5 Responses to “ Re: China’s Human Rights Record – How Do I Confirm The Reality Of What Is Reported In The Media? ”

1. Pan L on August 6th, 2009 1:25 am

   Hi, thank you for concer about Chinese people.
   It is hard to get the whole picuture, even the Chinese people or the gov doesn’t know. Because there is no public vote, no free speech. While I agree that western media may exaggerates the situation, the authority also covers lots of problems. So no one can tell the whole story, , neither the Chinese medias nor western one. What we are sure is:it surely needs improvment.it is improving, slowly.
   There may be two ways to check the type of info you can get.
   1
   The harder but best way is to visit China if possible. You want to visit average city(no Beijing Hongkong), to talk with average people(no officer, journalist, scholars) . I have to emphasize this because the image you can get from the “elites” have bigger chance cover the problems. At least average Chinese don’t believe them. Also Beijing is quite different from other parts of China, it is favored in every aspect.
   For example, if you talk with a “well educated”, “westernized” young elite, it is possible that he would be satisfied, and would show his angry again western media to embarrass his “Chinese tradition”( Some Chinese oversea students protestted in western cities this year, but don’t be misguided, these guys knows more about American movies than Chinese tradition) but an average peasant won’t agree with him. The rule is all about classification, different classes have different rights, it is normal to have different view:
   Many public policies, like education,medical insurance, treat groups differently (I can show your original Chinese document if needed) . Birth place, age, ethnic group etc all matters. The classification even decide how many children one can have, or how many compensation if killed by air crash. Don’t worry it is the main ethnic group (han) which is at the very bottom,minor ethnic groups may have less polical opportunity, but do have more everyday rights, while Americans at the very top
   To be honesty, it seems to me western media barely talked to average people, they like Chinese elites and activist. Yeah I agree that it is harder to find one. But then what they get is either exaggerated or censored.
   2
   the other way is to read interactive Chinese websites, if you know Chinese.
   The offical media’s report is far from what we saw by eyes. But now it is hard to control internet. The big sites are controlled by big human resource, but they can’t control all bbs/forums. It is quite normal to see something like “we want democracy!” in the comments of the news. Not the news themselves, the news is wrotten by reporter while comments are by average people.
   What you can read from average Chines is much different than both the Chinese media and western media. This is my little attempt to grap some hot topics on not-so-offical Chinese sites:
   http://www.randomchinanews.com/
   It seems that I complained a lot, but I have to admit that it is already much better then the miserable situcation before.
   For example, they “suggest” non-Beijing native(mostly poor workers) to leave Beijing to free room for foreign vistors during Olympic and bring at least 2 credentials if stay(I think the spokesman implied “or else you could be expelled”, but he stopped here) .But they simply drove non Beijing native out of the city for the 1992 Asian games.
   Workers in factories are working overtime, but it is far more better than Mao’s “equality society” when starving to death is simply normal.
   Well, the UN Vice-Secretary said human rights in China is 5 times better than the US, why should we worry
   Take a look at how average people think about his “joke”
   http://www.randomchinanews.com/human-rights-in-china-is-5-times-better-than-the-us/

2. Physics- on August 6th, 2009 5:33 am

   Generally you can’t prove anything unless you visit the country. I agree that the Western governments are exaggerating the situation in china.
   The reality is that the Chinese are different from us and they have very hard working and efficient workers which USA and its allies despise. We are all following the USA because we feel threatened by “different” people.
   Chinese are like us in every way except they work hard, drink less and are responsible people for their well being. Their punishment regime may be brutal but the criminals have a choice not to commit crime and if they do, they know the consequences. We are very lenient with our criminals; No wonder young boys and girls are carrying knives and stabbing each other because their parents don’t have control over them.

3. Helen S on August 6th, 2009 6:02 am

   You’d have to go there and see it for yourself. I was with a friend on Saturday who has recently had to come back from Hong Kong because the polution was damaging her health. They lived half way up the peak and no longer could see the skyscrapers in the harbour – it’s a permanent smog. When they bid for the Olympics all the factories were closed down in the various regions for a month to improve the quality of the air being tested. Did you see the soldiers clearing the green weed from the olympics water area? It’s toxic, in fact one of our yachtswomen fell into it last September and is still seriously ill from swallowing the contaminated water! They have few scruples or little honesty when it comes to doing business which a lot of people have found to their cost, there’s no loyalty. I don’t ever want to go back.

4. Nutsters on August 6th, 2009 8:28 am

   it’s difficult to keep an open mind when you read
   “re-education through labour”. see first link below.
   Freedom here in the West, is something we take for granted, compared to the chinese!
   the few negative stories we do hear about, is sadly the tip of the ice-berg.
   imagine what goes on that they really dread us knowing?
   if the animal abuse scandals are anything to go by, you know there’s far worse going on.

5. SuperSai on August 6th, 2009 11:41 am

   The best way is to visit the country yourself. The next alternative would be searching through skype for people living in china and ask them about the things you want to know about china. the people there are much friendlier than you may think.

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