李阳操纵中学生下跪的文化意味


English as a second language (ESL) is all the rage in China. Gazillions of people are learning it. Unfortunately, the experience is quite unpleasant for many. Long hours and endless repetition of dry lessons yields little tangible result in terms of ability to use the language. No wonder the "I hate English" club is growing in leaps and bounds.
Into this chorus of grumbling stepped Li Yang, an entrepreneur who has invented his own pedagogy called "Crazy English".
Simply put, he has his students stand in large formations and shout at the top of their lungs. It is designed to overcome the innate shyness of most Chinese in verbalizing what they have learned in the classroom or by themselves.
All this sounds innocent enough. But is it?

In recent weeks, Li Yang has incurred the wrath of the public after encouraging his students to kneel "in gratitude" towards him. Photos of a huge crowd in kowtow positions, first published by Li himself on his blog, raised the question: What's wrong with this person and his tactics?
The answer, in my opinion, is everything.
Li Yang is a demagogue
, to say the least. He wants you to believe
that he has come up with an effective way of learning a foreign
language. But actually it is an excuse for mind control, intended to
maximize his commercial interests. In addition to the exorbitant
tuition fees, his overpriced books and tapes - many lifted from
copyrighted materials - form the basis of his business empire.
Many students and their parents are deceived by him because they gain new confidence when they hear him preach. Like all demagogues, Li correctly identified a problem plaguing most ESL students in China.
The traditional method of learning words and grammar rules by rote has produced an army of students whose approach to the language is with a scalpel in hand. Many tend to use the language as if it were a dead one like Latin. One gets the feeling that it is a strange echo of the real language, sapped of any vitality.
But saying the old way is wrong does not make the new way necessarily right. What the tongue-in-cheek "Crazy English" offers is truly crazy. The teaching sessions are like cult meetings; the shouting matches are reminiscent of the slogan fests during the cultural revolution (1966-76). If shouting can improve one's linguistic skills, we would have all turned into Confucius after that mass movement.
Indeed, shouting breaks down psychological barriers and helps strengthen bonding. The question is: Is the new camaraderie used to inspire and learn, or to submit and be obedient? Can you question authority? Can you conduct a rational discourse?
Many reported a feeling of liberation at the "Crazy English" hollered gatherings. That is not unique. The catch is, Li Yang liberates students in order to enslave them even further, very much like most agitators, political or commercial.
Even though our traditional methodology is fraught with rituals of submission, it has not stooped as low as asking hundreds of students to kneel as if they were being received by a feudal emperor. That is not a manifestation of a student's gratitude towards a teacher; rather, it strips a person of individuality and pounds him into obsequiousness.
