In yet another blow to the Chinese people’s online liberty, the PRC’s Paramount Leader Hu Jintao has vowed to “purify” the Internet.
Hu’s comments were made at a meeting of China’s politburo, a 24-member council that rules China by decree.
Internet usage in China has increased rapidly in recent years, growing by 23.4% to an estimated 130 million users — despite widespread efforts by the ruling Communist Party to censor Internet communications.
China’s Internet police task force is estimated to be 30,000 officers strong, and all Internet communications pass through a censoring filter — the so-called “great firewall of China” — controlled by the Ministry of Public Security.
Hu reinforced the Party’s belief that Internet communications should promote ideals that sit well with the Party, stressing the need for the Party to “maintain the initiative in opinion” and to “raise the level of guidance” online.
Although Chinese citizens have little or no access to foreign opinion sites, the rise of blogging and forums has led to the general public’s hitherto unprecedented ability to read news of government misdeeds and discuss political views that don’t mesh well with the Party’s. How this ominous new policy will affect Chinese citizens’ ability to do so only time will tell, but as of now the future doesn’t look too rosy for China’s online dissidents.
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Karl Marx would love the popular moves among politicians in various state governments and the federal government to ban so-called "junk" food in schools, and to "put healthy food in" convenience stores and on the tables of those they define as poor. It's a very elitist and arrogant mindset that promotes this ideology, and it needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
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Jan 26, 2007
Blocked in China » Blog Archive » China to “purify†Internet
Richard Braakman
Jan 26, 2007
I’ve always approved of the great firewall of China for purely Machiavellian reasons. It allows the government to think they have things under control, so they’re not as opposed to Internet connectivity as they otherwise would be. In the meantime, everyone else knows that it’s not going to work — a firewall can always be bypassed if the people on both sides want to do so. Linking up the citizenry will lay the grounds for a major shift in power and it’s very hard to undo. The more connectivity you have, the more your economy will depend on it.
I think the government is starting to see all this, and is getting nervous. Good times are coming. I just hope it won’t get violent first. It’s possible to transition mostly nonviolently, as we’ve seen with the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe.
Rob Miller
Jan 26, 2007
Some of Eastern Europe, anyway…
Steve Shepherd
Jan 26, 2007
It will take another 5000 years for China to “pull it’s head out” if you know what I mean. The whole world is freaking out over how much progress China is going through. I have lived here now for 5 years and I have never ever seen such uncivilized, unethicical,barbaric,people in all my life even after visiting Africa and India with all of their filthy ways are better than China. To actually see a person stand up and urinate on a city bus and the driver also see him and not say a word really opens your mind as to how far back in time they are. The hacking sounds while they spit big wads your feet or pick their nose and then hand you a menu while passing gas is but a few items the real world would simply not stand for. The shock of seeing such rude lack of manners made me think don’t they have mothers and grannies to teach them manners? About that time an old woman passed by and hacked out a big gob almost hitting my foot. Then it hit me, that’s where they learned it. It makes me want to vomit.What a country
Arangao Newman
Jan 26, 2007
What part of China were you in exactly? Because I NEVER saw any of that.
Antje
Jan 26, 2007
..let them time! They need more time -
Verbos
Jan 26, 2007
It is bigitus to judge people by their customs and mannerisms. These are not true signs of their compassion or integrety. I have associated with prople of different cultural back grounds. With a little effort I was able to find common ground. This will not happen with an adverse attitude.
Jan 26, 2007
StevenBao.com » Blog Archive » China to “purify” Internet
Steven Bao
Jan 26, 2007
Note that China’s Communist Party isn’t the same as Karl Marx’s communism, which I denote as Marxism.
Anonymous
Jan 26, 2007
Chinese culture is not all about passing gas or urinating..
The students of china study incredibly hard and are taking jobs all over the world not through barbaric methods but through hard work. Their respect for other people, especially elders and increasingly of females far outweighs people of many foreign countries. Er, China and I’m assuming your from America are two very different countries, and I find Steve Shepherd’s comments racially discriminatory. American customs have there own flaws, not washing hands, not changing clothes (just keeping them in a closet for a week and half) mooning people. And the way people blow there noses, whoo..I’m from America by the way and I worked in china for 4 years as well.
Jan 26, 2007
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J. Bruno
Jan 27, 2007
“American customs have there own flaws, not washing hands, not changing clothes (just keeping them in a closet for a week and half) mooning people. And the way people blow there noses”
Your impression of America is tainted. I gather you took the short bus to school.
