Forced Military Training for Chinese Kids is 'Camp' to 'Inspire Patriotism, Teamwork and Sacrifice'

Newsbusters.org ^ | 9/5/07 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

USA Today lends a big assist in promulgating Chinese propaganda as the paper helps explain away the nature of the forced military training that Chinese children undergo. Calling the compulsory training a benign sounding "camp" and presenting the children's training as if it is a mere Summer excursion, USA Today soft sells China's militarization of their youth in theirs titled, "Chinese kids undergo required military training." As USA Today dutifully reports China's propaganda -- the children go there to "sing songs" with the training only meant to "bolster teamwork" -- we see a disgraceful example of the MSM's practice of not "offending" a totalitarian nation so as not to lose their "access" there. Instead of reporting the harsh truth, we have USA Today offering a sunny and happy report on Chinese warmongering.

The Chinese government forces all children between the ages of 9 and 18 to undergo military training at regular intervals during Summer break from school. They have no choice and neither do their parents. This is the sort of complete lack of freedom of choice that can be expected from a totalitarian government, of course. In the west, we decry militarizing our children by force, so isn't it odd that USA Today so softens this training? Isn't it shameful that the paper helps China promote the propaganda that these military training sessions are really a wonderful time for China's youth?

BEIJING -- Yang Liheng, 12, heads back to school near Beijing this week, filled with memories of camp.

It was not a summer of nature hikes and cool dips in the lake. Liheng was one of 20 million youngsters who spent up to four weeks at compulsory military camps run by the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The camps are part of a nationwide training network in which a record 50 million Chinese children ages 9 to 18 will get military education this year, according to the PLA. The program, expanded in the past year, is intended to inspire patriotism, teamwork and sacrifice in a generation of children who, for the most part, have grown up without siblings and known little hardship.

Ah, yes. Our little Yang Liheng so fondly remembering his "camp" that was only meant to "inspire patriotism, teamwork and sacrifice." Thanks USA Today for that wonderfully heart warming report.

Heck, little Liheng got a bunch out of his fun Summer "camp."

The highlights, he says, included singing army songs, learning self-defense and studying advanced weaponry, such as U.S. Black Hawk helicopters and aircraft carriers. The low point came when he was forced to stand rigid at attention for 20 minutes in the broiling sun because of his poor marching form.

The experience "steeled my willpower," Liheng says. He admits, "I was afraid at first. Lots of us cried at night when we missed our parents."

And China is trying really, really hard to ally the fears that all those other mean 'ol countries have over rampant Chinese militarization... at least so says USA Today.

The expansion of the program comes as China tries to address concerns by the United States and others about its military buildup and lack of transparency in defense spending. Beijing tacitly acknowledged those concerns over the weekend by agreeing to submit basic information about the size of its military budget and weapons purchases to the United Nations for the first time in more than a decade.

The boot camps are less about militarizing China's youth than trying to bolster teamwork and offer the "rare experience of collective life (that) will help prevent these children from being too selfish and conceited as their parents spoil them," says child psychologist Liu Zhe of the Beijing Institute of Medical Psychology. Life at a PLA boot camp "resembles Boy Scout training in Western countries," Liu says.

But, wait. Weren't they teaching little Liheng how "U.S. Black Hawk helicopters and aircraft carriers" work? That doesn't sound so benign to me! How is learning the vulnerabilities of your enemy's capabilities only an exercise in teaching children not to be "spoiled?"

But, no, USA Today assures us that little Liheng was really just getting some helpful "discipline" and stuff.

At Liheng's camp, the emphasis was on discipline, self-reliance and respect for others. "Cast aside your spoiled life and pack a strong will in your bag," went a song sung by campers.

Even his Mommy thinks it was great.

