Dodson Chapter One

A few (and by a few I mean almost eight) years ago, my mother and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to and through China to finalize the process of adopting my sister.  We were there for two weeks.  While I went through the country from Beijing, all the way to Hong Kong on our last day, I was able to witness the aura of control over the country that would not seem to relent.  While talking to our guide and translator, Lisa, my mom discussed her faith, at which Lisa said that she, too, was also Christian.  Quickly, she flashed us a pink, wire-wound style cross that hung around her neck on a single black cord.  However, she quickly put it away, saying that if any authority saw her with it, she would be put in jail, and who knows what else.  I remember that I was so startled by the severity of a simple necklace and a personal faith.

While reading chapter one of China Inside Out, I was not necessarily surprised or found out anything that I was too “shocked” by, but my awareness was definitely heightened by the examples given.  For instance, how blatant the official was after attempting to shove a little girl into a restroom for sexual assault.  I felt sick.  Then he decided he could pay his way out of his wrong-doing?  I just did not understand.  Another part of the chapter that I enjoyed was the grass-mud horse.  I thought the term was clever and I almost felt proud of the people for taking a minor action to bend the rules.

As far as the pornography is concerned, I felt that it was not really “banned” as much as used as an excuse to attack every individual on the web who they did not agree with.  During this section of the chapter, a man by the name of Wang Zhaojun (p. 16) is mentioned, stating that there is a “right to free speech” within the Chinese constitution.  I was surprised, because I have always felt that China was the complete opposite, while in reality officials and the government have merely been twisting the rules and filing bogus lawsuits, etc., to be able to arrest the people of their choice.  I feel that the banishing of pornography was just used as another way of bending the rules, rather than actually following through with the cleaning of erotic material on the internet.

I cannot decide whether I enjoyed, or partially disliked, the way that Dodson assembled this first chapter.  I feel that he, at times, would spit out too many facts, and would sometimes almost become irrelevant.  I am not saying that his information stated is not useful, but rather some of it was not needed to get his point across.  I did, however, really enjoy when he used stories or legal cases as back-up to his point, and told of these events and/or individuals in a narrative type of writing.  When Dodson wrote more creatively in a “story” like format, I greatly enjoyed the reading.

P.S., I'm sorry this is so late, Mr. Salovaara.  My book just came in the mail from Amazon yesterday and I have been reading to catch up.  The rest of these responses will be posted before the end of spring break.  Thank you so much for your flexibility and giving me the idea to order it for much less off of Amazon.

See you Tuesday!