Daily Music Review｜When a society starts to popularize “We don’t talk about XX”

Nowadays, when I attend some gatherings, I often see a situation where the host first declares to those present that we will not talk about politics today.

When attending a gathering of old friends and classmates, some people will also bring up beforehand that everyone should not talk about politics, and we should only talk about friendship. In some groups, most group rules even list not involving political topics as the first item.

Many people regard not talking about politics as a duty and smartness. These various statements reveal a dangerous signal, which indicates that the fear of politics has already penetrated into the bones of most people. At the same time, this also reveals another aspect to people, that the sense of constriction of the space for speech in society is gradually crushing us.

I think, the premise of not being able to talk about politics is that we should all first figure out what politics is? More than a hundred years ago, Mr. Sun Yat-sen gave a simple and clear explanation of the word politics: “The meaning of the two words politics, in simple terms, is that politics is the affairs of the people, and governance is management. Managing the affairs of the people is politics.” From Mr. Sun’s explanation of politics, we can see that politics is about the interests of each and every one of us.

And these things that involve each and every one of us, some people now say that they cannot be discussed, or that they dare not be discussed. I cannot help but ask: are these people smart or stupid?

Is there any law that explicitly stipulates that citizens cannot talk about politics? Obviously not. In our country, there are already provisions in the criminal law about who cannot talk about politics: those who have been deprived of their political rights. So, as long as we have not broken the law and have not been deprived of our political rights, every legal citizen has the political rights clearly granted to us by the constitution.

Each and every one of us is born with the right to participate in politics and talk about politics, but now some people want to voluntarily give up their political rights, which seems stupid and sad.

Because, since politics is about each and every one of us, it should not make us feel afraid. National defense and military affairs, diplomatic missions, power transfer, personnel appointments, these are certainly politics, but people’s livelihood, rising prices, medical care and education, firewood, rice, oil, salt, these are also politics.

The formulation and implementation of every policy of the country are closely related to the vital interests of all of us. Is the formulation and implementation of some policies beneficial or detrimental to us ordinary people? Shouldn’t we understand and pay attention to these things? If we can’t talk about these things and don’t care about them, then what is the meaning of our living in the world? Can we only become tools for working and machines for eating?

Mark Twain said: “Every citizen should regard himself as an informal, unpaid policeman, constantly monitoring the law and its enforcement.”

China is a country ruled by law, and the Party has proposed to govern the country according to law, so each and every one of us citizens has the right and obligation to supervise and prevent illegal acts by anyone and any department. Why can’t we talk about politics? From ancient times to the present, politics has always been a topic that the common people love to talk about, and this is something that no one and no force can stop.

If you don’t believe it, go and see, go and listen. In the fields and in the teahouses and wine shops, what people talk about most is still politics. Because politics involves all aspects of society, and every matter in people’s lives is inseparable from the shadow of political infiltration. And only politics is the eternal and inexhaustible topic between people.

“The palace ladies in white hair are there, sitting and talking about Emperor Xuanzong”, this is talking about politics. “Even in the depths of the mountains, there should be no way to avoid the conscription”, this is also talking about politics. “How can you be the emperor for four eras, not as good as Lu’s family has Mo Chou”, this is still talking about politics.

Some people like to loudly claim not to talk about politics, and they also do not allow others to talk about politics within the scope they can control, artificially creating a sense of political panic in society, which in itself is already a serious political problem. If each of us is indifferent to this phenomenon and takes it for granted, allowing such a situation to develop, then we will be deprived of our own political rights in an invisible way.

Of course, there are many topics that everyone can talk about together. We can talk about things that we are interested in, movies, music, food, travel, family matters, friendship, and so on. I am not saying that we must talk about politics, but that we should be vigilant against those words and deeds in society that deliberately deprive us of our due rights.

I believe that everyone hopes that people’s lives will be prosperous, society will be civilized and friendly, and the country will be prosperous. But all this will not automatically fall from the sky, and none of us are qualified to enjoy it. The civilization and progress of society, the richness and abundance of material things, are inseparable from everyone’s joint efforts and creation.

We can only build a prosperous, rich, and civilized society if we shoulder our own responsibilities and obligations to society. And the premise to achieve this beautiful goal is that each and every one of us needs to understand politics, care about politics, and be a qualified citizen and a normal person.