22/05/2013｜South China Morning Post
《卫报》评论：最滑稽的毕业典礼演说
Chinese students and parents are demanding an apology from US Vice-President Joe Biden for "insensitive" comments, weeks after he referred to China as the nation that cannot “think different” or “breathe free” during a commencement speech at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I believe Biden should apologise over his inappropriate comments made at my commencement in the face of at least hundreds of Chinese people,” Zhang Tianpu, a graduating Wharton senior and Chinese citizen, told theSouth China Morning Post on Wednesday.
“It was a humiliating experience,” he said. “And how can a graduation speech be this political?”
Zhang and his peers have already drafted a letter to Biden demanding an official apology. The letter has 343 signatures as of Wednesday and will be sent to the university’s president before reaching Biden's desk.
Requests for comment from Biden's office have not been returned.
Biden’s comments, which were called "inappropriate", hugely disappointed the Chinese in his audience. They were delivered in the middle of his May 13 speech, reported by the Guardian as “by far the funniest of the recent commencement addresses”.
But not everyone appreciated his jokes. Touching on the concern that “the Chinese are going to eat our lunch”, Biden assured his audience that they had nothing to fear.
“Their problems are immense, and they lack much of what we have,” he said, citing America’s universities, its “open and fair legal” system, vibrant venture capital markets and innovative minds.
The key to all these, Biden argued, was the ability to “think different”, in a reference to Steve Jobs' slogan for Apple.
“You cannot think different in a nation where you cannot breathe free; you cannot think different in a nation where you aren’t able to challenge orthodoxy, because change only comes from challenging orthodoxy.”
To which Zhang argued: “Come on, my ancestors were challenging orthodoxy even before his ancestors got to America.”
Biden mentioned China a second time towards the end when he spoke of his 10-day visit to the Middle Kingdom. Of then president-to-be Xi Jinping, he said:
“He’s a strong, bright man, but he has the look of a man who is about to take on a job he’s not at all sure is going to end well. I mean that seriously."
In a post that went viral on China’s social media, Zhang interpreted Biden’s message in the following words:
“So because China is ---- up, we are well-positioned. We are well-positioned to lead the world into the 21st century, ” he wrote. ”This is what I think he was saying.”
In an e-mail sent to The Post, Zhang dismissed criticism that he was overreacting.
“After four years of sweat and toil, after four years of spending Chinese New Year without your family, and after four years of eating tasteless food, you have finally earned this day when you can proudly graduate. But you know that all is worth it because you want to learn from an advanced developed country, something you can use to contribute to your hometown. So you decide to call up all of your friends and family to fly across the Pacific Ocean to celebrate with you on this special day. Then, on your graduation day, you get up super early, happily dress up in your academic regalia, and have your friends and relatives seated in the field, cameras ready, recorders turned on, all excited.”
“And then all of sudden, the graduation speaker, who is supposed to be there to congratulate you on your achievement, says to you: you and your nation suck. Regardless of whether that statement is true, how would you feel?”
Zhang had first ranted on China’s popular social media website Renren. His post has since drawn thousands of comments, from supporters and critics.
“Biden isn’t obligated to please China,” commented a reader. “And the right reaction is to catch up with America, instead of whining about it.”
“Don’t attribute to political agenda what can easily be explained by stupidity,” another wrote.
14/05/2013｜张天璞的日志
2013年宾夕法尼亚大学的毕业式上，学校请到了美国副总统拜登来为毕业生们做演说，记得当时我非常高兴自己能看到真人版的美国副总统演讲。可是拜登副总统的讲话内容却非常令在场的几千名中国留学生们和他们的家长失望。拜登副总统的演讲，主旨是想要教育学什么不要太悲观，用他自己的话说是don't listen to the cynics，即，要对美利坚合众国仍然抱有希望并位置努力。可是他在明知有上千名中国留学生及其家长在场的情况下，通过毫不隐晦地批评中国来达到体现美国美好的目的。可以说，他作为一个毕业演讲嘉宾，这种不分场合不分地点不走脑子的做法，搞得所有在场中国留学生都心情很不好。
演讲有视频，地址是：http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q5LaYKUJ_w8#at=12
这是个youtube地址，在国内的同学可能看不到，但是非常感谢留了言的某同学（不能点你名，否则会托您下口水堆的亲~）上传至youku，所以现在大家都能看到了：http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTU3NDIzNjg0.html
另外在此笔录内容如下：
I love to hear people tell me how to use the vernacular "China is going to eat our lunch."
China is a great nation, and we should hope for the continued expansion. But ladies and gentlemen, their problems are immense, and they lack much of what we have. We have the best universities in the world. We have a legal system that is open and fair. We have the most agile venture capital system in the world. We lead the world in innovation and technology, all for a simple basic reason. Steve Jobs, speaking at Stanford was asked by a young man "how can I be more like you, how I can become like you?" And Job famously answered: think different.
You CANNOT think different in a nation where you cannot breath free. You CANNOT think different in a nation where you aren't able to challenge orthodoxy, because change only comes from challenging orthodoxy.
