Chapter 47 The Boundaries of Free Speech

Looking at [2], I feel that Jia's mansion is a place where speech is not free.As a slave, Jiao Da, relying on his drunkenness, scolded all slaves from his master to other slaves, saying that only the two stone lions were clean.What was the result?As a result, the master hated him deeply, and the slave was jealous, so he stuffed a mouthful of horse dung. In fact, Jiao Da scolded; it was not to overthrow Jia's mansion, but to make Jia's mansion better, but if masters and slaves were like this, Jia's mansion would not be able to continue.But the reward was horse manure.So this Jiao Da is really Qu Yuan from the Jia family. If he could write an article, I think he might have an article like "Li Sao".

Three years ago, the gentlemen of the Xinyue Society [4] had the misfortune to be in a similar situation as Jiao Da.They quoted scriptures and criticized the party-state a little. Although they quoted mostly British classics, they did not have the slightest malice against the party-state. They just said: "My lord, your clothes are so clean. Your old man's are a little dirty and should be washed." Just wash it."Unexpectedly, "the whole world does not know the feelings of the rest of the world" [5], a mouthful of horse dung came: the national newspaper condemned it, and even the "New Moon" magazine suffered.However, after all, the Xinyue Society is a group of scholars and scholars, and at this time, a lot of "Lisao Sutras" that quoted the Three Principles of the People and identified their minds came.Now it’s all right, spit out horse manure, exchange sweets, some consultants, some professors, some secretaries, some university deans, freedom of speech, and "New Moon" is full of so-called "literature for the sake of literature and art".

This is why scholars of letters are smarter than illiterate slaves, the party-state is smarter than the Jia family, and the present is brighter than the Qianlong era: the Three Ming Principles. Yet there are still people clamoring for freedom of speech.There are not so many sweets in the world. I think it should be clear. This misunderstanding is probably due to not realizing the freedom of speech now, and only saying something to show the master’s generosity, "My lord, your clothes... " As a limit, but I still want to talk about it. This is absolutely impossible.The former one is different from the time of suffering in "New Moon", and it seems to exist now, and this "Free Talk" is also a proof, although sometimes there are a few heroes who come to poke their heads with horse dung.As for wanting to talk about it, that is enough to undermine the protection of freedom of speech.You must know that although the present is brighter than before, it is also more powerful than before. If you talk about it, you will even lose your life.Even if there is a clear order of freedom of speech, it must not be careless.I have seen this several times with my own eyes. It is not "selling the old", and I do not realize that I am a gentleman who is a slave. Fortunately, I think about it and learn from it.

April seventeenth. [1] This article was originally published in "Shen Shen Free Talk" on April 22, 1933, signed by He Jiaqian. (2) Novel.It was written by Cao Xueqin in the Qing Dynasty.The popular book is 120 chapters, and the last 40 chapters are generally considered to be Gao E's sequel.Jiao Da is a loyal old servant of the Jia family in the novel. He got drunk and cursed and was stuffed with horse dung. See Chapter 7 of the book.If only the two stone lions are clean, see Chapter 66, which is said by another character Liu Xianglian. [3] Qu Yuan (about 340 BC - 278 BC), named Ping, styled Yuan, also styled Lingjun, was a poet of the Chu State in the late Warring States Period.When King Huai of Chu was an official to Zuotu, he was repeatedly persecuted because his political opinions were not tolerated by the aristocratic group. Later, he was exiled to the Yuan and Xiang Rivers by King Qingxiang, and wrote a long poem "Li Sao" to express his anger. and the determination to pursue the ideal.

[4] The New Moon Society, a literary and political group with bourgeois intellectuals at its core, was established in Beijing around 1923. Its main members include Hu Shi, Xu Zhimo, Chen Yuan, Liang Shiqiu, Luo Longji, etc.In the name of the Poetry Club, the society once published "Poetry Magazine" (weekly) in Beijing's "Morning News Supplement" in the summer of 1926.Founded the New Moon Bookstore in Shanghai in 1927, and published the comprehensive "New Moon" monthly magazine in March 1928.In 1929, they published articles on human rights and other issues in the "New Moon", citing the laws and regulations of Britain and the United States, and putting forward opinions on solving China's political problems, intending to offer suggestions to Chiang Kai-shek.But after the article was published, the Kuomintang newspapers and periodicals wrote articles attacking them, saying that their "talks are really reactionary."They then changed their methods, studied the "KMT's classics", and wrote articles citing "Party righteousness" to discern their minds, and finally won the appreciation of Chiang Kai-shek.

〔5〕 "Quan does not observe Yuzhong's affection" see Qu Yuan's "Li Sao": "Quan does not observe Yuzhong's affection, and turns against slander and becomes angry."