이나 사건을 계기로 동성애자가 되었다는 사람들의 이야기도 들어보았습니다. 설혹 동성애가 선천적인 것이라고 해도 그것으로 인해 동성애 전체가 보편타당한 것으로 간주될 수는 없습니다. 그럼에도 불구하고 동성애에 대해 비판하는 것만으로도 처벌이 가능해질 수 있는 법안을 마련하려 하는 법무부의 태도에 납득이 가지 않습니다.

…I know while some people agree with this kind of writing, others are strongly opposed, regarding discrimination. But this writing is not about criticizing people, but about criticizing a phenomenon of homesexuality. This writing is to not let homosexuality be taken general in society.

Some people say it’s innate, but not to everyone. There are cases some homosexuals become like that through experiences or occasions. Even though homesexuality is innate, it should not be regarded as ubiquitous. Regardless of these facts, it’s hard to understand why the Ministry of Justice attempts to pass a law against criticizing homesexuality.

These opinions provoke many to write opposing views. Some netizens welcome this new law and ask for a more understanding attitude toward homesexuals.

…동성애자들의 현황에 대해 이야기하면,
그들은 그들 자신을 ‘이반'이라고 부릅니다. 일반(이성애자)/이반(동성애자)이라는 거지요.
물론 그들 스스로 지은 이름입니다.
하지만, ‘그것 봐, 걔네도 자기네 스스로가 일반인이 아니라고 인정하잖아?' 하면 곤란합니다.
이건 아픔이 깃든 이름입니다….

그들은 이제 싸늘하거나 이상한 시선쯤은 아무렇지도 않다고 말합니다.
그런데 문제는 그게 아니거든요.
괜히 다가와서 시비를 걸거나, 심지어 폭행까지 당하는 경우도 부지기수입니다.
‘그래도 어쩌겠어요, 참고 살아야지.' 라고 그들은 이야기합니다. 대항할 힘이 없기 때문입니다….

동성애자라는 사실이 회사에 알려지고 나서 해고된 사람 부지기수로 많습니다,
거기에 대해서 어떤 항의도 할 수가 없었습니다. 왜냐하면 지금까지의 법으로는 그게 ‘차별'이라는 걸 인정받으려면 차별 사실을 차별당한 피해자가 입증해야 했기 때문입니다….

이것뿐만 아닙니다. 사회의 많은 부분에서 동성애자들은 사회적 보호를 제대로 받지 못하고 있습니다. 심지어 자신이 살던 지역에서 소문이 나서, 살해위협을 받은 사람도 있고, 거기까지 가지 않더라도 물건을 팔기 거부하거나, 상점 안에 들어가려는 것을 막아서 할 수 없이 다른 지역으로 이사가는 경우도 많습니다.

… 만나보지도 않은 사람에 대해 멋대로 판단하고 심지어 ‘정신병자'라는 소리까지 하는 건 예의도 아닐 뿐더러 인간존중이라는 존엄한 정신을 파괴하는 행위입니다. (참고로, 동성애는 정신병의 조건을 충족시키지 못하여 1960년에 정신병 리스트에서 제외되었습니다)

…그들이 원하는 건 다른 게 아닙니다.
남들처럼 똑같이. 직장 다니면서, 소주잔 기울이면서 직장에서 쌓인 스트레스도 풀고, 가끔 애인과 데이트도 하는 그런 생활입니다….

그들도 똑같은 인간입니다.
그들이 원하는 건 평범한 생활이구요.
이해할 수 없다면 이해하지 마세요.
대신, 사회적 차별을 막는 이 법의 통과마저 반대하지는 말아주세요. 거기에는 어떤 명분도, 근거도 없으니까요.

그들이 원하는 건….
하늘에서 내려온 세 가지 인권이라는
생명권, 자유권, 행복추구권일 따름입니다.

Homosexuals call themselves ‘I-ban.’ Il-ban (normal-heterosexual)/I-ban (abnormal-homosexual). They made it themselves. But we can’t just say, ‘See! They even recognize themselves they’re not normal).’ This is the name to contain their pains.

