"Your whole family are Communists!" / Teng Biao

Geneva, March 14, 2016. I attended a seminar at the United Nations Palace to commemorate the second anniversary of the persecution of human rights activist Cao Shunli to death. Received this email today:

Teacher Teng: With the approval of the Party Committee of the Law School, the Party Branch of the Law School of China University of Political Science and Law is scheduled to hold a branch meeting at 2:00 pm on March 16, 2016 in Class 211, Xueyuan Road Campus of our school, to make a resolution on Teng Biao's voluntary departure from the Party. Notify you to attend.

The inscription is "Party Branch of Lawyers of the Party Committee of China University of Political Science and Law".

I couldn't attend this party meeting, but I felt the need to confide in the party. If the party wants to give me an explanation, I will give the party an explanation first.

Let me give the party a word first

Almost every Chinese child born in the so-called new China and raised under the so-called red flag is full of infinite love and admiration for the "Communist Party". In countless critical junctures of life and death, it is always the Communists who rush to the front: those who save children on the railroad tracks, those who block bullet holes on the battlefield, those who drown in cesspools to save collective supplies, those who kill Chinese compatriots with explosives in their hands, even if not A Communist Party member must also take out a letter of volunteering to join the Party before he dies; A crazy love for the Communist Party is not cultivated in a day or two. It condenses the hard work, passion and imagination of countless writers, soul engineers, political counselors, historical fabricators, film and television workers, musicians, and mentally disabled parents.

Communists are a very special species on earth. They grasp the truth of the universe, the laws of history, and the ultimate ideal of mankind. What they want to achieve is paradise on earth and communism. Seeing death as if at home, not believing in gods and not afraid of retribution, all in one heart and one mind, doing good things and doing bad things, for the sake of party spirit, "revolution in the depths of the soul", "fighting private words for a flash", every party member is extremely pure in body and mind saint. Once murderers, corrupt elements, traitors, and bad elements who maintain improper relationships with many women and relax their ideological and political studies infiltrate the party, they will definitely be discovered, expelled from the party, and thrown back into the ranks of the masses. This ensures that It ensures the absolute purity and advancement of the party members, and at the same time ensures the impurity and backwardness of the masses. Every time the party makes a mistake, it proves that the party has a strong ability to correct mistakes, and that the party is great, glorious and correct; in this way, we understand the reason why the party is so keen to make mistakes.

I am an example of the remarkable effect of the CCP's education (xi) education (nao) system. From elementary school, middle school, until I was admitted to Peking University, I was the most obedient student. I never contradicted the teacher, never read manuscripts, never skipped classes, never fought, with good grades and red thoughts. Three good students, outstanding team members and other awards received a bunch of awards - that is to say, I was basically destroyed. I have never thought with my own head. For a rural child born in the late Cultural Revolution, struggling to survive, going to university was almost the only chance to change his fate. There is no extracurricular reading material, no money to travel, and no chance to meet someone who is not mentally retarded, so becoming mentally retarded is a natural thing.

The process of getting rid of the mentally disabled state is difficult, complicated and delicate. This could be the subject of a doctoral dissertation spanning totalitarian psychology, genealogy of brainwashing, educational anthropology, sociology of knowledge, and political communication. But Chinese doctors dare not write, they can't pass the censorship, and they can't find a job after passing the censorship. Personally, the influencing factors include Peking University, some professors, some classmates, some books, some underground movies, and some events. This paragraph is omitted for the time being, and I don't tell the average person.

did not take the oath of membership

Finally speaking of joining the party. Some classmates submitted their applications for party membership in the first week after entering university, and they were quickly approved. In primary and secondary schools, the "best" children can enter the Young Pioneers and the Communist Youth League first, and those who are backward in thinking must go to the back row. Although I am mentally retarded, it is nothing compared to the excellent (nao) show (can) children from all over the country, so I automatically gave up the competition to join the party. When I was about to graduate from my undergraduate degree, I heard that party tickets are useful. Many work units, government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and colleges and universities only recruit party members or give priority to recruiting party members. I was a little anxious, but it was too late. Or those who write the application first have a long-term vision.

During postgraduate study, the competition was less intense. In fact, there were not many latecomers who did not join the Party. The branch asked me to write an application, and I could see the meaning: firstly, to express the trust in you from the organization; secondly, you are a talented person from Peking University. You don’t join the party to serve the party. Do you have any opinions on the party? Who do you want to serve? - I'm just half way through. On the one hand, I was already at the stage of rapid awakening, and my love for the party turned to hatred; but on the other hand, I have never seen a person who joined the party because of his belief in communism, and faced finding a job two years later. There is no harm in doing it once, and there is no need to have any mental burden; the economic burden is only to eat a few chicken legs every month and pay the party dues. In fact, there is another idea that seems to be quite "intentional" now: intellectuals in the 1980s often said that the fortress is the easiest to break through from the inside, so sometimes I feel that I have infiltrated the party organization with a glorious mission against the party. of.

