The Red, White & Blue

Last week I passed around a blank sheet of paper and asked each student to write any question they have about American culture, politics and society. So I knew this week that I would be discussing topics of interest on a subject I'm knowledgeable about. It was the best discussion all semester with some students actually participating!

Some questions were rather light and funny, while others were more inquisitive and serious:

"Does everyone have casual sex like they do in American movies?"
"How did Indians (Native Americans) influence American culture?"
"Are American housewives really like the characters in the show Desperate Housewives?"
"How old are women when they get married? How many children do they typically have?"
"Are Americans more accepting of black people after President Obama was elected?"
"What do American women look for in and find attractive about Chinese men?"

I made sure to discuss every inquiry. For a few, I had to do a little research in order to provide a good answer, especially one question in particular. Two students asked about my opinions on America "not thinking that Taiwan is a part of China" and the recent weapons sale to Taiwan. I was surprised to see these two questions written down. The issues surrounding the status of Taiwan independence are the Chinese government's Achilles heel. For example, China refuses to do business with any country that asserts Taiwan's sovereignty. A few other foreign teachers warned I would be entering dangerous territory, but I didn't want to ignore the students' questions after I encouraged them to ask whatever they wanted. Because of the sensivity of the topic, I had to be very careful in crafting my response.

I mostly quoted statements issued by both the Obama and Bush administrations, which essentially leave the American government's stance vague and arbitrary, causing my response to also be. In addressing the $1.6 billion sale of weapons, I said that it was an economic exchange, not a political move. One student then proceded to ask, "How would Americans feel if the Chinese government sold weapons to California?" I explained that wouldn't happen because California doesn't have it's own army (Taiwan does) and continued to emphasis economical reasons for the transaction. While this one student did seem to get aggravated, I kept the conversation from getting heated. My communications degree in rhetoric proved helpful in the situation. I made a conscious effort to avoid saying "Taiwanese government" or any way insinuating that Taiwan has a separate government. (Although Taiwan actually does - It has its own president, political parties, judicial system, tax system, etc. A Chinese passport isn't even valid for entry; Mainland Chinese have to purchase a visa).

So the class discussions went great even though I touched upon a very delicate issue. I succeeded in not angrying or offending anyone! Everyone paid attention and no one appeared bored. If only past attempts at encouraging student oral participation went as well. The students were also glad to not have to do any writing after turning in their preposterous final papers!