Safe for Use in China?
My inner radical is disappointed. I was warming up the ol' noodle to prepare for working on my dissertation proposal revisions by reading a fellow headshrinker's blog this morning and apparently he is banned in China. For what, I am completely without clue. The content and language in his pages are pretty tame in the grand scheme of things and I don't think he bandies about "The F Word" at all, unlike (ahem) "some" hellians we know, whom shall remain nameless. Wipe that grin off your face. You know who you are.
I thought it would be fun to see if my dank little cobweb-infested corner of Internet hell is available for viewing in the Land of Mao, so I navigated over to greatfirewallofchina.org, typed in my URL, and guess what? I'm not banned over there - at least not right this minute. I can hardly believe it.
Apparently there's no real rhyme or reason why they block certain sites other than, not unlike the neocons and fundies over here, they don't want information to be freely available to just any old body. People might start having "ideas," or those pesky "opinion" thingies, or (horror of horrors!) actually thinking for themselves.
Just goes to show ya', no matter where in the world they are, uber-conservatives of all stripes don't want people to have opinions that are not in complete agreement with their own. Life begins when you agree with them, you know. Free thinking is contagious, and might actually foster change, and we'll be having none of that, in China or here in Hell, thankyouverymuch.
3 comments:
Drsharna,
I believe I was banned for posting on the subject of Chinese site blocking. On Thursday, when I first posted on this subject, I was still 'available.' By Friday, when I posted for the second time, I was banned.
What I hadn't considered is that I also used the 'F' word for the first time on Friday morning when I accused William Kristol of 'engaging in mind-fucking sophistry.' But if that was cause for banning, your site wouldn't be available in China. Maybe Kristol has a following in 'the party.'
I suspect that you will also be banned very shortly because you've commented on all of this and established an association with a blacklisted psychologist.
Shame on you.
Ooooh, associating with a blacklisted psychologist - I just love a good juicy scandal! I participated in a lot of semi-to-fully-illicit activities back in the days before I was a mild-mannered graduate student and band mom, but I can honestly say that I have never been banned by an entire country. Won't that be somethin'!? I'll let you know when I get on the list.
Seriously though, we are talking about the same China that during the "Cultural Revolution" of 1966-1976 the educational system came to a grinding halt and left a gaping hole where an entire generation of teachers, academicians and scientists should be. Even today, compulsory education lasts only 9 years. What a way to grow an economy into a world leader.
China isn't the only one, though. Such government-sanctioned ignorance enslaves people all over the world. Sadly, our country is not far behind if the fundies and the neocons get their way. I can hardly wait.
In the interim, I'm still learning all I can, while I still can...
As of about 7:20 Central Standard Hell time this morning, my blog is officially banned in China. Good thing I'm not actually there - they might punish me by caning, stoning or something equally high-tech.
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