ZT: 加州SAT考满分的华裔高中生自杀身亡,谁的错?

子女教育论坛   作者:闲人忙人

上周三(9月24日),北加州的一个华人家庭,又发生令人痛心的悲剧,一对父子,自杀身亡。其儿子,年仅17岁,学业优秀,美国大学入学考试(SAT)获得满分2400分,申请多所名校被拒,结果录取的最好学校只有UCSD(加州大学圣地亚哥分校)。他咽不下这口气,选择了用煤气自杀。当时也在公寓内的父亲一同身亡。

消息传出,在北美华人中,尤其是加州的华人圈中,引起震惊。许多人认为,这对父子是因为遭受到种族歧视而自杀。

这种说法的背景是,加州名校众多,亚裔尤其是华裔聚集。1996年,加州通过了一项州宪法平权法案修正案,立法禁止州立公共教育及其他单位在招生、招工时 考虑申请人的种族、肤色、性别、国籍、出生地等因素,也就是著名的Prop 209. 这项反歧视的法案实施后,华裔以至整个亚裔成为最大的受益者,加州各个大学亚裔学生比例节节上升,远大于亚裔所占的人口比例。譬如在加州大学柏克利分校, 亚裔学生已经占到全部学生人数的40%。

这种趋势近年来引起了许多其他族裔(主要是西语裔)及一些学校管理层的不安。许多名校在招生时,已经与Prop 209相违背,考虑申请人的种族、肤色及性别来决定是否录取。比如一名华裔学生可能各方面都比另一名西裔学生更优秀,但学校却拒绝了华裔而录取西裔学生, 理由是,“要保证学生种族的多样性”。

今年初,加州参议院甚至通过了一项SCA5法案,要推翻反歧视的Prop 209,将许多学校已经暗地里推行的根据肤色种族来招生的行为公开化、合法化。消息一出,在全美华裔社区中造成掀然大波,华裔参政热情空前高涨、前所未有 地团结,不仅是加州的华裔,全美各地的华裔都加入了行动,以各种形式抗议、网上数十万人签名、向当地民选议员施压,终于取得了胜利,被讥讽为Skin Color Act的SCA5提案未能在加州众议院获得通过。

正是基于以上的背景,当这名华裔高中生自杀的消息传出时,有人在网上发文,认为他是死于加州大学对华人的种族歧视。有人提议华裔应借题发挥,去争取自己的 更大的权益。甚至有人认为他没有卢刚有种,绝望了也可以买把枪,写封遗书,拉几个垫背的,至少也算为后来的同胞踏平一些荆棘。

我为这对父子的去世感到痛心,却实在不敢苟同这种观点。该生不是因为种族歧视而自杀,是因为自身心理承受能力太差而自杀。

世界从来都是不公平的。我们当年那会儿,高考考个五百分出头,在北京可以上北大,在其他很多省份却连重点大学都上不了,都不活了?这种事件只能说是他家庭 教育的失败和他自身的问题,不应该乱推到种族歧视上。当然,我们要努力去争取公平公正,但当不公平落到你头上时,也要学会心平气和地去面对,找到与这个不 公平的世界相处的方式,或抗争或适应或另寻出路,但决不是自杀或者他杀。

设想一下,如果他上了哈佛或者UCLA(加州大学洛杉矶分校),结果发现比不过别人,学业上或者其他方面遇到挫败,他会怎么办?说不定还是会自杀。刚刚从 一个同学那得到消息,她的一对中国朋友的儿子,上了MIT(麻省理工大学),因为压力太大而自杀了。夫妻俩悲痛欲绝、心灰意冷,打算回国,离开这个让人伤 心的地方。去年新泽西最好的高中,就是那所华裔巨多、一年几十个考上常春藤盟校的高中,也有一个华裔学生自杀。

类似事件的一再发生,说明根源在教育的失败,而不在大学录取制度。说实话,这类事件的发生,非但不会促使有关学校改变他们按族裔按比例录取的制度,反而会使他们面对高分华裔时,录取更谨慎。

所以,华裔不应就此事件乱借题发挥,反而应该真正反思自己的教育方法、教育理念、成功论、世界观。我们到底要培养什么样的孩子?教育的目的是什么?一个会 读书、门门考试满分的人?一个朗朗?一个得诺贝尔奖的人?还是许许多多心理健康、人格健全、真实正直善良快乐、并对社会有用的人?

local news:
by  Kevin Forestieri  / Mountain View Voice

Longtime Milk Pail employee, son killed in apartment fumes

The two bodies found in an apartment complex in Mountain View on Wednesday have been identified as James Liu and his teenage son William, according to a post on the Milk Pail Market Facebook page.

Liu was the store director and the brother-in-law of Steve Rasmussen, owner of the Milk Pail Market. According to the Facebook post by Kai Rasmussen, Liu’s niece, he was a “brilliant manager, buyer, and grocer who was greatly admired by our staff, customers, and vendors alike.”

The cause of death for Liu and his 17-year-old son William is still under investigation, as Mountain View police continue to investigate the noxious smell that broke out at 2025 California St. and triggered an evacuation Wednesday evening. The bodies of both victims were located in one of the apartment units by fire crews.

Investigators later found that calcium sulfide and sulfuric acid were present in the the complex at 2025 California St., as well as the byproducts of both chemicals — sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, according to Shino Tanaka, spokeswoman for the Mountain View Police Department.

Hydrogen sulfide in lower concentrations can cause nausea, eye irritation and headaches, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Higher concentrations can lead to unconsciousness, serious eye damage and death.

Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas with a pungent odor that causes irritation to the eyes and skin, and can lead to eye damage, lung damage and skin burns.

Police are not releasing any additional information on the investigation.

Police received reports of the noxious “rotten egg” smell in the apartment complex at 6:09 p.m. Wednesday night, and evacuated residents in the area until 8 a.m. the next morning.
During the evacuation and investigation, four responding officers were sickened by the fumes and reported feeling lightheaded. They were treated and released.

Tanaka confirmed that the noxious smell was not caused by a gas leak, and that no suicide note had been left at the apartment where the two bodies were located. Police had originally suspected a gas leak caused the noxious smell, and PG&E crews shut off gas lines in the area.

Another apartment building adjacent to the complex was also evacuated, and an estimated 30 or 40 evacuees were sheltered at the nearby community center on Rengstorff Avenue.

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