So I found a template for the application for joining the party and copied it, and it was rushed. But I swear, I didn't take the oath of party membership. The situation at the time was as follows: Before the collective oath of about 40 or 50 new party members, the leader said that today the TV station is also here, and they are going to the Jingyuan lawn to film the oath scene. I was extremely disgusted by this and ran away.

In short, before I joined the party, I was already alienated and hostile to the party's organizational method, discourse style, and ideological system. Someone wants to scold me: Since you know about the June 4 massacre, you still want to join the party. How do you explain this? I’ll be honest: I can’t explain this, it’s a stain in my life that’s hard to wash away, and it makes me unable to hold my head up in front of those seniors and peers who have never thought about joining the Party. If such a colleague reprimanded in person, I would definitely take off my shirt and drink three more glasses.

Party spirit and human nature are decidedly opposed

Now let's talk about the naive's idea: joining the party can have the opportunity to transform the party or even the opposition party within the party. But our party is full of crimes, has no intention to change, and dare not change, and it is still going further and further on the evil road. More importantly, after getting rid of the mentally disabled state, I realized (for someone like me who is still mentally disabled at the age of 18, it takes a lifetime of hard work to overcome the red poison): the party's survival rule is reverse elimination, principled and independent. People with different spirits and conspiracies basically have no chance in the party. Those who can climb to the top are basically those with backgrounds, those who can engage in relationships, those who dare to be corrupt, those who dare to lie, those who dare to kneel, and those who dare to shoot. The outstanding achievements are second. Therefore, if a sincere person wants to climb to a high position in this system, it is not only extremely unlikely, but also in the process, using Marx's classic concept, he has long been "alienated", and when he becomes a director and governor, human nature It has long been eroded by the party spirit; the word "crawl" also vividly shows that during this process, it is impossible to walk upright. You have become a part of the system, and everything you have comes from the autocratic regime. It is impossible for you not to participate in evil on the road of ascension, and it is impossible not to do your best to maintain the party-state system. Taking a ten thousand steps back, even if you become a director and governor, this level does not have the ability and opportunity to challenge the authoritarian regime.

Reminds me of the debate between Li Honglin, a famous democrat in the party, and his son: Li Honglin was transferred to the Central Propaganda Department, and he thought he could use the power there to do the work of emancipating the mind. His son Li Shaoming responded, "The purpose of establishing the Propaganda Department is to control the mind; if the mind is to be emancipated, the Propaganda Department should be abolished, not strengthened." By the way, praise the party media Qianlong.com, who criticized the reactionary party member Ren Zhiqiang and said, " The annihilation of party spirit and the rampant human nature." The party spirit and human nature are decidedly opposed, and it is rare for the party media to be so straightforward and bold.

My desire to quit the party was born not long after I joined the party in 1997. In 1998, dissidents who participated in the organization of the China Democracy Party were arrested and sentenced on a large scale. The social reality that people who are not blind see every day: forced demolition, torture, black prisons, bean curd, poisoned milk powder, poisoned vaccines, corruption, money laundering, collusion between officials and black people, unjust cases, election manipulation, indiscriminate killing of innocents, forced abortion, religion Persecution, text prison, 50 cents, urban management, secret police, internet blockade, overseas kidnapping... The more I understand the various evil deeds of this gang, the stronger the idea of subverting the regime becomes. Once I chatted with Liao Yiwu after drinking, I said that the Liangzi I forged with the Party was not so much political as it was aesthetic. Of course Liao Beard felt the same way. Everything about the party is too ugly, from the Politburo report to the behavior of officials at the drinking table, from dialectics to the flag, from the news broadcast to the daily editorial body, from the official image of literature and art to the model of party members, from the Spring Festival Gala to The red song and square dance are all perverse, bloody, disgusting, and extremely vulgar. From the beginning I refused to participate in almost every party life. Although the body is in the camp of thieves, the spirit has already revolted.

After I started teaching at China University of Political Science and Law in 2003, I felt that my opportunity had finally come. Peking University notified me of the transfer of organizational relations, but I refused to do so and stopped paying party dues, thinking that I would decouple myself from the party. Unexpectedly, a year later, the party branch of the Law School of Law University asked me for party fees again. Did I say that I had left the party organization? She said, how is it possible? The organization automatically takes over, so you should pay the party dues. I was shocked, but the reply said, I don't pay. The little girl didn't understand. I explained that you told the above that I don’t pay party dues, and I haven’t participated in organizational life for several years. I want to quit the party in this way.

