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Javier Negrete Jr
Dr. Wanda White
English 1102
April, 13 2014
The Voice of a Student Overseas
All men and women are born with an innate sense of curiosity. Mankind desires
to explore the world in order to understand its functions. Impact occurs when curiosity
and passion overlap to make a difference in somebodys world. Something is special in
human behavior to improve the living conditions at all cost. Over the past and current
century, the image of the university student has become iconic for the portrayal of
reform. History books re-tell the acts that occurred in Communist China, segregated
America, and post and post-Civil War America. Something that is often ignored in
American history books is how the human element is reflected in decisions to reform a
nation or society. Internationally, university students are known for their passion,
patriotism and altruistic behavior. To understand the importance of the university
students involvement for reform in a more critical and relative way, it is imperative to
observe how their passion manifests in their culture, how policy creates limits to their
mobility, and how these students overcome these limits.
A Story of the Chinese and the Taiwanese
The Chinese and Taiwanese students had a special case in their situation and it
is proposed that it was the result of an old Chinese tradition. China, in the late twentieth
century, was experiencing a student led movement to make China more democratic
shortly after the death of the beloved General Secretary Hu Yaobang on April 15
th
, 1989
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(White). The students formed an alliance, marched for several weeks later, stubbornly
occupied Tiananmen Square, and experienced a violent reaction from the Chinese
military on June 4
th
with the notable Tiananmen Square incident (White). Taiwan, in
around the same time period, experienced a similar case. In contrast to the Chinese the
Taiwanese started by with a smaller number of followers, proposed a platform that
sought to re-elect the National Assembly, abolish the old constitution, present a better
political platform, and to prepare a National Affairs Conference to discuss political
reform. In observation of the events Teresa White (author of The Perils of Protest)
explains that the Chinese and the Taiwanese movements ended in completely different
ways (White). The Chinese movement died violently, and the Taiwanese movement
ended voluntarily and peacefully. The scholars who have analyzed and compared the
Chinese and Taiwanese problems at hand in the 1980s and the 1990s propose that
culture was one of the factors that determine the fate of the unions (White). For
example, a state-of-grace (elitism) is traditionally given to the scholars in China because
they are said to be enlightened.
What Went Wrong?
White explains that the Chinese movement was flawed because this cultural
detail was strongly incorporated (White). Those who were elites did not mingle with the
social details of the organization. In contrast to the Chinese movement, the Taiwanese
performed effectively because their union was based on friendship and harmony
(White). Their patience and reluctant, yet voluntary, decisions to step down left a better
opportunity for change. If culture is in the core of the people manifesting against an
issue, then it must affect the decision they make. Unfortunately for the Chinese, their
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cultural views were not compatible for their protest style. Consequently the Chinese
culture became the most suspected reason why the movement died (White). The events
and dynamics that existed in China are only replicas of the student activist behaviors in
Central America.
Mexico in the 1960s
Before the historical events in China, Mexico experienced a student led
campaign for activism. The book, the Plaza of Sacrifices is a profound study of the
social interactions that occurred in the Mexican student activism in response to the
events that led up to the Tlatelolco Massacre. According to the research and analysis
of Elaine Carey (author of the Plaza of Sacrifices) Mexicos student activism is the result
of a growing middle class and a growth of student populations in the universities
(Carey). Also, Carey explains that the global momentum of the international uprisings
were also motivation for the students of Mexico to protest against the government
(Carey).
The Problem At Hand
Upon collecting the necessary information to make a conclusion on the students
reaction to the government policies in Careys work, one question was not answered.
What really sparked the students and professors to speak by the thousands in Mexico?
What event made the Mexican republic feel shocked and violated? Joe Richmans and
Anayansi Diaz-Cortes article on the truth behind the Mexican protests in the 1960s
explains that a minor revolt at a high school after a soccer game caused need for
enforcement teams to stop the fights (Diaz-Cortes, Richman). The enforcement teams
shot bazookas at the doors of the high school to open them (Diaz-Cortes, Richman).
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The unnecessary use of that deadly force killed a handful of students and enraged
others (Diaz-Cortes, Richman). Joe and Anayansi describe October 2
nd
, 1968 as the
climax of the student rage when the military came to take the leaders of the movement
that led a grand gathering in the Tlatelolco square (Diaz-Cortes, Richman). Fires were
shot and it is still a mystery on the size of the death toll (Diaz-Cortes, Richman).
