If anyone reading this does not already know, China likes to censor almost anything it can. Government officials censor everything from historical data in an attempt to create their own view of history, to the internet and general information available to its populace. In light of the protests spreading like wildfire through the Middle East and North Africa, China is getting a little worried that its own population may see these protests and revolts as an inspiration to effect change in their own country. In fact about a month ago, there seemed to be some protest organization beginning to take place in China. In recent weeks the government has ramped up its efforts to control everything digital, from access to scholarly websites relied upon by professors and businessmen to actual phone calls and key words spoken on the phone. In a few instances, there were reports of phone calls being cut off mid-conversation after the word "protest" was uttered. The funny thing is, (well not really that funny), is that the word "protests" was part of a quote from Shakespeare.
The government is cracking down on daily life in China, making it more and more difficult for its populace to do basic research, access general information, and even make phone calls. Its gotten to the point where services such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are permanently banned and even internet searches of the English word "freedom" have turned up empty. Unfortunately, the Chinese government shows no signs of stopping. Every week seems to turn up new ways for their systems to shutter their country from outside influences. It seems as if the book 1984 by George Orwell is coming true. In that book, written in 1949, every aspect of life is controlled and monitored by the government, even invading the privacy of citizens homes with constant observation by "big brother". China seems to be falling right in line with the government portrayed in that book. If only Mr. Orwell was alive today to see how true his words are becoming.
Censorship goes beyond merely preventing dissemination of information to its populace and control over phone conversations. Once censorship becomes too invasive, it directly affects the psyche of individuals and the population as a whole. If people are not able to access true and relevant information, they become severely detached from the outside world and come to view everyone outside their own borders as evil based on false history fabricated by the government. In addition, it depresses motivation and inspiration by dictating what people can do and when and where they can do it. There are two paths the human mind can go down when supressed. One, it could shut down, relinquishing control of self to the government and becoming basically an automaton (yes, a reference to A Brave New World), or two, the human mind under supression, could go crazy, causing the person to "start protesting" and inevitably get silently arrested and removed from society as the Chinese have done in the past. Either path is deleterious to the health of the human mind and body.
Increasing censorship, the Chinese government is creating an ever widening divide between their country and everyone else. Even though we live in a globalized society, there will be fewer and fewer people within China who actually know the real truth about the world and what is out there. There will always be a small percentage of the Chinese population, educated abroad, who know what is happening outside their borders, but for most of the billion people in China, the world will not exist beyond China. China will be their world, and nothing else will matter. This small percentage of people, with access to the truth, will have a harder and harder time educating others in their own country. The increasing censorship shows no signs of slowing or stopping. In effect, the Chinese government is building a new great wall, this new wall being an iron curtain against freedom, information, and access to the outside world.
As Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are banned in China, and email is being heavily scrutinized, there is in fact little we can do to help them. We could write letters to our own government in support of a decrease in censorship in China, but even our government has little effect against their great wall. What we can do is relish the fact that we can speak out against our government, hold protests in front of Capitol Hill or the White House, and gather in mass to try and create change without fear of reprisal from our government. Is our government perfect, hell no, but we have the capability to change it, albeit slowly, but we can change it. Lets simply hope that the Chinese people figure out a way of effecting change within their own country. After all, they do have a billion people. The only unfortunate part is that most of them support their government due to the controlled dissemination of material and information supporting the government and deriding protests and the like. I hope that the Chinese people, as in Tunisia, Egypt, and it seems Yemen, will gather under the ideals of democracy and freedom and stand up for their right to live as they want, access what they want, and protest as they want. Until this day comes, China will continue to create a stifled generation, one oblivious to the benefits that the outside world has to offer. If you are reading this, you have a modicum of freedom. Use it, cherish it, and speak out against government censorship.
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