National Public Radio host Scott Simon wrote a commentary about the recent attacks on children in China:
The death of any child is impossible for a parent to bear. But imagine the loss of a child in a place in which most families are forbidden to have more than one child.
Despite the threat of repression and censorship, some Chinese are speaking out. Shi Chuan, an editorial writer for the Dahe Bao newspaper, posted a fierce column that contended school attacks occur because people in China are forbidden any real outlet to express opinions, vote for change, or vent frustrations.
“After being treated unfairly or being bullied by the authorities,” he wrote, “and unable to take revenge on those government departments that are safeguarded by state security forces, killers have to let out their hatred and anger on weaker people.”
I would be wary of anyone using that logic to explain any of our U.S. school shootings, so I am skeptical about assigning it to school killings in China. But I have never been a citizen of a country that so absolutely suppresses its own citizens. In the U.S., people blame school massacres on pop culture, lax gun laws, negligent parents, violent games, or bloodthirsty music. In China, everything traces back to the government.