They say they’re used to face cold or strange looks at them. But that’s not the problem. Sometimes people come over to them and beat them. They say, ‘what can we do? We’d better put up with it.’ They can’t resist. ….

Some of them are fired after companies know about it. But they can’t resist it. Because according to the law so far, if they want to prove it’s ‘discrimination,’ the victims should prove that….

There are more. They can’t get social protection. Some of them get threats of murder from the neighborhood, get rejection from some stores, and have to move to other places to live…..

Calling those ‘psychos’ even though they never met those people is not polite and is a behavior that disregards respect toward humans (for the reference, homosexuality was excluded from the psycho list in the 1960s because it is not satisfying conditions of psychos).

…What they want is not so special.
Like others, they go to companies, drink when they are stressed out with their jobs, and go out with their dates….

They are also humans who are the same as us. What they want is a normal life. If you can’t understand, don’t understand. Instead, please don’t oppose passing this law against social discrimination.

What they want is…
Three human rights…
Life, freedom, and happy.

Netizens suggest people against the bill should have a different attitude.

당신이 보수적인 입장을 가지고만 있다고 해서 처벌받지는 않아요. 그러니까 마음껏 비판하세요.
차별금지법은 단지 성적지향에 의해서 공적 생활에서 차별받는 경우를 시정하기 위한 거에요.
(개인적으로 싫어서 안만나든 어쩌든 그건 어떻게 할 수 없지요…)
직장생활/학교생활 등 너무나 당연하게 보장받는 삶이 그들에게는 당연한 게 아니거든요.
제발 그냥 좀 살게 내버려달라는 정도 밖에 안되는 법인데도 그렇게 불만인가요?

You’re not going to be punished because you’re conservative. So criticize them with your heart. The law to prohibit discrimination is in order to change cases to be discriminated in public due to sexual tendency (if you would like to avoid them, it’s fine). Isn’t it normal that they have ordinary lives in companies and schools? Is it so hard to accept the law to let them live?

Other netizens are sharing their own experiences.

예전에 아는 이반이 있었는데, 그 사람과의 관계는 참 불편했다. 그게 이반이어서 생기는 불편함이었을까? 자주 연락오는 것은 어떤 의미일까 항상 생각했었고… 결국 한 사람으로 대하는 데는 실패했는데. 그게 어떤 사람이건 난 별로 흥미없는데 가까이 오는 데서 오는 일반적인 경우인지, (원래 좀 무정한 편이라, 별로 관심없는 이가 다가오면 차갑게 하지만 은근히 거절하는 편이다.) 그 사람이 이반이었기 때문에 그런건지 잘 모르겠다. 하지만 결국 이래나 저래나 그에게서 이반이라는 꼬리표는 떼버리지 못했는데… 말로는, 글로는 쉽게 이해하지만 막상 실제로 대하게 되는 경우에는 여전히 나에게
높은 벽과 가림막이 있다는 생각이 든다. 너무나 많은 편견과 무지가…

I knew an I-ban before. I was not comfortable to face that person. Maybe it must be discomfort from his sexual identity. I thought about what his often contacts meant and eventually failed to treat him as a person. I don’t know if it was from my personality which doesn’t care about people who come friendly to me or from his different sexuality. No matter what reason it was, I couln’t get rid of his identity… with speaking and writing, it’s easier to understand, but in the real world, there was still a high wall and obstacle to me… prejudice and ignorance..

On the other hand, Asphalt demonstrates how society has been changing fast.

