In China, the government blocks access to the microblog service “Twitter” and, instead, a Chinese version called “Weibo” has become popular. In total, more than 300 million Chinese people use microblogs.
This isn’t the first government crackdown on freedom of speech. Earlier in the year, the government blocked citizens’ access to searches on the “Arab Spring” that was rumbling through the Middle East. Prior to that, the government blocked access to Facebook, YouTube, and Google. Occasionally, we will be watching a global news report on CNN and the screen will go blank; obviously the content was not in keeping with the government’s version of world events.
What’s the government’s problem with freedom of speech?
As the “Arab Spring” uprising in the Middle East demonstrated, social media can enable millions of people to communicate and mobilize in short order. China seems to be very afraid of letting its citizens have this capability for fear that a popular uprising could lead to chaos in a sprawling country of 1.3 billion people.
So why is it important that the government keep the people in line? Well, if the government clamps down too hard and its citizens rise up, it could quickly morph from a social/political movement to one that has major worldwide economic implications. On top of that, China is gearing up for a once in a decade leadership change in 2012 and, given the country’s history, a smooth transition is not guaranteed. In fact the people do have free and open elections and are able to vote for any of the candidates on the ballot (which I am speculating has already been subject to the government’s intervention). In addition, these elections are limited to certain regions of the country and are for only certain low level elected officials. Any of the positions of power are still appointed by the government; but maybe it is a start!
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” --George Washington, U.S. President. But fortunately the rest of the world is monitoring the China situation closely and will most likely intervene if the government heads in the wrong direction.
Actually I have asked my colleagues about this issue many times and they truly believe that the government is protecting the people and has the peoples’ best interests in mind. As far as the “man on the street” is concerned, life here has the right amount of freedom. Many of the people in China are still uneducated and are really not able to make the best decisions and I believe that the people in the big cities, who would be most affected by a change in direction, want to protect their new-found lifestyle and not be adversely influenced by the majority who still live in rural communities.
So, if your definition of freedom is that of the US model, then no, the people of China are not free, but day to day life here seems pretty normal. Sure they cannot practice western religion, or go on strike, or say anything bad about the government including demonstrations, or have more than 1 child or more than 1 dog (in Shanghai), or visit some social networking internet sites; but they are now free to: choose their own spouse, choose their own job, go to college if they choose (the cost is actually very low), start their own business, and to travel abroad (with some government restrictions from both the Chinese government and the foreign governments). The amount of freedom continues to improve but the government continues to enact new laws when things are getting out of balance.
Or as the song puts it: Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose.
This is really a nice summary of the current situation and Chinese attitudes. To give another perspective on the Chinese character ask them what they think of Mao (then review what happened in the Cultural Revolution, his attitude toward minorities, women, etc.). The answer to this question may tell you more about China than any other question you could ask.
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