梁彼得判决出来当晚，我匆匆问了收拾行囊要去波士顿参加高中辩论赛的老二，他简短说了几点。在微信群看到家长问是否有跟孩子们谈起，我就在儿子出去四天回来后2/18日问他能否写下来。我没有分享自己的观点，他在手机敲字后也没改动过。

3/8 Update: when I reread his quick essay yesterday, I was quite surprised at how close his thinking and even some words were to Jess' interview, where she said twice "took the fall for the sins of the nation." Arnold used the phrases "take the fall for other incidents", and "pay for the sins of others."

On Peter Liang--Our Sense of Balance
Arnold 9th Grade
2/18/2016
 
We always want what we don’t have. And we jump on the easiest opportunity we see. In some instances, this is good. It improves our condition of life, as we strive for more. Yet on the other hand, this leads to conflict, to struggle, to strife. We hate to admit it, but we humans are selfish. We thrive off of seeing others suffer, if it benefits ourselves or leads to some so-called sense of “balance” in this world. 

Now, when this “balance” is swayed, we jump on anything, and everything, to right this imbalance, no matter the situation. When the scales tip one way, we feel the absolute necessity to tip it the other way, no matter what. This sense of equilibrium gives us comfort, a sense that everything is righteous, that everything is deserved, that everything is harmonious. 

But is this balance worth the arbitrary pushing down of some in favor of the raising of others? Is this balance worth the scapegoating of innocents to make the rest of us feel justified, to make the rest of us feel that everything is dignified?
           
Peter Liang was this scapegoat, who took the fall because of the world’s twisted sense of balance, this sense of balance that trumped justice. Instead of doing what was just, the world lashed out, pushed by demons to tip the scales back the other way. The world lashed out and pushed Liang down under to take the fall for the other incidents. 

When the world saw that no police officers were being convicted for the killings of African Americans such as Eric Garner and Michael Brown, they saw Peter Liang as their opportunity. They saw Liang as the opening they had been waiting for, the chance to pay for the sins of the others. Justice no longer mattered. Morality meant nothing. Fairness went down the drain. 

Peter Liang was just a tool to take advantage of, to be the scapegoat the world desperately wanted. And he was the perfect tool. Peter Liang was an easy target. 
           “He’s Asian,” they say. 
           “Asians are quiet,” they say.
           “Nobody will stand up for him,” they say.
           “Asians are weak,” they say. 
           
The world knew he would be weak, supported by the few, attacked by the many. It’s about time we let the world know that they’re wrong. It’s about time that we showed the world our strength, our bond as an Asian American community. It’s about time that we showed the world that we aren’t just here to be scapegoated, to be the laughingstock, to be the silent, the weak. 
 

2/18/2016: 我看了后挺吃惊，觉得他小小年纪能有这样的sense of morality，就追问他。

1. 我问：有人说我们亚裔不关心非裔，你怎么认为呢？

His answer: Not that we don't care, but the situation is different. The same thing can be said about African Americans, that they don't care about Liang.

更新：在220集会的bus上，儿子和另一九年级朋友念了这篇，视频如下.

Jess Interview