몇 년 전 게이 온라인 커뮤니티 엑스존이 폐쇄조치 당할 때에는 동성애가 수간이나 근친상간 아동성애와 동급의 음란성을 지니고 있다는 청소년보호법이 적용되었고, 또 좀 더 전에는 체육이나 교련 교과서에 동성애가 에이즈의 원인인 것처럼 (=그러니까 동성애자만 에이즈에 걸리고 동성애를 하면 무조건 에이즈에 걸리는 것처럼) 기술되어 있었으며, 국어사전에는 동성'연'애란 성도착이라고 등재되어 있기도 했는데, 어느새 동성애를 이유로 각종 차별을 하는 것은 부당하다는 법이 입법되어가고 있다니, 참 격세지감을 느낀다. 법령이 시행되면 동성애 때문에 왕따를 당한다거나 하는 감정적인 측면은 어떻게 해 볼 수 없더라도 동성애자라는 이유로 권고사직을 당한다거나 하는 일을 겪을 때에 법을 근거로 부당함을 호소할 수 있으니, 인식을 개조하는 수준을 넘어 실정법의 영역에서 동성애 차별이 금지된다는 건 지금까지의 상황과는 차원을 달리하는 획기적인 일이 될 수 있을 것이다. …

Several years ago, Xzone, on-line community was closed because homosexuality was regarded as being equal to bestiality, incest, and pedophilia, and so it was applied to teenager protection law. And in classes of physical education and training, homosexuality was regarded as the only cause of AIDS. In a dictionary, homosexuality was defined as sexual perversion. But now there is a movement that discrimination toward homosexuality will be illegal. It has been changing so fast. If the law will be enacted, unfair treatments toward them will be dealt with under the law although it would be impossible to change antipathy against it. This is an epoch-making event compared to any situations before…

1 comment · »»

Armenia: Former President Makes Political Comeback

Onnik Krikorian · 15:03

Levon Ter Petrosian

In what can be considered one of the most important political developments in the short 16-year history of Armenia as an independent former-Soviet republic, the country's first president, Levon Ter Petrosian, announced his intention to run again for office in the presidential election to be held early next year. Ter Petrosian had been forced to resign in 1998 by his successor and other high-level officials apparently over what was then considered a concessionary peace deal to resolve the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh.

What is most significant about Ter Petrosian's political comeback is that had anyone asked most Armenians about the former president's return as recently as two months ago, many would consider that it was unlikely. Now, a day after an opposition rally during which Ter Petrosian announced his candidacy, it is a reality. However, while various media outlets sympathetic towards the former president estimated the crowd at the rally to be between 20-40,000, bloggers such as Observer reckoned it was more like 10,000.

Transitions Online's The Armenian Patchwork also put the number at around 10,000, and in a post containing many photographs explains why.

The hope of the people gathered on Freedom Square on 26 October to cheer for Levon Ter-Petrosyan came true as he announced that he will run for presidency again in 2008. The joint rally of oppositional leaders Aram Sargsyan, Stepan Demirchyan and first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan gathered around 10,000 people, enough to cover the whole square. A simultaneous concert half and hour away from the Freedom Square was a contrast to this event.

[…]

Despite the number of people present I could hardly see any youth among the crowd, and here is where they were. At the same when the rally began, at 1700, the Voske Ashun (Golden Autumn) concert began in the Vazgen Sargsyan stadium, which is said to have been organized by the ruling Republican Party.

Observing from afar, Unzipped says that it sounds as though the rally was a great success considering the amount of apathy and cynicism prevalent in Armenian society. The blog also says that from speaking to friends in Yerevan the mood at the rally was one of hope. However, as someone who has already blogged about Ter Petrosian dashing the hopes of many Armenians in the 1990s, the blogger has some words of advice for Ter Petrosian and also sounds a note of caution.

[…] if I were to meet Levon, I would say to him: “Do not be arrogant. It does not suit you.” You were first elected as people’s president. You were ‘one of us’ – well, at least that’s how the majority perceived you. However, in few years you became arrogant, kind of self-isolated and intolerant to dissent voice. I quite like the fact that you were holding meetings with various political parties, even those that you shut down during your term of presidency. However, I’d like to get assurances that the practice of political dialogue will continue if you were to be elected as President.

