China Closes 1,129 Web Sites 396
"The related departments have closed 1,278 illegal web sites and 114 sites promoting gambling, superstitious activities and cult propaganda according to the information provided by the informers. ... China's Ministry of Public Security rewarded a number of informers since China launched a nationwide campaign to crack downon the illegal on-line operations."
Who wrote this? (Score:2, Interesting)
China Cracks Down on Freedoms... (Score:4, Interesting)
1) Freedom of Religion.
2) Freedom of Expression.
Now, I know that we're not talking about the US here, so the Chinese don't have these rights. It's so blatant that the Chinese are never going to change their stance on human rights.
Gotta love the Chinese.
GJC
How many sites exactly? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:1984? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:China Cracks Down on Freedoms... (Score:3, Interesting)
There isn't really enough information in the article to say either way whether or not China has actually done anything particularly bad, or indeed different to the way western governments would have reacted.
China is freer in some ways (Score:1, Interesting)
I thought it was the neatest thing I had ever seen, but what struck me later was the sad fact that this treasure could never happen in the United States because no insurance company would cover it. People would sue left and right, and whomever put on that show would go bankrupt. Take a look at the people climbing the wall of ice. I don't know about you, but that looks like a hell of a lot of fun. I'll never know because that kind of "ride" can't ever happen in America because of the litigious assholes that sue people for a living.
I'm currently wrestling with the idea that China may actually be more free than the US. Not because of this single example, but for many reasons... no-knock warrants and other "anti-terrorism" measures that, to date, do not appear to have stopped any terrorists; RIAA/MPAA lawsuits against "john doe" defendants; software patent claims; anti-smoking laws; a whole bunch of shit. What can't you do in China? You can't speak out against the government (the more I hear angry, uninformed EU and US Bush protesters, the more I think I might actually enjoy that), you can't openly practice religion (what?? no Catholic priest child molesters, no Christian wackos and their 10 commandments plaques, no Muslim fundamentalists to kill me?), and you can't have websites that spread superstition. And this is bad... how?
-Jem
Wonder if it works for something useful as well (Score:2, Interesting)
Wond'ring aloud... (Score:5, Interesting)
> The related departments have closed 1,278 illegal web sites and 114 sites promoting gambling, superstitious activities and cult propaganda
Was Slashdot listed under "superstitious activities", or "cult propaganda"?
Re:China Cracks Down on Freedoms... (Score:5, Interesting)
Sometime in our lifetimes China is going to become a consumer culture, consuming many of the goods that it already makes and exports to the rest of the world. My PDA was made in China. My keyboard was made in China. My colour laser printer was made in China. Can you see where I'm going with this?
Sooner or later, China's markets will open up to near Western levels. Chinese people will buy widescreen TVs, computers and designer goods. And when that happens, the gates will open too, albeit in a controlled manner. How strict those controls will be or how they will function is open to speculation but for over a decade now China has been becoming a more relaxed and less restrictive society.
Just because they have limits on internet access now that doesn't mean that they will always have limits on internet access. The US once had limits on the rights of blacks and women, yet it progressed from that point and China will to.
Don't forget, China isn't just a different country it's a different country with a totally different culture to that which we're familiar with in the West. Concepts that seem alien to us are natural to them, and vice versa. And, obviously, it's the negative aspects of Chinese society that always get played up rather than the positive ones.
And when it comes to things as subjective as human rights, please realise that there's an "eye of the beholder" aspect to be considered. You might regard China as being oppressive when it comes to religion or expression but there's not a country in the world that hasn't done the same at some time or another or that has its own human rights abuses going on right now.
So to recap, don't dismiss China as being stuck permanently on hold. China will progress and develop, but at its own pace and in its own time. Who knows when change will come and how suddenly. After all, the day before the Berlin Wall fell, or before Nelson Mandela was released, or any ground-breaking event, who would have predicted that such a radical change would come overnight?
Re:China Cracks Down on Freedoms... (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm afraid one of those is a little backward. Try this instead:
If you think America was ever intended to be a democracy, you are sadly mistaken. The founding fathers considered democracy to be the most vile thing they could think of, even worse than the Crown from which they separated. That's why they didn't set one up here.
