China’s Net “Hall Monitors”

The New York Times examines some new Internet efforts by China’s pro-government youth. They monitor online forums and “try to steer what they consider negative conversations in a positive direction with a well-placed comment. Anything they deem offensive, they report to the university’s Web master for deletion.” Sounds like part astrotrufing, part sanitizing, and part secret police all in one. But is this really all that different than instructors posing as sudents in their class discussion groups, or the push polls, paid propoganda, and video news releases in American politics today?

May 9, 2006 by Uncategorized 4

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4 Responses

  1. billh says:
    May 11, 2006 at 2:17 am

    No comparison between countries
    Hello,

    It is not intellectually valid or honest to imply that China and the United States are similar when it comes to basic human rights. Consider issues such as press freedom, free speech, right to assemble, free elections and a fair trial. The United States is not perfect, but it is in a totally different world from China in regard to the universal rights of people. One is a free society, the other a dictatorship.

    Bill

    Reply
  2. Fang-Face says:
    May 11, 2006 at 5:53 am

    Re:No comparison between countries
    Not quite. One is a full blown dictatorship, and the other is still only an incipient dictatorship.

    Reply
  3. billh says:
    May 12, 2006 at 7:58 am

    Re:No comparison between countries
    Can you give a list of the developing dictatorial powers exercised by the United States government over its people?
    Restricted speech-no.
    Restricted assembly-no.
    Restricted press-no.
    Restricted movement-no.
    Restricted association with others-no.
    Restricted political activites-no.
    Restricted communications-no.
    The list goes on.

    Reply
  4. Fang-Face says:
    May 12, 2006 at 8:16 pm

    Re:No comparison between countries

    Can you give a list of the developing dictatorial powers exercised by the United States government over its people?

    I’ve only been compiling such a list for several years; here’s an link to the Celebrate Freedom Index Page.

    The Bush regime has violated every one of the principles you enumerate above. No fly lists; the arbitrary seizure of hundreds of immigrants or visiting foreign nationals who were held incommunicado and deported without trials; using the NSA to spy on American citizens; getting millions of phone numbers from the major phone companies that will belong to citizens who do not engage in any kind of criminal activity much less terrorism; arresting or otherwise punishing people for their dissenting
    opinions; freezing them out of public events where Bush was appearing; Abu Ghrai, Guatanamo, and secret CIA prisons, . . .

    Yessiree, that list does go on and on and on and on. . . .

    You are probably considering the issue from the viewpoint of the letter of the law, which the Bush regime has violated at its leisure, but there is also the spirit of the law. And Bush has declared himself to be above some seven hundred fifty laws, both domestic and international. Come to think of it, see my comparison of Bush and Hitler. Bush actually comes off second best.

    Reply

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