Reflective
Journal 4: Reflect on the societal problems faced by China and America. (Hint:
you must definitely explain your responses to these societal problems.
How can they be resolved? Who should be responsible for resolving these
issues?)
Last year, I travelled to the city of Xi'an, China, for a
holiday. During my visit there, I remembered
a group of businessmen at a famous seafood restaurant ordering some of the most
expensive items, amongst which was a large platter of pan-fried abalone. Later,
after alighting from a coach ride to the countryside, I also recalled being repeatedly
chased by groups of beggars trying to sell me something I have not even heard
of, for "just 1 Yuan!". In
that short span of time, it was as if the societal
problem of growing income disparity in China became visible. In my
opinion, this is a problem because inequality fosters political instability,
stemming from the resentment by people who are in the lower percentile.
However, I do empathise
with this group of discontented people.
In any
modern society, rural workers earn less than their urban counterparts. Although this is normal as
there is a need to differentiate the pay of these two groups of people, this
difference should be minimised, since they are all part of the human race and
should be treated similarly. Hence, it is saddening to learn that China is treating
them so differently, to the point that urban workers get up to four times the pay of
rural workers. Being humans, these rural workers have feelings. Instinctively,
they want to enjoy the same privileges as everybody else, and as such, when
they realise their incomes are so different from the rest, it only provokes their
emotions, and it is understandable that this leads to social unrests. Nonetheless,
this is a pressing societal challenge that requires immediate attention.
To
solve this societal problem, I feel that China should make their tax gradient
steeper, so that the rich face heavier taxes while the poor face reduced taxes.
Based on my reasoning, this is because a large part of government expenditures
are used to protect the people, such as law enforcement and the military. Therefore,
those with the most to protect should pay their fair share for the protection.
However,
the real problem which stifles its implementation actually arises from the poor
reception of this policy by the elite who have the most power and say in
corrupt China. If only the elite would stop thinking about personal benefits
and spare a thought about the welfare of others, I believe this policy can be readily
implemented to alleviate this problem. Therefore, I feel that resolving this
problem is the responsibility of the elite as a whole.
Now, let us shift our focus onto the societal
problems faced by the country on the other side of the world. Last November, I entered
the keywords "American violence" into the Google search engine out of
curiosity. Exactly what would I find? It was not surprising really, as it was yet
another article on how a victim, Ann-Marie McKittrick, suffered from an assault by her husband.
America
is getting notorious for violence.
Studies
prove my personal belief right; there is a strong correlation between a
country’s reputation and people’s willingness to visit, invest, study, live, or work there. Violence
in America is a societal problem because it strikes fear into the hearts and
minds of the people, and more importantly, because it challenges the reputation
of American society as the pinnacle of human achievement.
In my opinion, I feel that the prevalence of
violence in America originates from the development of a materialistic mindset,
and the philosophical abandonment by the intellectual elite of the late 20th
Century. As American society becomes increasingly
material centred, they spend less time on what researches indicates truly makes
people happy, like family, friendship, and religion, which leads to a higher
risk of depression and anxiety. I feel
that this state of mind is the main reason why crimes are committed.However, unlike the previous solution to income disparity, societal violence cannot be eliminated by cosmetic societal changes or by quixotic political campaigns. This is because we are dealing with human emotions, motifs, and feelings that cannot be quantified or reasoned in its true essence. Try as one might, I feel it is impossible to create a reliable and effective method to instil values and morals into people. In fact, I feel that only the natural responsibility of the soul to listen to the voice of god can resolve these challenges. Therefore the only hope is in a radical change of heart by the individuals who make up their nation.
In both the American and Chinese societies, their societal
problems are controversial issues which relates to the life and interaction of their people.
It affects a
staggering 300 million people in America. It affects a whopping 1.3 billion people in China. Can anyone
still afford to ignore it now?(791 words)
