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**DoctorTOneery** · 02-03-2009, 11:42 PM

It's a bit of a stretch to call the two equivalent.

I agree with you and I wouldn't call them equivalent. I think the events are similar from a purely qualitative viewpoint, but as you rightly point out, the US gov't has made reparations and its conduct has largely healed the wounds.

My point is more that all governments stumble on the path towards justice. China's missteps in its handling of the 1989 incident is something to draw comment and criticism. But the most effective criticism is that which comes from the angle of: "we've made similar errors and found a better way of dealing with it - here's our findings".

The Chinese government has played the nationalism card in its arguments to draw attention away from its own shortcomings. A more engagement-based discussion tends to work better than a more condemnatory tone, because it does blunt the nationalism card.

I think your characterization of Tiananmen vs. Kent State is pretty accurate.

02-03-2009, 11:42 PM	#13
DoctorTOneery Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 512 Senior Member	It's a bit of a stretch to call the two equivalent. I agree with you and I wouldn't call them equivalent. I think the events are similar from a purely qualitative viewpoint, but as you rightly point out, the US gov't has made reparations and its conduct has largely healed the wounds. My point is more that all governments stumble on the path towards justice. China's missteps in its handling of the 1989 incident is something to draw comment and criticism. But the most effective criticism is that which comes from the angle of: "we've made similar errors and found a better way of dealing with it - here's our findings". The Chinese government has played the nationalism card in its arguments to draw attention away from its own shortcomings. A more engagement-based discussion tends to work better than a more condemnatory tone, because it does blunt the nationalism card. I think your characterization of Tiananmen vs. Kent State is pretty accurate.
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