Please Vote For Me is a 2007 documentary film by Wejiu Chen. It takes place in a Chinese elementary school. The plot centers around elections for class monitor. The irony is that free elections are not familiar to these 3rd graders and they become consumed by the elections. It also shows how politics can turn two friends into bitter enemies such as Cheng Cheng and Luo Lei as they do in reality, however there are few elections in China so this is usually no concern.
One major insight into Chinese culture that I noticed, was brilliantly represented at the beginning of the film where the teacher tells the children that they will be "voting" for class monitors and the children have absolutely no idea what "voting" is. This demonstrates the immense incorporation of Maoism into the Chinese school system, much akin to the socialism taught in Cuban school system. The school system continues to stress the importance of Communism in every day Chinese life.
The style of life is completely different in China than it is in Minnesota and the US, we are not taught to believe in the the triumphs of capitalism or socialism. Elections are an essential part of how we operate. The emphasis on the superiority of one's nation is more pronounced in China, and while I can relate to national pride, I am not forced to exercise it like the chinese
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