Whenever the world of American politics seems irredeemably bleak, I thank the stars that we at least have China to give us some perspective. The BBC featured a story by documentarian Weijun Chen, whose recent Please Vote for Me chronicles the cutthroat competition among 8-year old students for the prestigious position of class monitor:
They had to undertake several tasks to impress their classmates, such as performing a musical “turn” in front of the class, making speeches and taking part in debates where they had to point out each other’s faults.
Anyone who questions if China is ready for democracy, let this settle your fears:
Cheng Cheng ensured that his classmates shouted down Xu Xiaofei before she had even started to speak, and she found it difficult to recover.
The next day he told her it had all been Luo Lei’s doing, and then proceeded to boo Luo-Lei off the stage.
Later, in a debate in front of the class, he accused him of being a dictator who had beaten his classmates while he had been child monitor.
In this observer’s opinion, our presidential debates would sure be a lot more interesting if all the candidates had to play tuba before being allowed to speak.
