What is Political

When I grew up in China, being "political" was dangerous. Once you complain about policies made by the government, you become "political" by challenging the propaganda system. The authority will punish you, your family, and your friends. We all carefully stayed within the line to protect ourselves.

Getting used to the freedom of speech in the U.S. took me quite a few years. Then I noticed a similar fear of being political. 

For example, sports are apolitical. People cannot wear a T-shirt asking "Where is Peng Shuai" at sports games because it is a political slogan. But it is apolitical for Eileen Gu to say that Peng Shuai is "freely doing what she wants to do." to whitewash the sexual assault that the female tennis player suffered from a former Chinese prime minister.

In the same logic, some of my colleagues believe that science is apolitical, so scientists can collaborate with any country without worrying about how the government will use their research. They do not see any problem with American scientists developing artificial intelligence for Beijing, using American taxpayer's money, to catch more Uyghurs and Falun Gong and sell their organs for profit. When I talked about human rights in China, they said it was "too political," thus the conversation ended.

So, my conclusion is that for any topic, if your statement pleases the Chinese government, it is apolitical and allowed everywhere. However, if your talk point makes Beijing unhappy, it is "political." Then your expression is banned at sports games, non-political meetings, and classrooms. We do not need to wait for the Chinese Communist Party to discipline us because our local organizers are already self-censoring. Last year a Rotary club invited me to speak on human rights in China. In the email, the club president nervously asked me to be as "apolitical" as possible.

I am familiar with this canceling culture. But how to break through this obstacle? I like reading stories of Falun Gong practitioners in China taking every opportunity to talk to their neighbors, friends, or strangers. To awake fellow Chinese from propaganda, these courageous people accumulated great wisdom to start a conversation and convey the truth. Witnessing the grassroots changes in China during the past 20 years, I am amazed at how cumulative individual efforts can change a society. These were easy to say than do. It takes courage, persistence, compassion, and empathy.

The good news is that I visited that Rotary club and spoke about human rights in China. No one complained that the topic was political. I am happy to say that I am not struggling alone, even though there is still a long way to go. The club president, the audience, and I all contributed a little effort for freedom in China and here in the U.S.