[…]

To be honest, while I am glad that it seems we are to witness an exciting presidential campaign, there is something inside me that makes me feel worry. Call it intuition or whatever, I have those weird feelings that something bad may happen. Too much is at stake to those who are in power now if they to lose it via democratic elections. On the other hand, Levon came out to win, and any other outcome will not be ‘acceptable’ to his supporters. I hope nothing bad will happen, I really do. I hope we won’t witness violence and blood. I feel unease… I want to get rid of these feelings, but I do not know yet how…

Given that Ter Petrosian is considered to be the only candidate able to contest the election against the current prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, it is no wonder that the government is acting in a way that can only be considered “worried.” Indeed, reported Nazarian and The Armenian Observer last month, the government-controlled media is already airing black propaganda aimed at discrediting Ter Petrosian. The second blog, written by a media professional in Armenia, now raises concerns about the state of journalism in the country.

One day before the rally by Armenian opposition, where the Ex-President of the Country - Levon Ter-Petrossian, now a probable presidential candidate for the 2008 elections is going to make a speech, Haylur reporter Tatevik Nalbandyan has gone on the streets of Yerevan - asking people’s opinion about the Former president.

Interestingly, although there are generally two quite opposing views in the country about the former President, with some seeing him as the only viable alternative to the current ruling elite, the material has been designed like an anti Levon Ter-Petrossian propaganda piece, showing only negative opinions, and not a single reference to the other side.

Needless to say, that this falls far below the criteria of objective journalism, and is especially worrying, because it was broadcast by the Public TV of Armenia, which is supposed to serve the public interest and reflect the Armenian society as a whole, and not just the ruling elite and its supporters.

Levon Ter Petrosian

In earlier posts, the Armenia Election Monitor 2008 blog also reported on apparent pressure put on the broadcast media not to cover election-related stories, and also that one regional TV station which did cover Ter Petrosian's first speech in nearly a decade late last month is under attack from the government.

Following on from the previous post detailing concerns about access to the media in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election in Armenia, RFE/RL reports that one regional TV station has already found itself in hot water after broadcasting last month’s speech attacking the government by the first president, Levon Ter Petrosian.

The Gyumri-based Gala TV’s Executive Director apparently aired the speech after being paid to do so by Ter Petrosian’s backers and despite warnings not to do so by the National Commission on Television and Radio (NCTR).

The Armenian Observer provides readers with an update on what looks like politically motivated scrutiny of the finances of the Gyumri-based GALA TV.

Levon Ter Petrosian

Meanwhile, the Armenia Election Monitor 2008 blog covers the media reaction to yesterday's ally, but also reports that a senior Western diplomatic figure said that next year's election is likely to be held on 17 February. The blog also examines the impact that Ter Petrosian's candidacy will have on Armenia especially after a series of “colored revolutions” that have followed falsified elections in other post-Soviet republics.

After the meeting I ran into a prominent representative of, shall we say, a rather significant diplomatic mission in Armenia. Over a beer he wondered how the meeting went although he didn’t seem as interested as you might expect given that Ter Petrosian will undoubtedly hope to rely on Western support for his candidacy, especially if the election is rigged. To be frank, it is that support which was considered crucial in “democratic revolutions” in Georgia and Ukraine, and just one reason why Armenia has not followed suit.

[…]

Nobody else is thinking in those terms yet, of course, but anyway, the diplomat agreed that Ter Petrosian is the only possible opposition candidate able to contest the election against the prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian […]

In addition to photographs posted by Anush on The Armenian Patchwork, the Armenia Election Monitor 2008 blog also posts a number of photographs from the rally and concludes that next year's election “looks set to be quite unlike any other.”

Levon Ter Petrosian

All photographs © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2007

5 comments · »»

China: Tiger! Tiger?

Bob Chen · 03:24

News Background

On 12, Oct, a breaking news caught people's sights: A villager Zhou Zhenglong (周正龙) in Shaanxi province managed to shoot over 30 pictures of a wild South China tiger, a kind of endangered animal that can be called the national treasure. South China tigers haven’t been seen in wild since 1980s, and this picture strongly proved their existence. Zhou Zhenglong, who proclaimed that he risked his life to shoot the pictures, was soon called a hero.

