Self-censorship

In China, many people who write online or in any form of media practice a form of self-censorship in order to keep themselves from trouble with the government.  And Westerners (in particular) often feel compelled to decry this sort of behavior, stressing that it is impinging upon the rights of the individual.  And, in countries that espouse the rights of man within society (rather than society itself), they would likely be right.  However, is the right to free speech as free as its supporters within the West claim?


I suppose that depends upon your definition of "free".  Certainly you are free to say and write whatever you want with little interference from government intrusion.  (Well, ok, I'm sure that Julian Assange would disagree with that assessment.  But then again, in the US, he would likely be tried in a court of law that operates mostly outside of the political spectrum.  In most other countries, if he were tried in a court of law it would be one where the guilty decision would be pre-determined by the political authorities and then either whisked away to prison or to a speedy execution.  And some countries would not even bother with a kangaroo court.  But I digress...)  However, the opportunity and the ability to say and write whatever you wish is tempered by the very same court of law which has rendered things like libel and slander as offenses which can be punished - rightly so!  Furthermore, and this is especially true in an increasingly interconnected world where there can be very little separation between an individual's professional and personal life, there can be very serious consequences to what one says or writes.

There are plenty of examples of people being fired for Facebook or blog posts (this is just one example).  People complaining about their employers or even their friends can result in lost jobs or lost friends - there are always consequences.  So, most people will choose to limit what they say to a degree so as not to encounter potentially negative consequences.  Sure, they have the right to say what they want but most people recognize there are (and, frankly, should be) limits.

So, when criticizing people in China for self-censorship in order to avoid negative political consequences, bear in mind that the same applies in the "free" West - even if not necessarily within the same paradigm.  We all do it to one degree or another even if we don't recognize it in the same fashion.

Now I'm off to someplace very private to go complain about my job...

Random Thoughts

Just dawned on me I had a few other things upon which I wanted to write.  Figures that it would happen after I had already written a mostly useless blog entry already today.  *sigh*

I don't normally follow a lot of blogs.  I obviously pay attention to those from LessThanDot (from a variety of authors - all of whom are very good at what they do and from whom I learn a great deal) and then a few others of friends or the occasional political blog (there is one I still "follow" but I won't list it here because it has become nothing more than a hyper-partisan attack blog from the left - I'll be delisting it soon from my follow list).  However, I have recently come across one blog that actually went back to read from the very beginning.  http://seeingredinchina.wordpress.com/  is written by a Westerner (I'm pretty sure he's American) who is living in China and he offers his experiences there to allow his readers a different view of a nation and people that most Americans (Westerners) may never otherwise see.  I have very much enjoyed reading his point of view because he strives to avoid the common stereotypes of China and instead offers a more nuanced view of the country and its people.  From my own experiences in China, I can easily see the author's point of view and appreciate the ability of someone to see beyond the stereotypes.  It is very enlightening and I highly recommend this blog as an opportunity to learn more about China beyond the news stories that offer little more than generalized stories about the nation and its people.

Over the last couple of days, I've finished two books.  The first was a very positive biography of the Marquis de Lafayette - the hero of the American Revolution.  That is a part of history to which I had heretofore not given a lot of attention and his story has now made me curious to do more learning on that subject.  The second book I found to be very inspiring and is a highly recommended read for those who want a little perspective on their lives.  The Story of My Life by Farah Ahmedi is a wonderful autobiography of a young Afghan girl and the struggles she has gone through - and she is only 17 at the time of the book's publication.  Losing her foot at age 7 as the result of a land mine in her native Afghanistan, she weaves a powerful tale of struggle against incredible odds to not only survive but to move forward with her life.  She talks about her escape from Afghanistan to Pakistan and thence to the United States of America.  Her struggle to deal with her tragic circumstances is both poignant and heart-warming and a reminder of the strength and fragility that we all possess.  The fact that she has triumphed as best she can and yet shares her continued concerns for her future life gives an insight that is rarely found in most stories.  A quick Google search after I finished the book shows that she continues to succeed as she goes to college and presumably has been able to lead a "normal" life that would otherwise have been unavailable to her.  Her story will certainly make me pause and reconsider  the next time I have a bad day at the office or at home.

When to write

I would say that it is strange that, whenever I have the time to sit down and write, I often cannot think of what to write about.  This is a direct contrast to the many other times that I have plenty of ideas upon which to ruminate on this virtual medium - except no access to the virtual medium itself.  Most specifically, I find this tends to occur when I drive.  And, it seems plainly obvious to me, I am not being distracted by other things (well, other than the act of driving itself) when I drive and can devote time to considering any number of issues.  Of course, I also find that I am often driving and thinking because I am listening to NPR which often has stories that cause me to think on a variety of issues.  I also find it to be rather engaging for me even if I do not always agree with its editorial slant.  But, I tend to only listen to NPR when I am anywhere but in front of my computer where I could put my thoughts to paper (so to speak).  From one perspective, that seems like it may actually be a blessing in disguise.

Perhaps I should spend more time in front of my computer when listening to the news.  Then I would have subjects galore upon which to write.  The only problem, of course, would that this would be a far more political blog.  And there are certainly more than enough political blogs in the world - the great majority of them so slanted in their perspective that they serve as only white noise to those who seek more nuanced points of view.  No, I guess with this perspective, it is probably just as well that I do not have the ability to actually write the ideas that come to me while listening to NPR.  There are enough dumb (political) ideas out there already without me unnecessarily adding to the clutter.

So maybe I should come up with some other things to write on.  It is at times like this that I wonder if I should have majored in philosophy instead of political science.  At least then, I might be able to ruminate and look smart at the same time.