Many citizens in China do not realize the extent to which the Chinese government censors media, thus negatively affecting many Chinese citizens. A website that does not meet government approval does not open on the Internet. Many times when this happens, people think that there is bad connection or a technical error. A lot of users in China are not aware or are ignorant of the extent to which the Chinese government exercises censorship. Sometimes, Chinese citizens are simply unaware of the censorship: Twenty-seven year old college graduate, Wan Jen Fu, surfs the internet and says, "Sometimes, if I want to see a website on a book, I may try to check it up and then go to that website, but often times, I can not open it. I'm not really sure why that happens. Maybe the connection is not very good, or it was reset" (qtd. in Sydell). Despite the fact that censorship is a pressing human rights issue and requires urgent attention, some citizens, such as Fu, are still completely unaware of the fact that their every move online is being monitored. Fu's utter lack of knowledge on censorship shows that she did not make an effort to understand the consequences of censorship and simply chose to live comfortably in blissful ignorance. However, there are people in China who are aware of censorship but believe ignorance on the issue is acceptable: When asked about censorship in China, Chinese citizen Meng Xianglin said, "I didn't need to visit foreign websites. Nobody talked about them, and I didn't feel curious about them at all" (qtd. in Bao). Some citizens, such as Meng, believe that learning information about the outside world is unnecessary and staying ignorant is an acceptable way to live. However, being ignorant does not allow people to live an accomplished life and become an active world citizen. Ignorance, whether a conscious or unconscious decision, is ultimately detrimental in the long run; while other people around the world who are not limited by censorship advance because of their access to unlimited information, people like Fu and Meng will be left behind because their knowledge is restrained by censorship. Ignorance is not bliss; in the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus ends up in tragedy due to his ignorance. His efforts to try to avoid the cursed prophecy ultimately led him to his demise. If Chinese citizens continue to remain ignorant, their fate may be similar to Oedipus's in that they will somehow suffer in the future and fall behind because they chose to stay ignorant of the current issue of censorship. By staying ignorant of the censorship issue, Chinese citizens miss out on an opportunity to become an active part of the world and live an accomplished and knowledgeable life.
Works Cited
Bao, Beibei. "How Censorship Is Curbing Innovation." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company. 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 30 May 2014.
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York: Dover Publications, 1991. Print.
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York: Dover Publications, 1991. Print.
Sydell, Laura. "How Do Chinese Citizens Feel About Censorship?" NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 29 May 2014.
It is amazing to see how ignorant people can be. I enjoyed reading this editorial to learn more about censorship in China. I hope that the people in China can learn about this so they can stop it and gain more freedoms.
ReplyDeleteAM
Very nice allusions. It's interesting to read, but the conclusions were perhaps a little too extreme. I am from China, so based on experiences, a lot of elders in China really do have the mentality that anything outside of China is not worth knowing. However, the younger generations with internet access have quite a different mentality.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read and learn about censorship that occurs in other countries! It is unfortunate that a government can have so much control over its people, to the point that they don't even know it is happening.
ReplyDeleteMCM
It is hard to believe that people will believe what their government tells them. It's shocking to us because in the U.S. it is a favorite pass time of many people to question/mock everything that our leaders have to say. We have been brought up to believe that this is our right. Here we can see how the Chinese government has groomed the culture of their citizens to question nothing and always, always glorify their leaders. Such good information!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you guys made censorship in China with a connection to Oedipus. I also like the interviews that you guys used as your synthesis. Overall, it is very persuasive in showing that censorship is a problem. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought about the fact that Chinese citizens don't know about the extent to which the government censors the information they receive. However, I don't think this is entirely their fault. It isn't as though the Chinese government broadcasts this information to the general public. Though censorship is a serious human rights violation, I don't think it's right to blame the Chinese citizens for their ignorance. On the other hand, you made a very convincing argument and had lots of great information to back up your case. Good job!
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