However, the great finding soon fell under numerous questions. This boiling controversy started from netizens’ doubts that pictures, or even the tiger itself, were faked, reaching its climax when both sides of this debate （fake or not）bet their heads. It evolved from a scientific issue to a “bloody farce of gambling of heads”, so called.

shaanxi-tiger
The pictures were shot on 3, Oct. After experts’ identification, 10 days later Shaanxi Provincial Ministry of Forestry publicized them and soon received favorable attentions. Nevertheless 3 days later on Tianya（天涯）Community a netizen Party Control Guns（党指挥枪） stated that they were faked. He argued that in different pictures shot at different time from different angles the stripes and profile of the tiger remained the same.

Another netizen First Impression（第一印象） overlapped 3 photos and found the tiger’s postures, shades on its fur and stripes overlapped as well, which means that the tiger ossified when being shot. Netizens gave a more authentic explanation: it is a tiger drawn on a paperboard, or grafted into the picture by Photoshop.

Having heard the doubts, Zhou Zhenglong was upset and furious, claming that he could guarantee the pictures’ authenticity with his head.

Then, on 19th, Oct, a botanist Fu Dezhi（傅德志） from China Academy of Sciences（中国科学院）retorted Zhou on a net forum. He argued that the leaf around was notably disproportional with the tiger, calculating that the leaf had to be as large as a basin to reach the effect on the photo. Furthermore, he suggested not only the tiger was faked, but the scene as well . Finally, he pledged with his head.

Zhou immediately rebuked that he would put himself as well as his son into jail if he had fooled the public

The incident soon gained a national-wide concern. People called it Scientist PK Farmer. Most netizens doubted Zhou; some made further analysis on the pictures from the points of photography, zoology and graphic processing. But Zhou Zhenglong was not alone. The provincial Ministry of Forestry sided firmly with Zhou. Wang Yunshan(王云山), an officer there asserted the pictures were true though they had a little bit distortion because the pictures had been magnified. He also revealed the ministry had applied to the national ministry for building a new reserve and was going to attract tourists by the name of tigers.

The local government has circled an area that forbids any out-comers in, claiming it for tiger protection. But on websites, people interpreted this as covering up the fact. On 20th, Oct, a reporter who tried to explore the scene where Zhou encountered the tiger was detained. The village officer extorted for 10000 yuan, though he finally left without paying the fine.

24th, Oct, Zhou and officers from provincial government left for Beijing to report to the national ministry. Soon the national ministry declared they would found a team for special investigation. The real story behind this mystery was yet unknown.

Roundup of voices form blogsphere

1. When a gory gambling replaces science.

Many netizens criticized the both sides’ savage pledges that have gone beyond scientific discussion.

Dan Shibing (单士兵)stated:

对真相进行不懈的探求,必须对科学有起码敬畏。而“以脑袋担保”的科研工作者与“以拉上儿子一起坐牢”的现代公民,却在以暴力与漠视生命的方式对待问题分歧,这是对科学理性的侮辱,是在亵渎文明的尊严。

Exploring the truth requires the awe to science. However, when the scientific researcher “pledged with his head” and a citizen took “putting himself with his son into jail” as a wager, they treated the contention in a violent way, so apathetic to life. It’s an insult to the reason of science, profaning the dignity of civilization.

Another netizen in Tom.com mocked:

两个完全不同的观点，如果真的能杀头，看来必有一个人要拿脑袋出来了。等着看笑话吧。

The two points of view are distinct. They swore with their heads so that one of two will have to hand in his head. Let’s wait for a joke.

