Chinese Democracy

I recently picked up a copy of Poorly Made In China by Paul Midler who relates his experience as a liaison between Chinese manufacturers and the American importers who hire them. The book came highly recommended and so far it has been quite entertaining. Please allow me to share a brief excerpt.

I heard shouting outside my apartment one evening. At first, I thought that an international sporting event was on television and that China had scored a meaningful goal. When the racket persisted, I looked outside and saw that a small group had gathered down on the street for something else.

They were protesters who had come from another neighborhood, and they were standing in front of a building that housed a local government office. The crowd was made up of adult men and women, and some had come as couples. They were upset about a road that was going to be built near their homes. I watched for a while as they chanted slogans. They were not particularly organized, and someone in the crowd told me that they had only heard about the new road project earlier that day.

Protesters in China were typically doubly upset. They were angry over whatever issue they were up in arms about, but they were also frustrated by the futility of their actions. By the time these protesters had learned about the road being built near their homes, it was already too late. The project was in motion and there was no stopping it.

In a democratic country, citizens have options for channeling political energies. They can establish organizations around a common purpose, recruit members, and gather and disseminate meaningful data that might enable everyone to arrive at rational conclusions. They can discuss, debate, raise awareness, lobby politicians, vote -- whatever.

"What happens next?" I asked one woman who stood watching.
"Nothing," she said.
"Nothing?"

I expected that at some point, someone was going to come out of the building and tell everyone to break it up and go home. The woman explained that the government office was actually closed. Of course it was. These angry protesters had all been shouting at an empty building -- and what was worse was that they all knew it.

I thought about this scene when I read that today in Baton Rouge several hundred teachers and supporters gathered to yell at the State Capitol... which, since the Legislature was in session, qualified as perhaps the most empty building in the State of Louisiana.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gov. Bobby Jindal called it the most important issue lawmakers would vote on this session, and possibly their entire careers. The governor's legislative package on education reform drew hundreds of teachers to the state capitol Wednesday, forcing classes to close in the Baton Rouge area.

Outside hundreds of teachers and staff covered the Louisiana State Capitol steps in red, holding signs and protesting the governor's plan on education reform.

Unfortunately for the teachers.. for their students.. for the state as whole, the entire exercise is about as useful as the Chinese roadway protest in Midler's book and here's why.

"If we get rid of tenure and they are able to lay off all veteran teachers, and I’m one of those veteran teachers, who the hell going to teach those new teachers what to do?" said one protestor.

"I vote Republican, but this system, this plan that we have, is flawed. It’s not the teachers that’s flawed. It’s the system that is flawed," said another protestor.

Voting. It's one of those "options for channeling political energies" Midler talks about. Consider your energy channeled. Now it's pretty much just all about showing you what you've won.