Just imagine if Li had called his language education a "pyramid
scheme" or "cult meeting" - what would have become of it? He is clever
because he engages in these activities but adroitly
avoids the label,
of which many "regular" teachers of English have long accused him, at
least in private.
After the kneeling incident, Li encouraged his female students to
shave their heads. So far nobody has complied. But his true colors are
now clear: he is crazy.
Email: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 09/22/2007 page4)
| 重要的不是下跪,而是全体下跪 五岳散人 |
| 2007-9-11 星期二 |
| 9月4日,疯狂英语的创始人李阳的网站上出现了大批学生集体下跪的照片,然后照片在强大的舆论压力下失踪,但那些可爱的、朝天的屁股们已经被转载至各个地方。 事情还没有完,李阳在其网站上发表《学生跪谢师恩的整个过程》,其中主要强调的是两点::“三千名学生跪拜的是各自的中学授课老师,并非李阳,且所有学 员的行为基于自愿;在学员行礼时,出于内心真挚的情感和尊重,李阳随同学员一起向中学各位老师鞠躬行礼”。其实,这个澄清真的是所谓画蛇添足,没人打算讨 论这些可爱的屁股们跪拜的是谁,而是大多数人都认为,这种行为本身就不对。 跪拜文化在我们这里其来有自,非跪不能显示其尊敬。甚 至当年号称睁开眼看世界的第一人林则徐,也在给咸丰帝的奏折上说,洋人膝盖僵硬、弯曲不便,要是上得岸来,用竹竿就可使使之倒地不能起。而几乎同时代的、 有“伴食宰相”之雅号的张之万先生,则是利用国人善于起跪的特点,每日跪倒磕头百次以上,成为他老人家在健身长寿方面的独得之秘。可是,后果我们知道,似 乎是膝盖灵便、起跪灵活的国人到底没能用竹竿干掉上岸的洋鬼子,真是可惜了那一付好腿脚。 有学者云,跪拜文化其实是一种奴才文 化。这话说的自然是过了一点,但未必不是部分的事实。我们知道,即使高如姚明者,一旦跪下来就比正常人要矮,这就产生了一种顺服的姿态与心态。经过这种跪 拜文化熏陶的人,鲜有自主的思想与创新的能力。学生在老师面前跪伏如羊的结果,是对师父的传授只能继承而不能发扬。我们这里几千年的时间都是在嚼当年那几 本书的残渣,正好说明这种行为具有多大影响力。 而如果思想没有创新,自然也就谈不到社会层面的创新。有人说中国文明是一种早熟的农业文明,我看不尽然。早熟固然是事实,但这种跪拜的奴才文化让这个早熟的果子直接就烂在了地里,根本没有发出新芽的机会。 因为现在已经不通行这种跪拜的礼仪,所以,很多人认为这是个偶发的事件,倒也不能算有什么大不了的。可这里面重要的事有两点。其一,李阳说所有学员的行 为基于自愿,这是是他自己的一相情愿。你很难想象,从来没接受过这种跪拜礼仪教育的学生会齐刷刷的“自愿”起来。如果不是自愿,就有了第二个问题:为什么 即使不出于自愿,那么,怎么就居然没有一个人站在那里,而是所有人都屁股朝天? 可能有人会说,这是从众的心理所导致的。这个自然 是原因之一。但我个人看来,正是这种没有人敢反抗自己所不愿意的事情,就等于是跪拜文化的幽灵还没有完全消失。正如当年花蕊夫人诗云:十四万人齐解甲,宁 无一个是男儿。这里,居然就没有一个特立独行的男儿,这才是最令人悲哀的地方。 顺便说一句,已故著名作家王小波先生的名篇《一头特立独行的猪》真是应该选入课本中,真能从小读明白这样的文章,比学什么劳什子的疯狂英语要有用多了。 和菜头:疯狂英语,还是李耐基速成英语? 我个人觉得,李阳的疯狂英语不是学习方法,而更像是一种精神控制术。李阳最成功的学员就是他自己,他成功地把自己催眠了,然后又成功地催眠了许多人。
近日,疯狂英语的创始人李阳因为在博客上贴出学生向老师下跪致谢的照片而引起轩然大波。李阳其实应该有个英文名,不妨就叫做李耐基。因为他的疯狂英语与其 说是一种英文教学方法,倒不如说是一种行销手段。那些现场教学中的山呼海啸,以及最近的下跪感恩等等场景,让人觉得这些景象发生在推销员培训班或者传销集 训班上可能更为合适。卡耐基发现了扭转自己的性格,可以有助于个人成功。而李耐基老师则在这条路上走得更远,创造性地把催眠和自我催眠结合起来,一下就闯 出了一条英文教学的新路。 根据李耐基老师的学说,中国人学成哑巴英语,原因是天性腼腆,担心丢脸。因此,他举办群众集会一样的教学课,让人们放下自己的羞耻心,“吼”出英文。当群 众集体进入一种癫狂状态之后,应该感觉不错,效果和参加足球赛和演唱会差不多。不过,这和学英文的关系究竟有多大,怕还是仁者见仁,智者见智的事情。 世上没有什么万灵药,单方不可能治疗所有疾病。把说英文归结为脸皮问题,倒是一种简化。可是反过来想想,能说一口流利英文的人都是厚脸皮?人上一百,形形 色色,说不好英文怕也有各自的理由。日常生活所见,连自己的母语都说不好的人大有人在,岂能是一张面皮所能涵盖的?说话和写作,本身就是两种个人能力。而 上天没有把这种能力平均地分到每个人身上,靠吼,靠疯狂就能拉平这种差距,还不如集体打鸡血针提高免疫力更为可信。 而真正让人感觉不舒服的,是李阳疯狂英语引发的群众性癫狂。但凡学习任何一门功课,要求理性在高点,而感情在低点。陈景润证明哥德巴赫猜想的时候,大概不 需要双眼噙着泪水。他需要的不是高涨的情感,而是绝对的理性。靠大跃进式的群众运动学习英文,等散场以后冷静下来,剩下的会是什么?当面孔从扭曲恢复平 静,变回平常的自己,所谓疯狂的魔力又在哪里? 我个人觉得,李阳的疯狂英语不是学习方法,而更像是一种精神控制术。因为你内向,因为你羞涩,因为你脸皮薄,所以用种种心理暗示引诱你扭转你的人性,把你 变成一个你自己都认不出来的人。所有的暗示都指向这一点:如果你能像变形金刚一样扭曲你的个性,那么你就能马上说一口“流利地道的英文”。当你身边最容易 受到暗示和诱导的人进入状态,那么这种癫狂状态就开始传染,最后滚雪球一样扩散到所有的人身上。 世界上有什么学问值得一个人作出这么大的牺牲?囚犯无非是失去了身体上的自由而已,他们的精神却能穿过铁窗,自由飞行。现在为了学英文,居然连自己精神的 控制权都拱手相让。推销员参加卡耐基的训练,是为了赚更多的钱。为了钱当然应该百折不挠,当然应该和蔼可亲。学英文又是为了什么呢?难道每次说英文前,你 都要变成另外一个人,才能张口? 李阳最成功的学员就是他自己,他成功地把自己催眠了,然后又成功地催眠了许多人。站在台上,引领上万学员山呼海啸,感觉可能和摇滚巨星相差无几。也同样是 这个人,每天在自己博客里向新东方俞敏洪“上表”,肉麻至极地吹捧。李阳让学员向老师下跪,他又向俞敏洪下跪,无非是因为俞是最成功的教育商人。与其这么 一层层跪下去,吼下去,我觉得到不如一人翻张100块的人民币出来天天跪拜好了。 |