During the November 20th Jianguo High School Principal Forum, Principal Xu Jianguo of Jianguo High School stated:
“Many systems are designed in certain ways. I want to ask everyone a question:
You’re a Jianguo student, and you’ll go on to study at National Taiwan University or Tsinghua University, so then what? When you vote for president or legislators, you can only cast 1 vote. I live next door to your house. I only have elementary school education. I’m an unemployed vagrant who doesn’t understand anything. I don’t participate in society’s affairs. I’m a person with no taste whatsoever. So what happens? You cast 1 vote, and I cast 1 vote too. Do you think that’s fair or unfair?
Before the 1930s, if you look at many countries, when they started voting it was unequal, wasn’t it? You’re so educated—how can you cast 1 vote and I also cast 1 vote? You vote for A and I vote for B, we’re canceling each other out. Don’t you think that’s unfair? Isn’t it? Of course it’s unfair! Shouldn’t you cast 2 or 3 votes, or shouldn’t your 1 vote be worth 2 or 3 times mine, wouldn’t that be more reasonable?
Like that kind of thing, but why now, how did we evolve to where everyone casts the same? There’s a problem here. What problem? When I was teaching civics, I’d pose this problem: why is your vote worth 2 times mine instead of 1.8 or 2.2? Can you explain to me how this number was calculated? That’s the real problem! We couldn’t figure it out! Some people think it should be 3, some think 2.5 is enough—how exactly should we calculate it? What standard do we use? PhDs get 3 votes, masters get 2.5? Or what? How many times exactly? That’s the part we couldn’t figure out, so over the past 100 years, we’ve ended up where everyone casts 1 vote.
In fact, this isn’t quite in line with general perception, but it’s now become an interpretation where: anyway, you’re a person, you have voting rights, so you cast 1 vote, your rights are just the same as mine—but really speaking, the meaning of voting isn’t like this, is it? But it’s evolved this way, and most people can now accept it! Everyone’s been taught this way, so can’t everyone accept it? Fine! So that works. Doesn’t it?
In the early days, women didn’t have voting rights, did they? Before 1920, in many countries, women didn’t have voting rights, and Black people didn’t have voting rights, did they? So and so and so on. I’m not saying now I’m suggesting whether the past was right or the present is right. What I’m saying is that through this process, there will definitely be different ideas, and probably we can’t find something everyone can completely accept. So I’m thinking I’m willing to work hard, heading in this direction.
So my suggestion is, let’s head toward civic forums and do it this way, let everyone figure it out, understand what voting means. So let’s do a survey, conduct a questionnaire. If more than half or 60% of classmates want to do this, then I’ll try it. We’re not afraid to be the first to try! Right? Because there’s no right or wrong here! Isn’t it? Wearing athletic wear coming in is wrong? Not at all! Who says? Nobody says that! It’s just that everyone has always felt this way, society, everyone thinks we should do this that’s all! Isn’t it? Exactly!
But to do this thing we need certain conditions, otherwise, but honestly right now I’m still not quite ready to say everyone should wear what? What was it you said? Service clubs? Should athletic wear clubs? What other? Class uniforms? Anyway, whatever clothing, as long as it’s from any team the school has or from any club doing commemorative wear or whatever, all can be worn like that coming in. Currently I still hope temporarily we don’t go that far.
That’s my hope, probably can’t achieve it, but I’d relatively prefer that at least not be like this, at least be one of these two types. That I actually think I can still try out. If the whole class is unanimous about it, I think I can, at a maximum for now, probably won’t completely satisfy you, but that’s my thinking.”