A recent open letter published by Liaoning Daily, a local newspaper in Northeast China, that requested college social science teachers to stop defaming China has sparked heated discussions among the public.

The newspaper sent journalists to sit in classes at more than 20 universities in five cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Based on the journalists' notes, approximately 130,000 words in all, the newspaper pointed out a serious problem among college teachers - some lack identification with the Party's theories and China's political path, and others exaggerate social problems due to unhappiness in their own lives.

It is no surprise this was seen as an issue of freedom of speech - an official newspaper trying to blast and silence a group of critics. But this is too simple an interpretation.

One controversy is to what extent the problem of "defaming China" exists in college lectures. The newspaper said that a survey they launched with new media methods found that more than 80 percent of college students said they'd attended lectures by querulous teachers whose debasing of China sounded exaggerated to the students. Some professors insist that the newspaper did not carry out scientific sampling, instead simply imposing a label on the entire group.

No matter how prevalent, the phenomenon of "defaming China" in some classes is more like an extension of the "culture of complaint" in society. In an era distinguished by rivalry among diverse social interests, criticism is just a social fashion.

College teachers need to avoid emotional venting and whining in lectures. This yardstick can only be designed by themselves. The essence of college education is that it helps youngsters shape independent judgment and world views. It is unfeasible for university authorities to step in and stipulate what college teachers should and shouldn't talk about in classes.

Critical thinking is the foundation of social science research. In order to provide suggestions and solutions to improve society, researchers must first be able to detect social deficiencies. Teachers should present their reasoning and analytical methodology. In this process, teachers should still pay attention to the values they pass on. A professor from Central China Normal University wrote on his Sina Weibo account that besides defaming China, a more serious problem among Chinese intellectuals is that they simply ignore social problems. Demonstrating such aloofness before students can in no way be seen as healthy.

China is no longer an isolated society, and teachers are not the only source from which students acquire information. Teachers should focus more on presenting youngsters with scientific methodology when accepting different ideas and let them come to their own conclusions.