Cai Fanghua(蔡方华) on Beijing Youth argued for a more rational solution:

他们还有更多的事情要做，比如说，通过中立的机构如世界自然基金会，联系国内外虎类专家和实验室，对照片及其拍摄地进行鉴定。周正龙的照片是真是假，不能仅凭少数官员的一柄放大镜去甄别……而应遵循严格的科学程序。否则，既不能让华南虎踏实，也不能让公众满意，更无法让国际社会信服。

It (the local government that insists on the pictures’ veracity) has a lot more to do. For example, it can ask some independent agencies such as WWF and domestic or foreign experts to identify the pictures. Whether true or not should not be decided by a few officials. It needs to follow strict scientific process. Otherwise, public won’t be content, let alone the international society.

Blogger Chen Tan (陈潭)suggests more practical measures of animal protecting:

保护华南虎就是保护人类自己，保护人类的文明。不要让毫无意义的争论成为焦点.……用脑袋能担保华南虎的未来吗？显然不能。是时候正视我们脆弱的保护动物理念了，从现在开始，保护动物比任何争论更实在。

To protect South China tigers is to protect human ourselves. Don’t let the meaningless contention be a focus. ……Can we guarantee the tigers’ future with heads? Of course not. It’s time to face out fragile notion of animal protecting; that’s more important than any argument.

2. loss of trust

Deng Haijian(邓海建) moaned for the loss of trust:

一个科学问题，走上了“绯闻主义路线”，不知道是谁的悲哀？……在这个问题上，有很多深层次的问题值得我们反思和警醒：为什么一个个科学发现越来越容易被民众质疑为PS？为什么科研机构和职能部门的科学公信力竟然如此稀薄？辩论之热烈与实证之寥落为何如此对比鲜明？

A science issue came to be a stunt. Whose tragedy is it? We need more introspection. Why are public so inclined to questioning scientific findings? Why do the scientific departments and authority have so little credit among people? Why do we put more effort on empty debate than on searching for factual demonstration?

3.The economic connotation beyond

Chen Qingzhi (陈庆之) in BlogChina analyzed the economics and political factor:

这是一只有着中国特色的华南虎，这是一只政绩和利益加身的华南虎。某一部分人会因为这只老虎的发现，成就政绩一件，升官发财自不在话下。某部门会由于华南虎的发现，会从国家得到一笔数目不菲的专项资金，用于保护当地野生的华南虎，这样许多人便有了虎口夺食的机会。

This is a tiger with Chinese typicality. It involved officials’ chances for promotion and other economic benefit. Some people will get promoted because the finding is a big contribution. Certain government departments will get a large amount of specific fund from the nation to protect the wildlife so that some people have chance to snatch food from tigers. (He alludes someone might take chance to defalcate)

Finally, Liu Maohua(刘茂华)preferred there is no tiger.

我同样希望不要有真的野生华南虎，倘若有，那些猎杀者、贩卖者定会蜂拥而至，再怎么凶猛的华南虎将会再次绝迹。那些打着保护幌子的“文明人”会以保护的名义打着各自的小算盘……他们会大规模建设旅游园地，开发各种各样的旅游项目，把活生生的野生华南虎关进死气沉沉的铁笼。
发现真的野生华南虎之日，也就是真的野生华南虎的灾难日和灭顶之日。

I don’t hope there are tigers. Poachers and illicit sellers will swarm to there. However fierce the tigers are they will extinct again. And those “good men” will pretend to protect tigers but actually seek profit for themselves. They will build a large resort and develop tour projects, incarcerating lively tigers into lifeless cages.

The day that people find wild tigers is the day of tigers’ doom.

17 comments · »»

Russia: Bloggers On George W. Bush and “Russian DNA”

Veronica Khokhlova · 00:24

lingua → pt · es

The U.S. president's recent comments about “Russian DNA” did not cause as much of an uproar as did race comments by James Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA - but, they did not go completely unnoticed.

The Washington Post chided George W. Bush for “portraying the neo-Soviet backsliding as inevitable, as somehow genetic” in the Oct. 19 editorial (which has received 52 comments):

[…] Mr. Bush has spent the past six years insisting that no country, culture or religion is inhospitable to democracy. […] But at a White House news conference […], Mr. Bush questioned “whether or not it's possible to reprogram the kind of basic Russian DNA, which is a centralized authority.” In so doing, he echoed the laziest thinking of cultural determinists — those who said that South Korea could never be democratic because of its Confucian culture, and were proved wrong; who said that Indonesia could never be democratic because of its Muslim faith, and were proved wrong; and who say today that Russia will never escape its czar-serf history.

