I grew up in a rough communist regime. I was really young when I overheard my parents talking about how the “supreme leader” was bad and things were starting to boil the next town over. There was nothing on TV or radio. Innocent me just asked my dad like, if he’s that bad, why don’t they just arrest the guy? They didn’t realize I actually understood what they were talking about. I can still remember, to this day, 36 years later, how the soul left my parents’ body in an instant, and we had a looong conversation about how I should never say anything like that ever again. People disappear when they talk like that, and “you don’t want your mum and dad to go away, do you”?
A few months later there was a nation wide uprising, people died, the regime fell, and they actually arrested the guy.
Lol, when we immigrated to the US, my mother told me never to publically criticize the government because it brings trouble, because their parents (aka: my grandparents) lived through the “Cultural Revolution” of PRC and this fear was passed down even after emigration, and I was like “but this is America? freedom of speech?”
Looking at modern day developments of the US, turns out they were right lol.
Thanks. That must have been tough on you - most kids at that age have a strong but simplified sense of moral - but more so on your parents. I hope they found a good way of explaining it to 7-year-old you.
I grew up in a rough communist regime. I was really young when I overheard my parents talking about how the “supreme leader” was bad and things were starting to boil the next town over. There was nothing on TV or radio. Innocent me just asked my dad like, if he’s that bad, why don’t they just arrest the guy? They didn’t realize I actually understood what they were talking about. I can still remember, to this day, 36 years later, how the soul left my parents’ body in an instant, and we had a looong conversation about how I should never say anything like that ever again. People disappear when they talk like that, and “you don’t want your mum and dad to go away, do you”?
A few months later there was a nation wide uprising, people died, the regime fell, and they actually arrested the guy.
Lol, when we immigrated to the US, my mother told me never to publically criticize the government because it brings trouble, because their parents (aka: my grandparents) lived through the “Cultural Revolution” of PRC and this fear was passed down even after emigration, and I was like “but this is America? freedom of speech?”
Looking at modern day developments of the US, turns out they were right lol.
Maybe it wouldn’t be this bad if people like them had criticised the government.
I mean…
Some did
Then the Government sent the tanks…
🤷♂️
I think they were referring to criticizing the US government, not PRC. In an effort to keep free speech around in the US.
You can have all the freedom you want, as long as your not dumb enough to actually try it
How old were you at that point?
i was around 7yo.
Thanks. That must have been tough on you - most kids at that age have a strong but simplified sense of moral - but more so on your parents. I hope they found a good way of explaining it to 7-year-old you.