致美国朋友的一封信

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我亲爱的美国朋友，



正如我们一直说的，历史总是在重演。作为一个外国人，我无意评论美国今天所发生的事情，但我想向您分享一些有关1960年代中国悲惨文化大革命的故事，那里有2000万人死亡，1亿人在长达十年的政治运动中被逮捕和迫害。


1966年，毛主席发起了一场大规模的政治运动，名为“清洗阶级队伍”，他们相信中国各个社会阶级之间存在着系统性的不平等和你死我活的阶级斗争。以下是大约60年前在中国发生的一些情况。


暴乱是正当的：文化大革命组织“红卫兵”认为任何私营企业都是邪恶的，因此应予以焚烧，掠夺和破坏。图书馆，寺庙，教堂甚至公墓也被摧毁。暴徒认为是没收私人资产是国家财富重新分配给较低的社会阶层的一种合理方法。


粉碎警察机关和执法部门：红卫兵通过改革了执法规则和政策，给予其成员超过警察和执法部门的执法权限，还鼓励人们攻击并砸烂公检法等当地的执法部门，以在其社区中制造动荡。


关闭学校：红卫兵认为传统的教育和知识是社会不平等和阶级斗争的根源。人们拥有的知识越多，他们就会越反动。因此，从小学到大学，全国的学校都被命令永久关闭。所有的教师和教授都被归类为资产阶级走资派，送往再教育集中营。数以百万计的学龄青年被迫流离失所并搬到农村，在那里他们只被允许接受有关阶级斗争的宣传教导。约有15万人自杀，因为他们无法忍受心理折磨，并对未来失去希望。


沉默的自由都没有：每个人要么全心全意地支持文化大革命，要么被送往农业地区的再教育集中营。对于那些归为走资派的人，例如地主，教师，教授，专业人员，富农和私营企业主，必须进行再教育。数以百万计的家庭被迫分开，许多人再也见不到面。在“再教育” 期间，有一百万人因为他们在斗争中受到暴力迫害而丧生。


政治上的正确性和社会秩序的破坏：一场革命热像风暴一样席卷了中国。红卫兵是最杰出的战士，他们摧毁了他们认为不合适的任何东西。全国许多历史遗迹和文物被摧毁。由于对政治不当行为的极端关注，所有文学期刊和书籍都停止发行。由红卫兵直接监导的四部革命性样板戏是整个国家唯一的戏剧娱乐。人们与亲朋好友的日常交流中的每一句话都必须以毛主席的语录开头。在1960年代虽然没有互联网和电话审查制度的情况下，红卫兵鼓励并奖励市民举报邻居，朋友，妻子/丈夫和父母等违反规则的人。


我在下面列出的只是中国文化大革命期间真实发生的一些快照。你们中有些人可能认为这个故事太荒谬了，甚至近乎不可能。并非只有您一个人这样想，政治运动造成的长达十年的社会混乱如此残酷，以至于当今许多历史学家仍在努力理解那时期的人们为什么能那么疯狂。


但是，请不要忘记，随着记忆的消逝，过去的事件可能会变成现在的事件，就在我们眼前。


愿上帝保佑美国！


你的中国朋友。


My dear friends, 


As we have always said, history repeats itself. As a foreigner,  I have no intention to comment on what is happening today in the US, but I want to share you some stories about the tragic cultural revolution in China back to 1960s, where over 20 million people died, and 100 million people were persecuted during the decade-long political movement.


In 1966, Chinese Communist Party leader Chairman Mao launched a massive political movement called “cleansing the class ranks”, with a belief that there are the systematic inequality and life-and-death struggles among various social classes in China. Below are what had truly happened in China about 60 years ago.


•Rebellion was justified: The cultural revolution organization “Red Guards” believed any private business is evil thus should be burned, looted, and destroyed. Libraries, temples, churches, and even cemeteries were also destroyed. Rebellion was considered as a well justified way to confiscate private assets and accumulate a nation’s wealth in order to reallocate them to the lower social classes.


•Smashed police authorities and law enforcement: Red Guards reformed the rules and policies of law enforcement by allowing the authority of their origination members surpassed that of polices and law enforcement units. People were also encouraged to attack and smash their local law enforcement department in order to create turmoil in their communities.


•Shutdown academia: Red Guards believed traditional education and knowledge were the root cause of the social inequality and warfare. The more knowledge people have, the more reactionary they will be. Therefore, schools in the country were all ordered to permanently close, from elementary schools to universities. All teachers and professors were classified as the suspect social class and sent to re-education concentration camps. Millions of school-age youth more were forcibly displaced and moved to the countryside, where they were only allowed to take the propaganda teachings about class struggle. About 150K people committed suicides because they were not able to stand the psychological torture and losing hope for the future.


•Silence was never a choice: Everyone had to either wholeheartedly support the cultural revolution or been sent to the re-education concentration camps in agrarian areas.  For those from a suspect social class, like landlords, teachers, professors, professionals, rich peasants, and private business owners, re-education was mandatory. Millions of families were forcibly separated and many of them never met again. More than a million of people died during the “re-education” because they were violently persecuted, especially in the struggle sessions.


•Political correctness and the destruction of social order: A revolutionary fever swept China like a storm. Red Guards acted as the most prominent warriors to destroy anything they considered were inappropriate. Numerous historical sites and artifacts throughout the country were destroyed. Because of their extreme concern about political incorrectness, all the literary periodicals and books ceased publication. Four revolutionary model operas directly supervised by Red Guards were the only theatrical entertainment for the entire country. Every sentence in people’s daily communications with their friends and family members must start with Chairman Mao's Quotations. Without internet and phone censorship in 1960s, but Red Guards encouraged and rewarded people who reported their neighbors, friends, wife/husband, and parents for breaking the rules.


What I listed below are only some snapshots that had truly happened during the Cultural Revolution in China. Some of you may think the story is too ridiculous to be even possible. You are not alone, the decade-long period of social chaos caused by the political movement have such unfathomable brutality that many historians today still struggle to make sense of the craziness of people during the period. 


But, don’t forget, as memory fades, events from the past could become events of the present, right before our eyes.


May God Bless America!


Your Friend.