Du Chunmei, Liheng's mother, says military training shows "little emperors" how cushy their lives are. China's young "are lazy and not respectful to elders," she says. Du says her son returned from camp a changed boy. "He's much more obedient and less fussy about eating. He makes his bed ... much better than before, because in the training they're taught to fold their blankets 'as sharp as a block of bean curd.' "

But, USA Today also presents some of the Chinese parents that don't much like this forced military training though it seems the paper only highlights those parents who want to mollycoddle their children unlike little Liheng's Mother who is looking to instill some useful steel in her baby's spine.

Not all parents share Du's enthusiasm for boot camp. A Shandong provincial newspaper reported last week that tearful parents climbed the walls of a camp in the city of Dongying to bring drinks and sunscreen to their children.

All in all, the report seems to have far more favorable reaction to China's forced militarization of their children than anything else and gives cover to China's ruling despots to explain it away as but a character building exercise instead of the warmongering that it really is.

USA Today is sure to have done this for a reason. Should the paper have reported this as the aggression it really is, it is sure that the Chinese government would take revenge on USA Today's capabilities to report from the Communist nation in the future. The result is that USA Today soft peddles the story so that they will not lose their access.

Remember how CNN made that deal with Saddam prior to his fall? CNN promised not to report on his atrocities so that they could keep their Baghdad office open and operating. They were willing to quash the truth to keep their offices open. So, instead of truthful reporting, CNN merely acted as Saddam's mouth piece and disseminated his propaganda world wide.

Who can doubt that the same thing is happening with this case? And who can excuse USA Today for their willingness to exchange access for truth?

Read more at Newsbusters.org.

[Mobile Vulgus]

Someone on Newsbusters said that they are now convinced that the MSM supports the military... the CHINESE military!! He can't be far off with this story!

[Free Vulcan]

The new Hitler youth.

[Sacajaweau]

Sounds like “Hillary’s Plan”...for free college!!

[Little Ray]

No offense, but I actually support this. Kids should be given military style training (drill, obstacle courses, weapon safety, marksmanship, self-defense, field training) in elementary and high schools to prepare them for their duties as part of the unorganized militia and to help them develop a friendly and respectful relationship with the military.
They should be graded on it, too.
I’m just sorry the Chinese do this and we don’t.

[ChristianDefender]

Kids should be given military style training (drill, obstacle courses, weapon safety, marksmanship, self-defense, field training) in elementary and high schools to prepare them for their duties as part of the unorganized militia and to help them develop a friendly and respectful relationship with the military.

I concur... Every generation should be thought that life on earth is about survival of the fittest, not necessarily to dominate but just to be able to defend and win. We may not be at war at Dark Age's scale, but there will always be one soon for a country, for a tribe, for an individual. It's a choice to live or to die... no dimilitarized zone. I will certainly encourage my children to attend ROTC training or even join the military.

Where's my AK-105?! :-)

[Jack Hammer]

Wasn’t there a German leader a while back who had the same idea? Maybe they’ll be the pioneers in ‘discovering’ Chinese lebensraum.

[Politicalmom]

I knew there would be people around here who think that this crap is perfectly acceptable.

I suppose that parents would have no say in this military conscript of their underaged children?

What a vile idea.

[b9]

Good grief, military training in elementary school?

Whatever happened to gym class?

Back when society valued and nurtured children, patriotism, teamwork and sacrifice were not a problem. And it was FUN.

[Al Gator]

“What a vile idea”

Really?

When the results of this “vile idea” run into little pampered, ritlin poisoned, ball-less little dweebs that we’ve succeeded in creating here, you’ll see just which side was vile.

Seriously, our kids will be no match for this.

Oh, but they’ll “feel real good” about themselves. Even if they are just little wuzzies.

[Tomato lover]

In a perfect world, the youth would be instructed in the ways of Jesus. They should be taught to pray and how to forgive one another and how to love their neighbor as themselves. To make the world even more perfect this instruction would be from both of their ‘natural’ parents.

At first when I read this thread I was all for putting our nation’s children in military style camps. My husband suggested the better solution above. It is so easy to get drawn into violence under the guise of defense.

Best regards, TL

[Politicalmom]

MY children are MINE to make decisions for, and nobody is going to take that right away from me.

