China # 2 (Or, On the Importance of Being Free)

I apologize in advance for two things: (1) the length of time between this blog and the last, and (2) the overly academic nature that this entry is about to take.

The reason that I have failed to regularly blog is only partially my fault. Yes, I have been exceedingly busy with various things, but much of the lag can be blamed on another culprit, one that is entirely out of my control and yet I am entirely liable to: the iron-clenched-hand of the Chinese government.

The entry that I had been working on, which includes pictures of a visit to Tiananmen Square, a video of my friends eating fried scorpion and starfish, and pictures of semi-illegal fake shoes and watches, has so far been unable to pass the muster of the Chinese government censorship. I had spent a cumulative amount of 2.5 hours trying to upload various videos and pictures, resulting in myself being somewhat peeved. So I have forsaken that entry in lieu of this entry which will discuss the said government control and censorship. But don’t despair dear readers, the entry with all the pictures and stuff will be up (hopefully) in a few days.

The government’s control can be seen everywhere. Most overtly, it takes form in a censored Internet. Google news doesn’t work, political blogs like huffingtonpost.com don’t work, NBC and ABC’s websites don’t work, nor does hulu.com. Youtube sometimes works, depending on the time of the day. Blogspot only started working in the past 3 months. Search engines work, but they are a bit nuanced. For example, if I google-image search “Tiananmen Square Massacre” in America, pictures of bloodied students, tanks, guns, and rioters will appear. In China however, I get nothing but a blank page that reads, “error in loading this page.”

I wonder if this blog counts as “political.” David Sch said it best: “I was wondering if your internet would be censored or not. I guess if I start getting really positive messages about China from you written with poor syntax I'll assume something is afoot.”

Government control can also be seen on television. The Ministry of Propaganda (yes, that is a real government organization) makes sure that there is one channel solely dedicated to showing overly positive images of Chinese soldiers and citizens responding to the earthquake. Handsome young men and women, in crisp red and green uniforms, valiantly march through rubble, while inspiring classical music swells in the background. While it is true that China’s response to the Sichuan disaster has been remarkably impressive in letting in foreign press and foreign aid, they have unfairly exploited this disaster for controlling public opinion. Also, whereas there are no American news shows, there are 3 channels dedicated to showing Cuban news; this is unsurprising as Cuba and China share the same economic and political values of Communism.

The text in Chinese reads: "We'll destroy old world and build new." It was made in 1966 and shows a Chinese soldier destring the Crucifix, Buddha, and various Chinese text

Government control doesn’t stop with mass media. It turns out there is an explanation for this ridiculously thick air (see last entry). The Chinese government is doing something called cloud seeding. It’s a process where the government shoots rockets into the air filled with silver iodine. This silver iodine breaks up in the atmosphere, and it combines with dry-ice placed there by planes. By a process with details that are beyond my general-knowledge, the chemicals create pollution-capturing clouds. These newly created clouds create not only rain, but literally suck the pollution out of the air. This has been going on for the past seven days. Thus, every day of the past week has been filled with dirt, smog, and pollution-laced acid rain. Nice.

Most dangerously however, the government controls the minds of young Chinese citizens. I was talking with my speaking partner (the University pairs us up with a native Chinese to practice our newly acquired language skills) about the United States and the rights of its citizens enumerated by the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights, a document that protects a nation’s citizens from its government, was a foreign concept to this 24-year old woman born and bred on this Chinese soil. I told her about freedom of speech, the freedom from illegal search and seizure, the freedom of religion, and the freedom of the press. This was the first time she had heard of such things and seemed exceedingly amused. When I emphasized the importance of a free press, separated from the control of the government, she gave me a quizzical look. I explained to her that the press represents the voice of the people, and that with government control of the press, it loses its power to act as a check and balance on our government officials. She then said, “But our Chinese government would never lie to us; it always does the right thing.” She reminded me of myself in high school, when I unquestionably believed every single thing that my teachers, counselors, and pastor told me.

Don’t get me wrong – the United States can be just as bad when it comes to spinning propaganda.

This shows Bush in 2003 giving up a thumbs-up sign on an air-craft carrier under a massive "Mission Accomplished" sign. This was taken during the Iraq War.

But the difference is that when the photo aired, the press had a field day, with MSNBC and CNN deriding the cheap photo-op for what it really was (conservative FOX news was conspicuously silent about it): the insistence of an insecure regime that tried to get an American public to believe that they were “winning the war on terror.” 90,000 dead Iraqi civilians later, 4,114 dead Americans later later, zero weapons of mass destruction later, we know that in reality, the mission was and is nowhere near accomplished. I can't say for sure that the Chinese public would see through its own government with an equally keen eye. And for those that do have the ability to think critically and question the government, they have no vehicle to voice their opinion and are unjustly, albeit legally, thrown into jail.

In other news, Jesse Helms, ultra-conservative senator from North Carolina died today. Reading about him and his political life begs the question of the day: is the government supposed to be a vehicle of the people, a pure representation of their values and belief system, or is it supposed to be a steadfast, guiding moral beacon of light in this ever-changing society? The latter is what Jesse Helms believed in, fighting for anti-abortion, pro-religious values. But I think the majority of the United States believes in the former. The government should belong to the people, it should be held accountable to the people; it is the people.

But I think China believes in the second one.