One of the most powerful scenes in the documentary is when Cheng Cheng walks around the classroom after his performance in the talent show, shaking his supposed supporter\u2019s hands and repeating \u201cThis is good karma!\u201d Immediately after, he leads the students in expressive slogans and chants highlighting Luo Lei\u2019s authoritarian regime and his tyrannical methods. Especially in contrast to one of the last scenes, when the votes are being tallied to an unequivocal Lei victory and a practically and emotionally defeated Cheng mutters \u201cIf Luo Lei wins, he\u2019ll torment you to death,\u201d these two scenes demonstrate the difficulties for an opposition movement coming into a democratic process. Initially, in the excitement of a viable possibility for change, Cheng Cheng is able to mobilize voters and fire up the \u2018crowds\u2019 to an extent that the incumbent is seconds away from stepping out of the election process. However, Lei has the resources (an overly enthusiastic father) to slowly, as the campaigning process drags on, win back favor through material gifts that overshadow the prior 2 years of tyranny. He is able to capitalize on some character flaws in the opposition, separating and taking the enthusiasm out of the opposition movement. At this point, voters will support who they know, who they both fear and love \u2013 Luo Lei. Can this be considered democracy? Probably not. It is yet another example of democratic hope undermined by the erosion of necessary democratic processes and an equal playing field that is so often seen in the transition on the spectrum from authoritarianism to democracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the most powerful scenes in the documentary is when Cheng Cheng walks around the classroom after his performance in the talent show, shaking his supposed supporter\u2019s hands and repeating \u201cThis is good karma!\u201d Immediately after, he leads the … Continue reading