Nothing's same now, Comrade
<p><span word="Pity">Pity</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="poor">poor</span> <span word="word">word</span> '<span word="tongzhi">tongzhi</span>', <span word="once">once</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="great">great</span> <span word="equalizer">equalizer</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="connotation">connotation</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="official">official</span> <span word="pomposity">pomposity</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="wink">wink</span>-<span word="wink">wink</span> <span word="reference">reference</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="gay">gay</span>-<span word="friendly">friendly</span> <span word="community">community</span>.</p><p><span word="Early">Early</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="week">week</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="reported">reported</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span> <span word="Public">Public</span> <span word="Transport">Transport</span> <span word="Group">Group</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="introducing">introducing</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="changes">changes</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="rules">rules</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="service">service</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="should">should</span> <span word="address">address</span> <span word="passengers">passengers</span>. </p><p><span word="Except">Except</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="rare">rare</span> <span word="cases">cases</span>, <span word="such">such</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="senior">senior</span> <span word="citizens">citizens</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="term">term</span> "<span word="Comrade">Comrade</span>" <span word="would">would</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="longer">longer</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="used">used</span>. <span word="Instead">Instead</span> <span word="men">men</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="women">women</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="addressed">addressed</span> <span word="as">as</span> "<span word="Sir">Sir</span>" <span word="and">and</span> "<span word="Ma">Ma</span>'<span word="am">am</span>", <span word="and">and</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="receive">receive</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="less">less</span> <span word="formal">formal</span>, <span word="gender">gender</span>-<span word="neutral">neutral</span> <span word="salutation">salutation</span> "<span word="Little">Little</span> <span word="Friends">Friends</span>". </p><p><span word="Yet">Yet</span> <span word="another">another</span> <span word="nail">nail</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="coffin">coffin</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="conformism">conformism</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="defunct">defunct</span> <span word="idealism">idealism</span>. </p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="evolution">evolution</span> <span word="of">of</span> "<span word="comrade">comrade</span>" <span word="reflects">reflects</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="mass">mass</span> <span word="psychology">psychology</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="psychological">psychological</span> <span word="mannerisms">mannerisms</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="past">past</span> <span word="century">century</span>. <span word="Deriving">Deriving</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Latin">Latin</span> <span word="word">word</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="roommates">roommates</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="adopted">adopted</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="European">European</span> <span word="military">military</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="way">way</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="addressing">addressing</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="shared">shared</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="same">same</span> <span word="barracks">barracks</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="political">political</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="word">word</span> "<span word="comrade">comrade</span>" <span word="originated">originated</span> <span word="during">during</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="French">French</span> <span word="Revolution">Revolution</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="adopted">adopted</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="socialist">socialist</span> <span word="movement">movement</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="mid">mid</span>-19<span word="th">th</span> <span word="century">century</span>. </p><p><span word="This">This</span> <span word="usage">usage</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="adopted">adopted</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="turn">turn</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="Sun">Sun</span> <span word="Yatsen">Yatsen</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Kuomintang">Kuomintang</span> (<span word="Nationalist">Nationalist</span> <span word="Party">Party</span>) <span word="which">which</span> <span word="frequently">frequently</span> <span word="used">used</span> "<span word="comrade">comrade</span>" <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="address">address</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="members">members</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="Communists">Communists</span> <span word="followed">followed</span> <span word="suit">suit</span>, <span word="actively">actively</span> <span word="promoting">promoting</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="utilitarian">utilitarian</span> <span word="title">title</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="anyone">anyone</span>. </p><p>"<span word="Comrade">Comrade</span>" (<span word="tongzhi">tongzhi</span>) <span word="means">means</span> <span word="someone">someone</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="same">same</span> <span word="aspirations">aspirations</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="goals">goals</span>. <span word="So">So</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="early">early</span> <span word="revolutionaries">revolutionaries</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="word">word</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="implicitly">implicitly</span> <span word="invoked">invoked</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="shared">shared</span> <span word="cause">cause</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="imagine">imagine</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="word">word</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="received">received</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="fresh">fresh</span>. <span word="Say">Say</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Shanghai">Shanghai</span>-<span word="based">based</span> <span word="underground">underground</span> <span word="worker">worker</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Communist">Communist</span> <span word="Party">Party</span>. <span word="If">If</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="opened">opened</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="door">door</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="midnight">midnight</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="someone">someone</span> <span word="whispering">whispering</span> "<span word="Comrade">Comrade</span>", <span word="he">he</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="entrusting">entrusting</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="life">life</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="vice">vice</span> <span word="versa">versa</span>. <span word="It">It</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="word">word</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="taken">taken</span> <span word="lightly">lightly</span>. </p>
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