Russian bloggers and forum dwellers, too, reacted to the U.S. president's statement - and, surprisingly, some seemed to almost agree with his judgment.

Below are a few responses, translated from Russian. (A GV translation of the Russian-language comments on the James Watson controversy is here.)

Irina Alksnis/LJ user alksnis, political scientist and daughter of the notorious Russian politician Victor Alksnis:

Strange that everyone's got so excited about the innocent remark by our George Bush, Jr. Because there was nothing in what he said that's not mentioned in any Russian history textbook, beginning from middle school. Namely: the geopolitical conditions - a giant territory with bad infrastructure, an extremely long border, hostile neighbors from practically every direction - determined the state politics that attempted to deal with these challenges to keep the country intact.

And the result of it was harsh authoritarian management - because it was taking so long for the monarch's orders to reach Irkutsk or Khabarovsk, or even Perm or Yekaterinburg, that the level of harshness of its implementation was likely to diminish due to the banal geographic remoteness of the central authorities. Even serfdom was nothing but a forced measure of the state that served to prevent depopulation of the country's central part through migration of the population to the east. This was unacceptable in terms of the country's economic, political, military and any other securities.

And this century-long policy has affected the population's mentality. As a result, Russians tend to [require] care from the state, sway from one extreme to another - from total obedience to spontaneous rebellion and anarchy, don't really believe they are capable of self-government, et cetera.

[…] Bush's DNA comment is a bit over the top, of course, but the mentality - we have what we have. And that he said it with an obviously negative attitude, it's his problems, not ours. And, judging from historical experience, national mentality is capable of changing. It just requires certain effort over a long period of time. So, if we will it, we'll have it all. If we [bother to will it]…

LJ community ru_politics:

pozandtiv:

Unfortunately, he is right ((

[…]

uncle_ko_13:

And what did you expect from Bush after [Vladimir Putin's] trip to Iran and the statements and agreements he made while there? [Americans] are shocked. So [the little Bush] bit the way he could. As for re-programming the DNA - let him try - he'll [fail spectacularly].

dstrtn:

Putinjugend [Nashi youth movement, for example] must be experiencing a cognitive dissonance right now - on the one hand, they can't resist their urge to […] obey “a centralized authority,” while on the other, this is Bush, right, […] the man who is buying up Russia through Kasparov, and there's nothing valuable that he may say. […] Putinjugend! Stop being Bush's rug! Stop supporting centralized authority!

A medical disscusion forum, DrugMe.ru:

sliding:

[…] Medical professionals, please comment on this [Bush's DNA] statement! :))

twi:

Despite genetically predetermined stupidity, he said a clever thing. But not a correct one. What we have in the government is the fruit of political technologies [spin doctoring], and not what the carriers of the [nation's] genome are willing.

sliding:

[…] I do not completely agree. Spin doctors don't appear out of nowhere, they rely on certain inclination of a specific nation, etc.

Something that appears to be a science fiction fans' forum:

ShtushaKutusha:

Genetic and biological basis for democracy? Cool.

i-rek:

This is an excuse, next they'll say that if it can't be re-programmed, it's got to be deleted.

ZlobnyiMalchik:

It should be noted that the majority of Russians do not accept democracy themselves. […] Excuse me, not the majority, but a big enough segment.

Yekaterinburg city forum:

DoctorADS:

[…] He's got some of it right… […]

Fraktsiya zabanenykh - za MEDVEDA:

It hurts twice as much when [an inept person] says the truth about you.

SergeyAKa™:

[…] Sad as it is, Russia thrived only in the absence of democracy. As soon as a kind czar appeared, there was either decline, or, worse, a revolution.

4 comments · »»