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Reader question: Please explain this sentence and “private citizen” in particular: It is when paid lobbyists can buy access and influence that the playing field for the private citizen becomes very uneven. My comments: It means simply that a member of the general public cannot possibly compete with lobbyists who are backed up financially by businesses or government agencies. Usually, the “private citizen” is spoken of in contrast to what is called a “public figure”, one who either represents the government (Barack Obama), or one who is a business leader (Bill Gates), or a celebrity (Lady Gaga), or just someone who is famous for no good reason (and we see many of these on Chinese television). Unlike it is with a public figure, the private citizen is their own man or woman for that matter. That means their affairs are their own private business and therefore of no interest to the public. If their air their dirty linens in the public, for example, nobody cares. I mean they’ll laugh at you for a brief second and laugh it off. The stink won’t linger, let alone last, quite in contrast to the situation that faces a public figure – think of Bill Clinton and more recently Tiger Woods. In Chinese official parlance, the private citizen might be equivalent to one of “the masses”. Anyways, just remember that the private citizen is NOT one who holds an official or public position. | 