I think our military members might be a bit upset if they read your estimate of their abilities.

[Al Gator]

I resent you twisting what I said.

Current members of the military are the best we have ever had. Where did I say otherwise?

You make decisions about your children? Really?

How much do you have to cowtow to the pc police when it comes to vaccinations, what you child is taught and how much ritlin you need to suppress your boy’s natural tendencies?

Do you smoke? Cys will soon take your kids if you smoke in your car. If you use a paddle, your kid will be whisked away.

You missed the entire point of what I was saying.

While we are raising premadonnas and wuzzes, they are raising the next generation of chinese patriots who will be almost impossible to defeat.

No one said to force your kid into camp. But the “mommies” in this country who do not wake up to what is happening in the world, will regret what they didn’t do when their kids were growing up.

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

I agree with you.

People react negatively to this article due to understandable concerns about China.

However, what is done in these camps is similar to what is done in our Boy Scouts.

The important (and troublesome) difference is that China’s government runs their camps. Training for citizenship is important, but in the hands of a totalitarian government this training has a real danger of going from education to indoctrination.

[Politicalmom]

I don’t kowtow to anyone.

I investigated vaccines, and made my own choice.

If I have a problem with something my children are being taught, I call the school, and have never been told that I had no choice, it was always changed to my satisfaction.

Nobody at school has ever suggested that I medicate any of my children, *I* made that choice.

Just because some people have given up their rights, doesn’t mean we all have.

[Little Ray]

Not everything the Nazis did was wrong or even a bad idea. Volkswagons and Autobahns are two good examples.

However, the Hitler Jugend was also a happy hunting ground for pedophiles. I wouldn’t recommend that.

[Little Ray]

I wouldn't have much to say, 'cause I'd be dead, having been conscripted before them. That said, I'd expect 'em to do their duty.
Teaching self-discipline, teamwork, confidence, and, yes, martial prowess are good things. Helping children become familiar and friendly with the military is a good thing, too. At least that way we might end up with fewer traitors in the journalistic and "intelligentsia" classes.

[gcruse]

If we had something like this in the US would Virginia Tech’s killings have been carried out so successfully?

[Mobile Vulgus]

You’ve GOT to be kidding me?

You AGREE with government taking kids away from their parents and then forcing them to become soldiers at age 9!!???

Let’s hope you are never in a position to make such decisions in the future! And let’s hope you never have kids if you are so willing to let others raise them for you.

Oh, and teaching Chinese kids to kill Americans is NOTHING like the “Boy Scouts”! They don’t teach people how to kill people in the Boy Scouts!

I suggest you move on over to the communist hell if you think it’s so great there.

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

Calm down, Francis.

I missed the part in the article where it described how the camps are “teaching Chinese kids to kill Americans”. Maybe you can point out where it says this, ‘cause I sure missed it.

I specifically said that having these camps run by a government instead of private organization was a bad thing. To the calm reader, it should have been clear that I am opposed to taking kids away from their parents.

To summarize.....

Camps that promote citizenship, patriotism and self reliance .... GOOD.

Government run camps..... BAD.

Is that clear enough?

[Mobile Vulgus]

Oh, you can pretend ALL you want that you are the only “calm” person in existence (a typical leftist tactic, right out of their assumptions of personal superiority — you follow their playbook well), but YOU are the one that said a Chinese military indoctrination is just like our Boy Scouts.

They to spin yourself out of it all you like, but YOU said it.

To you, our Boy Scouts get the same treatment during their VOLUNTARY service as those Chinese kids do in their COMPULSORY indoctrination sessions.

Maybe you would rather the Boy Scouts change their name to the Volk Scouts, eh?

And, perhaps you should actually READ the piece before you spout off. WHY do you think this kids in China are taught about our military systems and equipments? Because of admiration? NO, it’s so that these kids can grow up to better know how to KILL AMERICANS.

You, sir, are one of the reasons we are losing the culture war. You act as if our enemy is just as good as we are, just as interested in world peace, just as worthy.

YOU stand with them, not us.