A group of convenience

Many people meet in special parks in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai to select potential life partners for their marriageable age children from families in the same social class. Although some people say such parents are too pragmatic, their criticism seems to be unfounded, says an article in Chongqing Times. Excerpts:

The "special marriage group" can be seen as an indicator of utilitarianism where a person that meets the criteria becomes a sought-after subject while those who don't are treated as outsiders. To some degree, the group is reminiscent of the tradition of people marrying into families of equal status.

Parents know full well that marriage should be built on love. But they also know that couples, especially the young ones, need a realistic foundation, and certain basic necessities and security to lead a decent life. If it's not possible to have a dream marriage, there is nothing wrong in being practical or pragmatic about marital relationship.

Having a realistic foundation depends on individuals' efforts, and equal opportunity and social security for all. Otherwise, people could lose their confidence to make any decision. And such lack of confidence among people could lead to the formation of special marriage groups.

In an age of free love, everyone has the right to pursue a happy married life. But a happy marriage depends, among other things, on whether a man has enough wealth. As a result, the special group is a mere byproduct of the social times.

Interns exploited in factory

Recently, some interns of Hunan Railway Professional Technology College told the media that their college made them work, often overtime, on assembly lines in a factory in Guangdong province, which was not part of their internship program. What may have prompted the college to force its students to work on assembly lines is the factory owners' promise to pay it 200 yuan per student per month in exchange for "supplying cheap labor", says an article on xinhuanet.com. Excerpts:

The college has defended its action, which violates national policies and infringes on students' rights and interests, saying it was forced to make the students do backbreaking work because it was difficult to arrange for their internships to suit their majors. Claiming that it is impossible to follow the national policy on internship, the factory said working overtime was inevitable and common today.

The seemingly reasonable explanations are, in fact, mere excuses for infringing on students' rights and interests. Several questions need to be answered before we can understand why some colleges and companies exploit students: Why did the college arrange for the internship of students in subjects not related to their areas of interest? Why didn't the school cancel the internship program when students complained about the backbreaking labor? And why did the factory force students to work overtime in violation of labor laws?

There is enough reason for the public to suspect that the college "sold" the students as cheap laborers to the company. The fact that students' interests and rights are being violated shows how careless and negligent some colleges have become about labor laws. Internship, it seems, has indeed lost its original purpose. The authorities should enact a specific law on internship organized by vocational colleges to safeguard students' rights and punish the colleges and companies that mistreat interns.

(China Daily 06/06/2013 page9)