You never, ever know in China. This is quite a cool article, and makes me wonder (again) whether one or two visitors to this site aren’t on the government payroll. (Frankly I suspect not, or their comments would be a bit more intelligible.)
Like many Chinese twenty-somethings, Lu Ruchao loves to surf the Internet. He often visits a local chat room to sample the neighborhood buzz. One day, Lu noticed that Netizens were complaining that local police often drove down the main street of Suquian with sirens blaring, disturbing half the city. Lu, himself a policeman, jumped into the e-fray. He tapped out a defense of the police, arguing that a cop car sounding its siren is responding to an emergency and shouldn’t be criticized. But Lu isn’t just any cop. He’s one of China’s estimated 30,000 to 40,000 e-police who collectively serve as an Orwellian Big Brother for the country’s nearly 100 million Internet users. “We have to face knives and guns while on duty every day,” Lu explained later to the Chinese publication Southern Weekend. “How can they criticize us?”
Acording to Xiao Qiang, quoted in the article, these pseudo-commenters get about 8 cents per pro-CCP comment. He sees them as a sign of desperation and proof that the party is losing its war to control the Internet. Rebecca MacKinnon, however, comes to the opposite conclusion.
“While the Internet can’t be controlled 100 percent, it’s possible for governments to filter content and discourage people from organizing [MacKinnon said.” Barring a technological breakthrough, she predicts that, as long as there’s a Chinese regime in power that wants to control the Web, “10 years from now it’ll be doing pretty much as it’s doing today.” Big Brother seems to be winning the Chinese Net battle, at least for now.
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By ACB
I have a list.
November 3, 2005 @ 4:52 am | Comment
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By Raj
Nice article. It’s very interesting to see something with a little first-hand experience.
Though I do feel very sorry for these people – they’re just automotons for the State, mere mindless worker drones.
November 3, 2005 @ 5:40 am | Comment
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By HongXing
I think this article is an exaggeration. Yes, I have read many pro-China articles on Chinese forums, but all of them are written by regular citizens who are genuine feelings for China. But when you read an Anti-China article, it’s so clear that it’s written by those people who want to attack China viscously.
You say there are paid Internet commentators in China? Well let me tell you, they don’t need to be paid. I myself will often write those comments to strike down some of the nasty posts about China. When the Sun Zhigang incident happened about 2 years ago, I wrote that famous article called “It’s Possible That Sun Zhigang Was Visiting A Prostitute At the Time”. This article was widely circulated online and many people found it very convincing. Of course it made many anti-China forces blood pressure rise.
November 3, 2005 @ 8:47 am | Comment
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By ACB
HongXing,
Your starting to sound a lot like an old poster that I once had a run in with.
Your argument is quite familiar.
On the coment aspect, it is one thing to correct mistakes and misconceptions, but when people start to lie in order to get a point across then they have lost any moral high ground.
Beijing has paid people to surpress rumours rather than to correct them. This isn’t what a government should be doing.
November 3, 2005 @ 9:11 am | Comment
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By Raj
HongXing
Yes, there are people willing to post such comments without pay. However certainly in terms of the ones I come across on English-lanaguage formums, they normally lack any common sense or decency. They frequently attack people as being “racist” and CHINA-BASHERS just because they criticise the CCP or status quo in China. And they then denounce them as being Japanese/American or even Zionist agents – look what’s happened to Chinadaily.
If they start a topic, they have nothing nice to say about anyone else either – it tends to be “Japan is evil”, “USA is evil”. If it is about China, it’s just singing the CCP’s praises.
Also though many people write purely negative comments about China, many also try to raise specific issues in a prudent discussion. But the fenqing then pile in and try to disrupt the conversation by attacking the forum member, spreading government propaganda or trying to divert the discussion to talk about something else.
November 3, 2005 @ 10:47 am | Comment
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By richard
They frequently attack people as being “racist” and CHINA-BASHERS just because they criticise the CCP or status quo in China. And they then denounce them as being Japanese/American or even Zionist agents – look what’s happened to Chinadaily.
If they start a topic, they have nothing nice to say about anyone else either – it tends to be “Japan is evil”, “USA is evil”. If it is about China, it’s just singing the CCP’s praises.
Wow, are there really commenters who say things like this? This is a revelation. (Joking, Raj – we’ve got a few of these wankers right here.)
November 3, 2005 @ 4:17 pm | Comment
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By allan
Just on my own observation there are three types of posters, you could probably add a few types.
The first two types are the same, they echo whatever fits into their locked world view. If they are for something, logic and honesty don’t apply; they repeat the songs they were taught. If they are against something it is the same, they repeat without reflection anyones statement that supports their view.
The third type is happily well represented. They listen, filter, think, and respond.
Those are comments and posts worth my time.
Thank you for such an open site.
November 4, 2005 @ 12:45 am | Comment
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By ACB
What makes this situation sicker still is that, rather than responding to critisism, China’s mderators often simple delete it.
How do you defend this 红星?
November 4, 2005 @ 2:19 am | Comment
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By Filthy Stinking No.9
So HongXing … exactly how much are they paying you?
November 4, 2005 @ 5:44 pm | Comment
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By richard
I repeat FSN9’s question.
HX: When the Sun Zhigang incident happened about 2 years ago, I wrote that famous article called “It’s Possible That Sun Zhigang Was Visiting A Prostitute At the Time”. This article was widely circulated online and many people found it very convincing.
So, I guess if Sun Zhigang was visiting a prostitute that justifies his brutal murder at the tender age of 27. Because, you know, so few Chinese men ever visit prostitutes and those that do deserve to be beaten to a pulp and murdered by the kind-hearted police officers who protect us all. (Of course, your beloved government saw it differently and, after a huge international outcry, sentenced those cuddly police officers to death and changed China’s vagrancy laws.)
HX, after reading your comment I am seriously inclined to ban you, not for your viewpoint but for your execrable behavior. You sicken me. Anyone familiar with the Sun Zhigang story will agree with me, I believe, and see you as pure scum.
I reserve this request only for those who fight hard for it, and since my own vice president can say it, so can I: Hong Xing, go fuck yourself.
November 4, 2005 @ 6:18 pm | Comment