The Demand, Solution, and Application
According to Careys research, the students continued to march and form
guardias, or forms of protective militia (Carey). Carey explained that the student
population requested the liberation of political prisoners and the removal of political
bosses and the government officials would only respond by asking the student to
maintain peace and harmony (Carey). To legitimize the movement and to counter the
government policy, the movement turned to one man named Barros Sierra (Carey).
According to Carey, Sierra was a veteran at Mexican politics. He served in the congress
and held an important role in the development of the movement (Carey). A conclusion
can be made that his presence and alliance with the students made raised the
legitimacy and concern for the Mexican protesters. The response of the Mexican people
to the governments anti-protestor policies were to find infiltrate and work from inside in
the government. It was as if a child were to have a temper tantrum about a certain issue
with the parents to find that his grandmother sympathizes with the child and urges the
parents to reason with the child.
Relating to Venezuela
In most recent events an in Venezuela, the news reports and social media are
being flooded by images and videos of the government responses to the peaceful
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protests led by student leaders. According to a report by CNNs Faith Karimi and
Catherine E. Shoichet that on February 12
th
, three lives were lost at a student protest in
demand for more security in the country, the end of good deficits, and speech rights
(Karimi, Shoichet). Like the protests in Mexico in the 1960s, the Venezuelan people
found that it was practical to find someone to give legitimacy to the protests. The
Washington Posts reporters, Emilia Diaz-Struck and Joshua Partlow say that the
Venezuelan students found a Harvard scholar named Leopoldo Lopez to become the
face of the student movement (Karimi, Shoichet). Unfortunately, the Venezuelan
government accused him of leading violent opposition that claimed to be affiliated with
the student opposition. To leave the image of the student opposition in good terms with
the world, he turned himself in saying that this was an example of the government trying
to keep the voice of the Venezuelan people.
To Conclude
Student activism around the world is about making changes and making the
environment more perfect. The mentality to challenge government and regimes is an art
that is proven by historical accounts. The human element in decisions and will change
the direction of the movements future. For the international student movements
discussed, there was some flaw that came from the human element in the decision. For
example, the Chinese chose to uphold their traditions instead of seeing what was
compatible for their movements. The Taiwanese were more successful because they
knew that friendship and harmony were the bonds that were to make a student
movement successful in the eyes of its own government. The relationship between the
Central American nations and the Chines and Taiwanese nations is in the human
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behaviors and the interactions were really important as well. For example, Mexico
looked for ways in the social behaviors to find legitimacy in their movement from a
government that violated their safety in schools and their freedom of speech. Similarly,
Venezuela looked for a legitimate figure to become the face of the student movement
that demanded safety, a reduced deficit, and freedom of speech.
Both figures were men that were famous for their occupation in the government
or in the education. A conclusion can be made that Mexico and Venezuela stepped into
the same mistake China made by giving a state of grace to the select few. Is this a
possible way of predicting the outcome of these two movements? Is this enough to infer
that the Venezuela will suffer the same fate in the student movement? Perhaps there is
another part of the human element that will change a possible doomed fate. Perhaps
the Latino culture is so different to the Chinese culture in its views on friends and family
that they can use the state of grace as an advantage and new strategy to fight
oppression. All that needs to be done is see what the future lays ahead for the next
student activism groups. Perhaps this study on the diverse cultures and movement
strategies will be a way to learn from each others mistakes and to truly become
progressive as a human race.






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Works Cited
Carey, Elaine. Plaza of Sacrifices: Gender, Power, and Terror in 1968 Mexico.
Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2005. 1-25.
Diaz-Cortes, Anayansi, and Joe Richman. "Mexico's 1968 Massacre: What Really
Happened?." (2008): n. page. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97546687>.
Diaz-Struck, Emelia, and Joshua Partlow. "Venezuelan protest leader taken into
custod." 18 Fevruary 2014: n. page. Print.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/venezuelan-protest-leader-
taken-into-custody/2014/02/18/b3382952-98ca-11e3-b931-
0204122c514b_story.html>.
Karimi, Faith, and Catherine Shoichet. "Venezuela: What." 21 Feb 2014: n. page. Print.
<http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/20/world/americas/venezuela-qa/>.
"Venezuelan Protest Leader Take into Custody." Washington Post. (2014): n. page.
Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/venezuelan-protest-leader-
taken-into-custody/2014/02/18/b3382952-98ca-11e3-b931-
0204122c514b_story.html>.
White, Teresa. The Perils of Protest: State Repression and Student Activism in China
and Taiwan. University of Hawaii Press, 2001. 5-20. eBook (White 5-20)
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