On October 25, 2009 the New York Times published an article titled “Salute All Cars, It’s a Rule in China” by Sharon LaFraniere. The article described a new law requiring that all school children must salute passing cars. The students at Luolang Elementary in Huangping, are seen grinning at the photographer.
The author groups the law with other dubious ones such as the law requiring Chinese citizens to buy a monthly quota of government manufactured cigarettes, and the law requiring the extermination of all dogs in the town of Heihe.
China, more so than most countries, is guilty of having too many hyperactive beureaucrats passing numerous laws that are ineffective, manipulative and corrupt. The thousands of protests annually are a testament to the civil unrest present within its borders. The government’s frequent bouts of nationalism do not help the situation.
Hundreds of responses online have condemned the law calling it pitiful, childish, Orwellian, and stupid. http://www.chinasmack.com/stories/american-school-buses-vs-chinese-children-saluting-cars/
It’s sometime wise to look beyond the ulterior motives and gauge the real effect. Look past the desire to make the country’s youth nationalistic, and more likely to salute a tank in Tiananmen Square. What is the real effect?
Construction workers are required to make eye contact with the excavator operator. It seems that a day does not pass in Vancouver when there isn’t a pedestrian hit report on the radio. In the past three days I’ve come close to hitting people on each one at dusk.
People need to learn respect for those on the road, and pedestrians need to learn respect for the half-ton square of steel coming at them at 50mph. They are far less likely to hurt each other if there is a mutual acknowledgment.
Besides, instead of saluting our cars we give them Bailouts. How is that going to harm our children?
Rob Hajdù