At that time, Falun Gong was fighting the "three withdrawals". Although I quit the party, it had nothing to do with them, but a university teacher who was just named one of the "Top Ten Legal Figures in 2003" by CCTV and Falun Gong quit the party together. Fun thing. Therefore, the school party committee and the law school party committee urgently strengthened their ideological and political work and policy attack on me. The situation at the time was that if I quit the party publicly, I might not be able to keep the university teaching position I finally found. So he had to promise not to publicly quit the party. But I still don't participate in any party activities. As for the party fees, it seems that I have been deducted from my salary or subsidies.

The people's psychological identification with party members has quietly changed dramatically

Since 2003, I have been tossing and turning, Sun Zhigang, Gongmeng, Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, Hu Jia, Falun Gong, black brick kiln, poisoned milk powder, direct election by Beijing Lawyers Association, Charter 08, Tibet 314 Report, 2009 Beijing Intellectuals Commemorating June 4th, The 2010 Xia Junfeng case and the Fujian Three Netizens case, the 2011 Jasmine Flower, the 2012 New Citizens Movement, the 2014 Hong Kong Victoria Park speech... I always like to intervene when the party is upset. The party treats me not badly: from the media ban, suspension of classes, house arrest, revocation of lawyer's license, confiscation of passport, to expulsion, smearing with five cents, kidnapping, disappearance, torture, and implicated family members. It has not been a day or two since I cut myself off from the Party's reactionary road.

Now I suddenly received such an email, reminding me that I was still having an improper relationship with the party. This is how I understand the legitimate relationship between party members and the party: party members have the right to vote directly to elect secretaries and general secretaries at all levels; The goal is to seize power, but it should be by competing with friendly parties for votes, not by putting friendly party members in prison. It would be too shameful to win like this. . . . I wonder if a single party member has a legitimate relationship with the biggest political party in the world. Maybe except for the eccentric couple who copied the party constitution on their wedding night.

Over the past few months, the party has packed hundreds of human rights lawyers in one go. At this time, a letter like this suddenly came to me. Now it's my turn to think it's not fun. Reminds me of that joke: an old man gave up his seat to a pregnant woman when he saw that no one gave up his seat to a pregnant woman on the bus. While grateful, the pregnant woman said, "Are you a member of the Communist Party!" The old man became anxious: "Who is a member of the Party? You are the member of the Party, and your whole family is a member of the Communist Party!"

I'd love to know how real party members understand this joke. Here's how I see it: The party hasn't changed, but people's hearts have changed, people's hearts are scattered, and it's not easy to lead the team. The gang that has lost countless lives is now facing a revolution. From the perspective of the effective management of the gang, joining the party for the great communist ideal, although it causes ideological fanaticism and barbarism, it has cohesion after all; and joining the party for power, money, sex, and job opportunities may not even have cohesion. . The wicked Internet and wicked capitalism, the ever-increasing IQ of the people, the ever-expanding contradictions between the government and the people, the global process of democratization and liberalization, and the advanced nature of the party members who got rich first have all contributed to the identity of the Communist Party members. Encountered unprecedented embarrassment.

In fact, party members are also divided into ordinary party members and Zhao family party members. "All Communist Party members are equal, but the Communist Party members with the surname Zhao are more equal." The Zhao family is the monopoly of resources and the culprit of all kinds of evil deeds. However, the revolutionary situation is developing rapidly, and the process of polarization of ideas is accelerating. The identity of "party members" has become more and more the object of ridicule among the people, and may even become the object of venting anger in the future. It is becoming more and more contradictory and embarrassing that free intellectuals, dissidents, and rights defenders have CCP membership at the same time. These people, especially well-known liberals, will face criticism if they publicly take pride in their party membership, or if they acknowledge the legitimacy of the CCP and the goodwill of the CCP for transformation in public discourse. This phenomenon was completely unimaginable ten years ago. For a long time, there has been no contradiction between publicizing party membership, making criticisms and suggestions to the party, and promoting the cause of freedom and democracy. But over the past decade, political psychology has quietly undergone surprising changes with the political situation.

This article of mine can also be regarded as an official release of the curse and a complete withdrawal from the CCP organization. I used to be a member of this evil gang, and I paid party fees first and then passively to fund their evil deeds; no matter how I argue, this is my stain. I hereby apologize again to the victims of the CCP’s dictatorship who are not members of the party. Will make up for it. This is of course a humble statement. Over the years, I have neither credit nor hard work for the great cause of the anti-Party. Hong Kong journalist Jiang Xun, known as a member of the Communist Party, immediately filed a defamation lawsuit, winning the lawsuit and receiving 850,000 yuan in compensation. In the future, whoever wants to say that I am a party member, although I will not prosecute, but be careful, I will also say something like, "Your whole family is a member of the Communist Party!"

2016.6.5 First issue of "Trends" 370