When I was in China last fall, I played around a little on the Internet to see what kinds of things I might be prevented from accessing. I could access all my regular news and opinion sites (including this one). I could not access sites that come under the heading of “social media” (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook). I would get a “transmission interrupted” message.

SukieTawdry on January 8, 2013 at 7:04 PM

Those western-based social media sites have been blocked since the Xinjiang protests in 2009, but can still be accessed via VPN.

And of course anyone in China who really wants to know what’s going on in China can come to HA find out. ;)

I was told by the Chinese with whom I interacted that their government is universally despised (they love the military but hate the police whom they consider corrupt). The young adults there are hip and stylish and reaching out for the good life. I think the government is going to have its hands full.

I’d argue that our problem is worse. Some in China are fighting the muzzle. Our press accepted it willingly.

trigon on January 8, 2013 at 4:14 PM

Who is the press? The liberal media? Yeah they will worship the democrat party because they are the democrat party… And because of this you are saying that we have no freedom of press in the US? How about the talk radio shows and the conservative blogs? Don’t they represent freedom of the press?… Yes Obama is a communist fool but no Obama did not take our FREEDOM away and cannot take our FREEDOM away no matter how much he and his communist party try… So let us stop all this BS doom and gloom… If they have already taken our freedom away this very site would not have existed and you will be in jail by now for opposing them…

We can discuss about the ability to maintain the status but the Soviet Union was undeniably a superpower while it existed. So was Ancient Rome, despite an obvious fact that it collapsed quite a few centuries ago. And in today’s USA, people are not able to prosper on their own will – does it mean we’re no longer a superpower?

As for China, you’re a bit misinformed. One may not be able to become a mega millionaire without the Party’s consent there, but one can definitely open a business, develop it, prosper, and even become fairly rich. Much more so than in the USA.

Archivarix on January 8, 2013 at 4:11 PM

May be we need to take your freedom of speech Mr. Archiavarix the same way the Chinse communists do to their people and that you can tell me exactly how great life is… May we should have your children work a slave labor in factory for 50 cents an hour and then you can tell me how great life is… This is China…

Beside that ther is no freedom in China, the vast majority of Chinese live in abject poverty that we cannot even imagine here…

The concern for the Chinese media would be even more touching if we hadn’t the very same problem here.

Archivarix on January 8, 2013 at 3:53 PM

I’d argue that our problem is worse. Some in China are fighting the muzzle. Our press accepted it willingly.

“The Democrat party has absolute control over the media, and this principle is unshakable.”

There, that’s more familiar. Well, except for Vulpes News, at times, and Rush.

And what happened to the Soviet Union? Totally gone… Being a superpower is not only based on military capability or even economic capability, it is based on free people being able to prosper on their own will… The current Chinese system will eventually collapse because you have 0.005% of the population controlling 99.5% of the wealth and these are the top Chinese communist leaders and their families and friends… China is nothing but a giant slave labor factory…

mnjg on January 8, 2013 at 4:04 PM

We can discuss about the ability to maintain the status but the Soviet Union was undeniably a superpower while it existed. So was Ancient Rome, despite an obvious fact that it collapsed quite a few centuries ago. And in today’s USA, people are not able to prosper on their own will – does it mean we’re no longer a superpower?

As for China, you’re a bit misinformed. One may not be able to become a mega millionaire without the Party’s consent there, but one can definitely open a business, develop it, prosper, and even become fairly rich. Much more so than in the USA.

That’s a pompous statement that is prima facie incorrect because USSR was a superpower with the level of freedom far beneath that in today’s China. One doesn’t need to be a nation of free people to be capable of laying nuclear smack to one’s neighbor.

Archivarix on January 8, 2013 at 3:56 PM

And what happened to the Soviet Union? Totally gone… Being a superpower is not only based on military capability or even economic capability, it is based on free people being able to prosper on their own will… The current Chinese system will eventually collapse because you have 0.005% of the population controlling 99.5% of the wealth and these are the top Chinese communist leaders and their families and friends… China is nothing but a giant slave labor factory…

The main reason that I do not fear China becoming this superpower that will compete with us is that the Chinese nation is not a nation of free people… Only through freedom can a nation propser on solid and strong foundations…

mnjg on January 8, 2013 at 3:50 PM

That’s a pompous statement that is prima facie incorrect because USSR was a superpower with the level of freedom far beneath that in today’s China. One doesn’t need to be a nation of free people to be capable of laying nuclear smack to one’s neighbor.

“The party has absolute control over the media, and this principle is unshakable,”

O_o

I can dream, can’t I?

every “work unit” must immediately “demand that its department’s editors, reporters and staff discontinue voicing support for Southern Weekly online.”

Shudders….. These people live our nightmare..