Friday, April 18, 2008

Of nationalism

Nationalism makes people blind. When the nation is more important than the rights of the individual, it is dangerous. When there are censorship in the name of the nation, a few priviliged profit, while the mass loses. And the best part: the mass does not complain because it is in the interest of the nation!
"If the government takes harsh measures to crack down on protesters, of course I support that," she said. "This is an issue of national pride and national esteem. The Olympics are our best opportunity for the outside world to see how far we've come."
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/18/asia/18china.php?page=2

This quote shows that the Chinese can never understand what the West really thinks about the Tibet issue. It has nothing to do with negative media coverage, but all about censorship of the press, suppression of dissent, and the lack of visibility in China. When the Chinese block journalists, it is just normal that there is speculation emasse.