Perhaps it's something we've just gotten used to, taken for granted, or haven't even noticed - but Internet censorship is something Americans typically don't think about on a daily basis. However, whether we understand it or not, it is something we profoundly, and vocally, condone.
It's not just Americans either. Countries from all over the world have taken their stand on freedom of speech, religion and press. Some mirror American values such as the UK, Canada or Australia. Others, oppose the notion in forms of strict government laws prohibiting the use of things like social media, Google, and forums. Most notorious for this are many Eastern Europe countries, Middle Eastern countries, North Korea, and of course, China.
The People's Republic of China was established in 1949, under the leadership of Chairman Mao. Mao is considered to be a Chinese "people's hero" and is commemorated on their currency, in their streets, on their buildings, and in museums. His body is even preserved and open for viewing in Beijing. Depending on who you talk to, you could get a different reaction regarding Mao. Some saw him as a hero, others a cruel dictator. It's not something people really talk about here in China - a theme you're about to see reoccur throughout this post.
Anyways, what does all this history have to do with my journey here in China? Well, before I answer that let me give you one more quick history lesson.
On June 4, 1989 student-led pro-democracy movements had been occupying the government area in Beijing around Tiananmen Square. On that day, government militants fired on unarmed student protestors, killing countless protestors. Thousands died that day defending their belief in a democratic system, and today, talk of the protest is prohibited as well as any printing of it in textbooks.
Conveniently enough, our group happened to be here, in China, during the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Because of this, we got a first-hand look at just how this sort of event impacts people today - and it's something I as an American am not used to.
The first sign that something was up was when Google suddenly became even more dispersant than it already was. It was already difficult to access the search engine with a proxy server, but with the government putting in extra effort to block internet access, it became near impossible. This was probably the most inconvenient effect it had on people - since Google is probably the largest monopoly of the internet there is in todays world (Sorry Google, please don't remove my blog. Oh wait, I forgot, freedom of speech).
The second noticeable difference that week was heightened security at the subway. I noticed a man get stopped by uniformed guards for a random search leaving the station and leaned over to ask quietly to my Chinese teacher if it was because of Tiananmen. She nodded yes and we kept walking in silence.
Oddly enough, our trip seemed to have been timed just right for us to encounter all aspects of what remains of the June Fourth incident. We were in Beijing for the weekend just before, left during that week, and now we're in Hong Kong where vigils held for the victims are only held here. The freedom this section of China has offered has been... well, incredible.
It's truly amazing to see a nation function where it's considered part of China, and yet independently governed. And it's not even like it's a similar party, no, it's more closely representative of democracy, the complete opposite of communism. Hong Kong has access to internet, freedom of speech, religion, churches, Facebook, you name it. If you've kept up with my blog thus far, you'll notice most of my posts happening this week while we're here. It's an amazing feeling that I'd surely forgotten these past few weeks of censorship - to be able to do pretty much whatever I want with the Internet... it's definitely something I took for granted back in the States.
I'm not saying I've suddenly "understood" where Chinese people (and people from other countries with censored media) come from with this lifestyle. I haven't lived here my whole life, only four weeks. But I am saying that in just that short amount of time, I've come to appreciate what I don't realize I have so good at home. It's not just about the internet - it's about the lack of fear that what you say or how loud you say it might land you a spot in communist prison. It's about the idea that what your opinion is matters, and that you don't have to conform to the mass population's "opinion." It's difficult to explain honestly... yes, things aren't as bad as I think they are painted as in the States. But, it's still very different from our open system.
You really CAN'T say something too controversial too loudly. You really CAN'T always trust the media, especially government owned stations like CCTV. But are there soldiers lined up on the streets, waiting to hear you whisper "Tiananmen Massacre" and suddenly you're erased from the system? No. Realizing it's not how American media portrays it to be makes me wonder - who's really being lied to? Who's really telling the truth?
Heavy stuff, perhaps. This is a topic that has weighed heavily on my mind, both before and during my trip.
Even writing this now in Hong Kong, I wonder to myself, who's watching?
No comments:
Post a Comment