Run Run Fan runs far from civilized norms

By John Gong  |   2008-6-20  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

LIKE the speed at which China's most famous, or infamous, high school teacher runs from the earthquake, the Run Run Fan drama is quickly running into Act II now.

The central issue of this great civil debate has officially shifted from the online morality court to a more practical matter - whether the school is justified and legally within its right to tell him to run, really run, I mean run away for good.

But it looks like this time around, the notorious fast-runner is not likely to run easily any time soon.

Aside from defending himself fiercely in his blog with outrageous statements as usual, Run Run Fan allegedly is busy preparing for a lawsuit against the local education authority, which is said to have suspended his teaching license.

In one of his recent press interviews, he said: "If firing me is based on the fact that I didn't try to save my students' life, and in particular to save their life by risking my own life, I mean if this is the reason accusing me of not being qualified as a teacher, I think it violates the Teacher's Act.

"Which clause in the Teacher's Act says that the teacher should risk his own life to save students? And it is even more ridiculous to fire me for what I said in the first paragraph of my blog article 'That moment the earth shakes,' saying that I am not patriotic and thus cannot be a teacher.

"You cannot question my patriotism just because I criticize the government. You cannot suspend my teaching license just because of patriotism.''

Samuel Johnson is right: invoking patriotism is indeed the last refuge of a scoundrel. Run Run Fan's own defense raises two issues.

First, do what he did and what he said constitute a legitimate reason to fire him? Second, is the firing process due and appropriate?

Let us first talk about what he did.

It is true that the Teacher's Act does not have any clause about teachers risking their lives to save students.