This is the graduation ceremony of the University of Pennsylvania this year. Biden took the stage to give a graduation speech. In his speech, he talked about:
"They (China) have a big problem. They lack many things we have: we have the best universities in the world, we have an open and fair legal system, we have the most keen venture capitalists in the world, and we lead the world in innovation and technology. All this is for a simple reason. When Steve Jobs gave a speech at Stanford, a young man asked him' How can I become like you', and Jobs answered that famous saying '(think different'. In a country where you can't breathe freely, you won't think differently from ordinary people; In a country that can't challenge orthodoxy, you won't have different ideas. Because change will only come from challenging orthodoxy. "
Undoubtedly, these words have deeply hurt the nerves of many people in China, and even aroused the dissatisfaction of some overseas students in China. They believe that "this is a humiliating experience" and Biden should apologize for his inappropriate remarks. So a student took the lead in drafting a letter, which was signed by more than 300 students. The letter was first submitted to the principal of the school and then forwarded to Biden's office.
It should be said that most students in China will not disagree with what Biden said. This is the fact that our education has not produced more first-class talents, our laws and regulations have yet to be improved, and our students lack the ability to innovate, so we dare not question them. In many places, we are not free.
At least, we have seen some students studying in the United States asking the Vice President of the United States to apologize for their remarks, which is absolutely beyond the imagination of most students in China.
In this regard, there are still some people who put forward the opposite opinion. They said that this has seriously involved national dignity, and an American vice president should apologize for making irresponsible remarks about China and not caring about the feelings of overseas students in China. In other words, one's family members can say that they are not good, and others are not allowed to scold them.
Maybe this is the difference between us and them. We created an environment to protect ourselves carefully. We are afraid of change and any damage to the environment we create. We would rather turn a deaf ear to other people's criticism and even turn a blind eye to our own shortcomings. This is exactly what China said: Good medicine tastes bitter and is good for illness, but advice when most unpleasant is good for action.