Hao Mama 好妈妈

An interesting article from the LA Times on schools in Los Angeles which have become battlegrounds in the war over whether to teach traditional or simplified characters. The reporter introduces parents from Taiwan who are in the middle of a heated debate over the issue:

Last April, the school held a meeting with parents to discuss the issue. Parents were urged to “focus on interests, not positions.”

Because of what he deemed a “hostile” attitude toward his support of simplified script, Lim didn’t want his son’s name used for this story.

“The reaction to eliminating traditional has been overwhelming,” Vannasdall said. “It’s a really controversial issue.”

Two years ago, when Christine Lee was president of the Arcadia Chinese parents club, some parents pushing for the simplified form tried to draw the group into the debate. But Lee said the club resisted taking sides.

Still, Lee, who came to the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1980s, said she resented Lim’s characterization of traditional script as obsolete. “Chinese characters are so beautiful, why would you give that up?” she said. “How could 5,000 years of history go away that easily?”

Read the full article here. I wrote an earlier post about the debate over the issue here.