In China, a Grass-Roots Rebellion
-
In China, a Grass-Roots Rebellion
Rights Manifesto Slowly Gains Ground Despite Government Efforts to Quash It
By Ariana Eunjung Cha
SHANGHAI -- When Tang Xiaozhao first saw a copy of the pro-democracy petition in her e-mail inbox, she silently acknowledged she agreed with everything in it but didn't want to get involved.
Tang, a pigtailed, 30-something cosmetology major, had never considered herself the activist type. Like many other Chinese citizens, she kept a blog where she wrote about current events and her life, but she wasn't political.
A few days later, however, Tang surprised herself. She logged on to her computer and signed the document by sending her full name, location and occupation to a special e-mail address.
"I was afraid, but I had already signed it hundreds of times in my heart," Tang said in an interview.
Hers is the 3,943rd signature on the list that has swelled to more than 8,100 from across China. Although their numbers are still small, those signing the document, and the broad spectrum from which they come, have made the human rights manifesto, known as Charter 08, a significant marker in the demands for democracy in China, one of the few sustained campaigns since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Those who sign the charter risk arrest and punishment.
ad_icon
When the document first appeared online in mid-December, its impact was limited. Many of the original signers were lawyers, writers and other intellectuals who had long been known for their pro-democracy stance. The Chinese government moved quickly to censor the charter -- putting those suspected of having written it under surveillance, interrogating those who had signed, and deleting any mention of it from the Internet behind its great firewall.
Then something unusual happened. Ordinary people such as Tang with no history of challenging the government began to circulate the document and declare themselves supporters. The list now includes scholars, journalists, computer technicians, businessmen, teachers and students whose names had not been associated with such movements before, as well as some on the lower rungs of China's social hierarchy -- factory and construction workers and farmers.
"This is the first time that anyone other than the Communist Party has put in written form in a public document a political vision for China," said Xiao Qiang, an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of California at Berkeley, a human rights activist and director of the China Internet Project, which monitors conversation on China's vast network of electronic bulletin-board systems, blogs and Web sites. "It's dangerous to be associated with dissidents, so in the past, other, ordinary people have not signed such documents. But this time it is different. It has become a citizens' movement."
More here.
-
Empires rise and fall.
Luckily it takes many more years than we'll live.
WSS
-
Personally, I worry about how any political instability could affect our already wretched global economy. Even a short-term shutdown of the Chinese economy could send us into deep, deep shite.
-
Chinese yearn for freedom of government tyranny, and you worry about political instability affecting the global economy.
But, the Obama admin promises to be interfering in our every day lives and strongly hinting of socialist programs,
to the point of trying to intimidate any kind of verbal opposition to his admin....
but that "political instability" is fine by you?
There's more to being a liberal than a lack of common sense...
-
I wonder how much unemployment in the US would go up if Chinese rebels started striking back at the gov't by taking out its manufacturing capacity.
And if a revolution shut down industry for a month, I doubt we'd be calling this a recession anymore.
-
I wonder how many new American businesses would spring up and do well...
-
-
Hey the US became the worlds major manufacturer when Europeans bombed the shit out of each other.
WSS
We were also Europe's largest creditor at the time. With China, it's the exact opposite.
-
Hey the US became the worlds major manufacturer when Europeans bombed the shit out of each other.
WSS
We were also Europe's largest creditor at the time. With China, it's the exact opposite.
Aloysius said:
We were also Europe's largest creditor at the time. With China, it's the exact opposite.True enough.
Nothing lasts forever or changes too fast.
We seem to expect both.
WSS
-
Here's an interesting discussion about the article posted above:
-
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login