The progress in American and Chinese societies.

America and China have often been thought to be polar opposites in terms of the way they manage their country. It is thus interesting to compare how differences in ideologies, education systems and gender equality etc. contributed to the progress of the two nations. First, it is only fair to ascertain the true meaning of progress. It is a universal fact that progress is not measured by just one aspect alone but a combination of many. Both societies are highly progressive since the early 1900s, so what is the difference in their progression?

The progress of a country is heavily dependent on her panel of leaders. It is therefore important that citizens of the country are politically active so that there is a level of restrain and diplomacy over the political field. America and China have been progressing economically at an alarming rate, the first and second largest economic body in the world respectively. As a country develops economically, it is natural that her citizens become more and more political apathetic as they see no need and no use for them to be involved in politics when everything is "fine the way it is”. Such a phenomenon is especially prominent in the youths of both societies, which supposedly results in a stagnation of the political development of a country. However, in my opinion, it is flawed to say that political apathy in a society signifies that the country have not progressed politically. The rapid development of technology has enabled citizens to get to know more about politics and develop a more critical view on policies by the government. Hence, they would and have the ability to become politically active when the need arises, as well as develop a better judgement on whether it requires their intervention. In 1992, there was a sudden spike in the number of voters, especially in youths due to an economic crisis in America.  Unemployment in Britain rose from 1,600,000 to nearly 3,000,000 between April 1990 and February 1993. Following that, British economy enjoyed a record run of unbroken economic growth lasting more than 15 years, and the number of voters also fell during that period of time. This thus showed that political activeness in this time and day is dependant on the crisis the country is facing and that America is still progressing politically as its citizens are aware of politics but do not see the need for them to get involved as of now. For China, it will be more difficult for political progress to take place because of the “one political party” rule. Therefore, even if the citizens are politically aware, they are not able to do a lot about their country’s politics, making progress slightly more difficult than America.

            No progress is complete without the basis of economic progress. Economic progress ensures that a nation can still function well economically even in times of crisis. In this area, china has made revolutionary progress, especially over the past 20 years. America on the other hand, has been facing problems in her economy. On April 2, 2013, debt held by the public was approximately $11.959 trillion or about 75% of GDP. Incurring such a huge debt to other countries is not a good sign despite having a 1.7% GDP growth in the second quarter of 2013 over the previous quarter. Therefore, although America might have progressed better in other aspects, economic progress is weak due to the debts of the country that will continue to weigh down the road to rapid economic development.

            Both societies are well known for their education system, with one being criticised as too rigid, and the other, too liberal. China’s education system holds a strong believe in memorisation and regurgitation. Speaking from personal experience during an immersion trip to china, the schools do an extremely good job in teaching knowledge to their students while life job skills like project work or public speaking are less emphasised. It is true that such life job skills can only be built upon a strong foundation of knowledge, however, too much emphasis has been put on academics that the purpose having knowledge, to apply them in the real world, is neglected. Every year, there will be reports of china students getting overly stressed due to the “Gao Kao”, an examination that determines a student’s fate and slowly becoming a social marker. The ultimate question is, is this kind of system suitable for china? Such an education might have been successful in the past, however, as China is moving into a knowledge based economy, they need people who can apply their knowledge, and not walking dictionaries that can only provide politically correct definitions. In America, it is the complete opposite of what is happening in China. The education system places too little emphasis on academics and more often than not, the benefits of the liberal education system that is supposed to prepare them for the real world crumbles under the weak academic foundation. It is therefore important that both society make changes to their education system so that it can complement their economic and social progress.

            It is undeniable that the American and Chinese societies are the two most progressive societies in the current world. However, both countries lack progression in one or more factors, and their education systems do not complement that well with the progression of their societies. Therefore, progression can only take place at a rapid pace and succeed if it is done through various approaches. Tackling areas where progress is not sufficient is the mark of true progression.

Reflective journal 1

This marks my second lesson at CDE. To say the truth, i still do not have much idea about what CDE is as i am nto in the CDE class last year. From what i have gathered, we will be learning about the differences between the east and the west, as well as viewing the problems of America and China in the western perspective. While i am constantly taught how to look at things with the eastern perspective, i had lesser opportunities to look at things with the western perspective, or even knowing how the western world works. The first lesson of CDE was kick started with the introduction on Cultural Intelligence, also known as CQ for short. A video on cultural differences by HSBC was played and it is interesting to see how different countries can have such conflicting cultures. The one that i think is most relevant to me is the advertisement on the eel soup. In western culture, it is only polite to finish eating all the food on the table. However, in Chinese culture, it shows that the host is not polite if there are no leftovers. It comically shows the importance of CQ, especially in this time and world, where globalization is key.

 Thereafter, a short introduction on China's "Me" generation was done. I am greatly attracted by the uniqueness of this generation of Chinese and the impacts they bring, more importantly, it is stunning to be able to draw many parallels between the "Me" generation and Singapore's generation of youngsters, also known as the X,Y and Z generation. After reading through the Times magazine article on China's Me Generation By Simon Elegant, i was surprised at how individualistic this generation of China young adults can get. They lived in the booming China era, where everything is going on the right track, or seems to be, under the rule of the communist party. it is thus inevitable that they see no point in getting involved in politics. To them, the status quo is a fantastic way of living. Their material needs gets satisfied, they are able to travel and see the world. Everything that they want is individual. This is not only fueled by the comfortable lifestyle that they are living, but also by the horrid tales of their parents who are involved in the Great Leap Foward. Such political apathy will definitely slow down the build up of a democratic society in China, and leaves us wondering if there will ever be such a day when democracy is declared. This is also partly true when i make connections to Singapore. We are living in an age of abundance, a city of prosperity due to the hard work of our forefathers. While Singaporean teens can be politcally active, the part about living for ourselves still holds true. We also see no need to get involved in many things as the path is already nicely laid out. However, being part of the "Me" generation should not always be frowned upon. Despite being nonchalant for many things, we are more open in our thinking, which is beneficial in this highly globalized world. We also tend to have higher cultural intelligence due to the frequent use of the internet. Making use of technology and creating connections will be how this generation will be able to help the society. Rather than seeing the negative parts about the "Me" generation, why not expand on their fortes?

 The syllabus of CDE is really wide and i can already envision myself walking on the path of an enriching learning journey. By far, the most interesting topic to me would be education. Through the learning of two vastly different education systems, it will be possible to point out the fundamental differences of the east and west, which will enable me to acheive my aim in this course. While it would be a learning journey, i envisioned that this course would be enjoyable for me and i can have fun while working on the assignments. Now, let the fun begin!