Absurdity, Allegory and China

While the earthquake disaster moves from the primary focus of rescue to the grimmer work of recovery and cleanup, there will, no doubt, be some hard questions asked, especially regarding the safety of schools. In fact, parents are asking those questions now as they sort through the bodies and the rubble. As the news continues to come in the number of injuries and deaths related to collapsing schools is horrifying, and as one who has spent a bit of time in countryside schools, I must say I am stunned at the level of damage but not surprised.

I have no idea what vintage the ruined schools are, though I would guess that most, if not all, of them have been built over the past twenty years. If there are national codes for school construction I am unaware of them, though I am not insinuating that they don’t exist. If, in fact, national codes do exist, it is a safe bet to assume that in many countryside systems corners have been and continue to be seriously cut. It will not be difficult to see just how drastically they have been trimmed by photographing the shattered and broken structural cores in the wreckage. There is a reason for a minimum of rebar (reinforcing rods and bars of steel) in concrete construction. As buildings have tumbled and collapsed, the evidence, or lack of it, is glaringly exposed in the rubble. I can only hope that there are people taking detailed photos of the destruction, and that there will be official accountability for those who have profited but not fulfilled their obligations as caretakers of the children.

At a time of such staggering physical and emotional devastation I do not mean to be morbidly finger-pointing, but there are crimes to be addressed, and at the moment the evidence is exposed for everyone to see. To build schools that are structurally unsound in order to pocket money is as lowdown a crime as any I can imagine. It is the primary duty of responsible adult officials to do their best to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and ensuring sound school construction is as fundamental a duty as there is. Consolidation has closed many smaller local schools and in the countryside, where schools are often boarding facilities, students have to travel great distances to attend, and the schools are, in fact, proxy homes. A safe school, more often than not, has to do with the building, especially in earthquake zones, which is to say nearly all of China.

As the photos, films and videos continue to be shown I am sick as I watch the number of dead and injured children, and the terrible pain of the parents who have to sort through the bodies as they try to find their child. I doubt that there is anything more difficult for a parent to do, and right now thousands are involved in the most ghastly work of their lives.
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Hugh Jorgen at Zhongnanhai gives CCTV and the Ministry of Propaganda a well-deserved slap to the head for their pathological lack of decorum.
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The Grandpa Wen syndrome, which I personally find annoying, may, in fact, have a deeper meaning for the Chinese people, and I feel quite incapable to judge that. I can only judge from my American POV, and I must say that if I were a victim, the last person I would want to see would be Dick Cheney; I feel quite sure his presence would elicit a criminal response. But it is quite obvious that Mr. Wen is not a Dick Cheney. The past six months have cast Mr. Wen in a ‘Premier Zhou’ light with the People, and anyone who pays any attention knows how much the country needs healing after the disasters that continue to challenge China as it prepares to step out onto the bigger stage.