Perhaps WE are the backward ones (Score:1, Interesting)
As for censorship... even we censor certain things we find unpalatable: child porn, for instance. Perhaps the only difference is that other countries have more foresight to see the harm some publications do to society (after all, we're still recovering from the stupidity of tobacco advertising, images promoting eating disorders, etc.).
Just because it's different, doesn't mean it's wrong. At the very least, when another culture chooses to manage its society differently, we should give the other approach serious consideration, and choose the best, or a compromise between the advantages of both.
Re:It happens... (Score:1, Interesting)
What's the process and for what reasons are sites closed in the West? Is there a fundamental difference between the two? Is there a significant quantitative difference? Is there recourse in those respective jurisdictions for the losing party?
Re:So how long...? (Score:2, Interesting)
As soon as really everyone blocks them.
We are on the path now (Score:2, Interesting)
See how long before you are whisked away for 'questioning' under the patriot act.
True, we are not totally screwed, yet.. But its coming. There no 'if'.
Re:Whoa (Score:0, Interesting)
Any system that claims to provide people with equal rights is inherently flawed because it must decide where exactly those "equal" rights lay. Too much restrictions and the more enlightened part of the society will suffer; too much freedom and the least enlightened part of the society will rebel.
Under equal rights, no one can be perfectly happy with what they get - some will always feel they deserve more or that the other group does not deserves as much as this one.
In order to enforce equality, people must be made equal: not only in rights, but also in obligations, opportunities, abilities, skills and possibilities. I don't think I need to explain -what- kind of society exactly I'm describing here, as I am sure we've all read Orwell.
Re:China is freer in some ways (Score:3, Interesting)
China's record on human rights would means that prison is a place where you go if you break the law OR if you a nuisance to the government. Try discussing the Tiananmen square "incident" Communist and post-communist societies like China have still a poor track record in this area. Look carefully and you will find secret laws and loopholes as bad, or worse, than the USA.
Re:no... Re:In Communist China (Score:4, Interesting)
China already is capitalist. They say they're communist, but then North Korea say they're democratic...
Re:no... Re:In Communist China (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually, they'd ban this message, because it exhibits "superstition". I'd complain about this more, except it's all left up to definition of the Government.
For instance, China sees Christianity as subversive and superstition. So, they repress it.
In Germany, Scientology is seen as potentially subversive, and Germany taking a very strong stance against radical groups (go figure why... I mean, having been taken over by a radical faction that caused some of the most infamous crimes in the world? They wouldn't be paranoid about that anymore would they?) have repessed Sociology. There are a lot of Scientologists that gripe all the time that Germany is repressing them. Heck, it's for a good point, they repress *all* radical and reactionary groups.
But, back on topic, Christians around the world are upset at China, and gripe about it a lot. Although, I suppose one difference is that Germany doesn't imprision and execute people who preach Scientology, they just don't recognize it as a valid religion. (Thus, no tax benifits for donations, and they recieve none of the tax collected by the government for the Churches)
Democracy (Score:2, Interesting)
The population of China is 10 times that of the USA. Does America really want a democracy in China? Imagine 2 billion people voting on the future of the USA(and the rest of us)...
Should the world stop pretending we like the idea of China guiding us? Or do most of us really want China a democracy?
Re:Whoa (Score:2, Interesting)
I've been to Cuba, the dictatorship sucks. But what sucks the most is the US trade embargo.
You know why the US can't open the embargo? Because communism worked in Cuba. They're 100% literate, full college level education for 100% of the adult population, people speak 5 languages in most places, no crime, no drug or organized crime.
The worst part is not being able to use USA plastic money, no american products, nothing american on the streets except 1950's cars.
If the US opened the embargo they'd have a communist paradise right under Florida. But the US doesn't seem to be greateous enough to admit that communism works in small communities.
In small numbers of people it is possible to share and live in community without social darwinism.
If you hate communism as it was in Soviet Union please know that I do too. But that's not the kind of communism I'm talking about because that's not communisn at all.
Re:Yes that right (Score:3, Interesting)