…
I spent 10 days with President Xi at the request of former president Hu and President obama…I listened to his questions and the interests he had and he asked me how I felt after the 5 days in the U.S. and 5 days in China. And I said he's a strong bright man, but he has the look of a man who is about to take on a job he's not at all sure is going to end well. I mean that seriously.
诸位读者请注意，拜登在“You CANNOT think different in a nation where you aren't able to challenge orthodoxy” 这句话里用的是nation这个词。这一点是最让我气愤的，因为英语中nation指的“民族”的意思，和country，state是有区别的。country, state可能更强调的是一个国家整体的概念，甚至带有指政府的意思；换句话说，如果他这句话里面用的是country这个词，那么就可以理解为可能由于种种外部因素的制约，我们民族的潜力没有100%地发挥出来。可是讨厌就讨厌在，拜登竟然用了nation这个词，nation指的，是一个民族里面的所有的个人！也就是说，拜登的意思说，你们中国不是说因为外部原因还不行，而是说，你们中华民族骨子里就是奴才的命儿，根儿里就是不能做自主思考的奴隶，只配被人压迫！试问，是可忍，孰不可忍？！这难道不是赤裸裸的种族歧视么？！而且还是当着你面儿做的！
我的上一版文章发表之后，美国一个貌似是研究英语的学者和英国经济学人各自发表了一片针对以上论述的文章，里面基本上都用一种长辈摸小孩子头，拍拍不怕的语气说，孩子，你想多了，nation和state没啥区别。要说我真的刚学英语的时候，真没觉得这两个词有什么区别，反倒是到了美国上了一些人文社会科学的课之后，才被教授告知这其中的微妙。
任何接受过英语政治科学教育的人，看到这个词就知道我为什么说nation和state不是一个概念了：nation-state。翻译过来也就是民族国家的意思，Nation-state就是说一个国家和一个民族正好在一块地上共存。我们很多人可能觉得这个是理所当然的，但是你想想，犹太民族和吉普赛民族历史上就有过只有nation没有state的经历。nation指的是我们这些由共同经历、共同文化、共同传统而联系在一起的人的集合，强调的是我们这些“人”；而state可能只是说一片存在一个政府有明确边界的地方而已。其他的这方面例证可以参考维基百科nation-state专页：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_state
以及differencebetween.net里面专门说明nation和state区别的部分: http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/politics/difference-between-nation-and-state/
有人可能会说，英语口语里不可能做这么细的区分，但是我觉得拜登作为一个搞政治的专业人士，这点最基础的政治科学知识应该是融化在他血液里体现在他行为上的。但是他依然义无反顾地用了这个词，这样我觉得只有以下两种可能：
1. 他真的不知道nation和state有区别，说明他的知识水平.... 呵呵，我只想说，很庆幸美国人民还有奥巴马....
2. 他知道nation和state的区别却依然这么说，这就让人很生气了
但是我说拜登行为的不恰当，最主要不是他说的内容，而是他发表这些内容的场合！他说这番话选择的竟然是我们辛辛苦苦劳作四年累死累活换来的毕业式！我先不管他里面的内容说的是否是正确的（我也不敢议论，否则这篇日志就没了，请谅解），就光说一个国际化大学毕业式这个场合，明明知道会有那么多中国留学生，结果却一点面子都不给。同样是努力学习并且比美国人都学习好的我们，凭什么坐在那里听对我们说三道四？为什么作为一个超级大国的领袖，这点基本的，作为一个人所应该懂得的礼貌都没有？我不得不说，这样的做法，不但有失宾夕法尼亚大学国际名校的风范，也有失美国颜面：靠抨击别国来抬高自己，这只是懦夫所为。
各位您设身处地的想想，当年你身穿学士服，头戴学士帽，一大清早起来，带着亲朋好友们去到毕业式场地，期待着同大伙一统庆祝这个喜气洋洋的场合的时候，这时候突然有一个能代表你所在国家政府说话的人跟你说：像你们这样的人，
13/05/2013｜KATHY MATHESON｜Associated Press
Today's college graduates are well-positioned to lead America in the 21st century and shouldn't listen to cynics who say the nation is in decline, Vice President Joe Biden told thousands of new degree holders at the University of Pennsylvania on Monday.
"It's never, ever, ever been a good bet to bet against America," Biden said. "You're the most competent, capable, caring generation this country has ever produced."
His speech at Penn's commencement came after a few lighthearted comments about the cost of higher education. Biden's daughter and one of his sons are alumni of the Ivy League school, and his granddaughter just finished her freshman year there.
His wide-ranging remarks sounded like a campaign speech at times, touting the progress of gay marriage, dismissing skeptics of climate change, discussing the rise of China and expressing support for immigration reform.
But his main message to graduates was that they should have faith in their abilities.
"Today, for all the uncertainty you may feel, the future is in your control," Biden said. "Don't listen to the cynics."
Biden also received an honorary degree at the ceremony.