Q
Jan 27, 2007
In a land that is so over crowded, personal space is virtually non existent, unless you are rich.
Chinese society prides itself on saving face, not on appearances and pretenses like us, to them farting spitting urinating are perfectly natural things that they don’t have time or space to hide, so you’ll feel better.
then there’s the caste system that still exists even though many claim it doesn’t; those who are at the bottom of that list even believe they are inferior and incapable of “civilized behavior”.
and of course there are those who resent the thought of sop called civilized behavior because that’s what the British forced on them, much like the way we resented tea for a long time. so before you judge a people. think about their point of view and how barbaric they think you are.
Nigel Watt
Jan 27, 2007
And of course, the “worker’s paradise” of a communist nation has the most dangerous coal mines in the world.
Anonymous
Jan 27, 2007
this is from the guy who defended chinese culture and said chinese culture isn’t just about passing gas or urinating, my impression of America is not tainted because some of it’s customs are not so “perfect” as many americans would say. I don’t understand J. Bruno’s comment, I mean no offense to you, only to have you explain what it means.
Anonymous
Jan 27, 2007
I agree with the above comment. I am in connection with many chinese people and they certainly don’t go tearing around in Iraq for no good reason save finding non-existant weapons of mass distruction, covering up in order to claim insurgent (actually there called patriotic nationalists) held oil fields, lose American lives and Iraqi lives for no definite or fair purpose, and meddle constantly with foreign international affairs.
Anonymous
Jan 28, 2007
Actually the Chinese have been tearing around Tibet for about 50 years. The Chinese are far more brutal against the people of Tibet than the US is against the people of Iraq.
Burnsie
Jan 29, 2007
Thats a fair point. I suppose every country has its flaws. But when China decide to kick off, we will be bolloxed.
Anonymous
Jan 29, 2007
“Actually the Chinese have been tearing around Tibet for about 50 years. The Chinese are far more brutal against the people of Tibet than the US is against the people of Iraq.”
China in Tibet is like the north union in alabama. 600,000 americans were killed in the civil war.
Tibet was once part of China, “China” was involved in a sort of civil war that lost 60,000 “Chinese”. What are we doing in Iraq? If we are too meddle anywhere we should be helping Africa and stopping the slaughters in Sudan (and inform the people of the aids threat).
Every country has it’s own flaws, our involvement in Iraq is just as bad or worse as compared to China in Tibet.
Anonymous
Jan 30, 2007
Indeed we all have our flaws, but why should we only focus on these? What is perfect and what is not? Anyway some people will always try to control others. The best way to lad people figth it out among themselves is in my opinion free elections. Alas! There are some people who do not agree with me around the world. What can I do? I certainly do not agree on the use of violence. Do you?
Ingu
Jan 31, 2007
1.Don’t look the whole world use your ears,but eyes.
2.Come to China and find whether it is you just “look like”.
3.Do you think you can contral billions of peple?
Ingu
Jan 31, 2007
I migth notunderstand the last three points? To control others is not meant to be me. It is meant to show how the whole world in many different countries work and interact together. The last remark(number 3) did indeed tell me alot about the writers personality. Please try to read the text once more without any pre assumptions. It is a riddle. Cheers.
king of word
Jan 31, 2007
1.China is a so big country with inconceivable population,while the resource is limited, it is not a easy thing to manage so big country well.
2.Seeing is believe.China is big ,thus different areas have different culture and habit,most of people are very gentle man excpet some poor area.
3.China is developing with high speed,it is a good thing.
www.eyepuzzles.net
Feb 01, 2007
Depends on the word purification. Most of the time spent on the internet today by youngsters is to watch porn. So if the chinese goverment can prevent hard core porn on the internet its probably a good thing. Contrary to what the chinese goverment might think, people do not browse the internet to read controversial news on the chinese goverment, its policies in tibet, its environment policies, its going to bed with the arabs or its involvement in africa. So when they purifying the internet the effect on its internet savvy population is not accessing education websites, banking websites OR not being able to research material for day to day activities. So before you start blocking sites, putting filters and so on i strongly advise that you monitor a site which is controversial, get your statistics and then decide to filter/block it.
Rob Miller
Feb 02, 2007
That would depend on if you viewed “looking at pornography” as something the government should ban, I suppose–which I hope the vast majority of people would disagree with.
Anonymous
Feb 02, 2007
I just want to say that I CAN’T WAIT TILL HALO 3 COMES OUT