Full episode
131: The Kids Are Alright

Prologue

On the tenth anniversary of the crackdown at Tiananmen Square, we hear from Wen Huang, who was part of the student movement. He says that the students weren't fighting for democracy, at least not as it's been widely understood in the West. He—and other former student activists from China—say the protests were an expression of sheer pleasure in living, a rock-n-roll bravado, a desire for a better future. But they never wanted to see American-style democracy or the overthrow of the Communist government, or anything so grand. (5 minutes)