【新唐人2011年8月20日訊】新任美國大使駱家輝的平民形象使中國百姓大跌眼鏡，美國副總統拜登到京城小吃店吃炸醬麪自掏腰包埋單，還付小費，更是令中國人驚愕不已。長期居住美國，對美國社會有深入了解的中國人卻認為，在美國，官員一向如此，因此，呼籲中共官員應該向美國官員學習做人。
到訪北京的美國副總統拜登，18號在駐華大使駱家輝陪同下，和孫女一起品嚐北京炸醬麪。一行五人點了五碗炸醬麪、十個包子、涼拌黃瓜、涼拌山藥、涼拌土豆絲及可樂等，總共花費79元人民幣。
結賬時，副總統掏出 100元，表示餘款按美國習慣作為小費。並對店主表示歉意，說給店方帶來了不便。拜登的舉動在中國引起震撼，有人甚至以為是美國官員在用行動教育中共官員。
不過，在美國生活了20多年的《北京之春》雜誌主編胡平認為，民主社會的官員必須是這個樣子。
胡平：「民主國家非常正常的，很普通的，並且所有官員幾乎都是這個樣子，當然和靠民主產生緊密關係在一起的，如果你要擺譜、擺架子，那選民不高興了，就不會選你了吧。」
胡平先生表示，在中國，中共的獨裁製度造就了不可一世的官員，而官員必須高高在上才能維持獨裁統治。
胡平：「他沒有意識形態的約束，更沒有民主制度對他的制約，擺譜，耍大牌就越來越盛，而且他們就是通過這種方式表示他們高人一等，因為對專制社會來說，官員就是需要和老百姓拉開距離，讓別人覺得你是高高在上的，這樣才能打消人們的公民意識，因為公民意識主要是平等。」
據胡平分析，現在中國的官場，有意識的培養講排場，擺派頭的作風。即使個別很高的官員表演所謂親民的動作，也是在一系列周密的安排下，由一大堆中共的保鏢隔離老百姓的前提下做出來的。
胡平：「反過來，他這種耍大爺呢，這種派頭，就能助長人們的這種草民的意識啊，順民的意識，臣民的意識啊，就只當人家是官老爺，所以當然對他們磕頭求拜， 哪還敢對他們說三道四，談不上，把他們甚麼選下臺啊，都談不上。所以現在中國官場上擺譜成了一種風氣，有意識的炫耀，這是中國現在很明顯的一個特點。」
長期關心普通百姓的孫文廣教授則呼籲美國官員能深入民間，了解中國的真實情況。
孫文廣：「因為中國對外有很多選材，那些都是正面的，接觸平民能夠了解到一些真實的情況，因為在中國不管是美國的總統或它的大使，更重要的是了解民情，了解真實的情況，通過報紙，通過官員的交談是很難了解清楚的。”
然而，網友報料，拜登光顧的這家姚記小吃店，當天下調了菜價，「平時不止這價啊~」。所以拜登五人吃飯才花了79元。網友說：「是為了迎接總統，還是上面的命令，不得而知！」
新唐人記者劉惠、郭敬採訪報導。
U.S. Officials vs Chinese Officials: Big Difference
New U.S. ambassador to China Gary Locke』s civilian image
was a great shock to Chinese civilians, and more surprisingly
U.S. Vice President Biden visited Beijing and ate noodles
in a snack bar, paying the bill himself including tips.
But this doesn』t surprise the Chinese people living in the U.S.
With a deep understanding of U.S. society, they said that
this is the U.S. officials』 custom, therefore,
they called on Chinese officials to learn how to behave.
During his visit to China, on Aug. 18, U.S. Vice President
Biden, accompanied by ambassador to China Locke
and Biden』s granddaughter, ate fried-sauce-noodles.
Five people ordered five bowls of fried-sauce-noodles,
ten steamed buns, a cucumber salad, a yam salad,
a potato salad and coca-cola, totaling RMB 79.
Vice President took out 100 yuan to pay the bill and
said that following the U.S. customs, the balance is the tip.
Biden apologized to the shop owner for any inconvenience.
Biden』s behavior caused great shock in China.
People believe that this is an educational deed by
the American officials towards their Chinese counterparts.
Editor-in-Chief of Beijing Spring magazine Hu Ping
has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years.
He said that the officials in a democratic society
should behave in that way.
Hu Ping: In a democratic society, this is a very normal and
common practice and almost all officials are like that.
This goes hand in hand with a democratic system.
If you are pretentious, voters will be unhappy.
Naturally, they won』t vote for you again.
Hu Ping said that in China, the Communist dictatorship
fosters extremely arrogant officials
and their superiority helps maintain the dictatorship.
Hu Ping: He is not bound by any ideology,
nor by a democratic system.
More and more officials have put on airs and shown off,
in order to feel superior to everyone else.
Authoritarian rule deliberately requires
its officials to keep a distance from the civilians,
so others will believe that they are superior.
In this way, they eliminate the people』s civic awareness,
as its core lies in equality among people.
Hu Ping』s analysis is that at present, China’s officials
are consciously fostering the trend of ostentatious airs.
Even if some high-level officials perform some so-called
“caring for communities”, these are strategically planned,
with lots of Chinese Communist』s (CCP) bodyguards
around to keep the civilians at a distance.
Hu Ping: In return, such put-on-airs trend can contribute to
people’s awareness that they are the born grassroots,
but regarding those officials as bureaucrats.
So the people naturally kowtow to these officials,
without the courage to criticize them or vote them down.
So in China’s officialdom, the trend of deliberate showing off
has become a common and obvious characteristic.
Long-term concerned with the civilians』 lives, Professor
Sun Wenguang called on the U.S. officials to visit the public
to find out the real situation in China.
Sun Wenguang: Because all reports on Chinese officials are
written to positively propagandize the communist regime.
Only getting in touch with the civilians enables one to
find out the truth about China.
It』s more important for the U.S. President and ambassador
to know the people』s opinions and their true situation.
It』s hard to acquire by reading newspapers
or having official talks.
Unexpectedly, netizens revealed that the snack bar where
Biden ate, lowered its price that day just for Biden』s trip.
“It』s just much cheaper than usual.” That』s why it only cost
Biden 79 yuan for five person』s meals.
A netizen wrote, “This is done to welcome the president or
to follow the Chinese authorities』 instructions; I have no idea.”
NTD reporters Liu Hui and Guo Jing
