Journal: News & Comment

China

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UPDATE: It's satire, but here's a case in point (read it before the link expires).

A few years ago, one of my friends went out of her way to avoid buying products from mainland China, because of that country's abysmal civil rights record. After a time, she had to give up, because doing that has become nearly impossible.

So the arguments around the blogosphere about Microsoft's policy to prevent people from using "freedom" or "democracy" in the names, URLs, or titles of the blogs it runs via MSN (though not the actual post contents themselves)—to mollify the Chinese government—are understandable. On the one hand, appeasing awful governments turns many a stomach, including mine. What if this had been 1980s-era South Africa, or Nazi Germany in the 1930s, or Stalin's Russia, or North Korea?

On the other hand:

Question: for those of you who have condemned Microsoft for this action, how many of you avoid buying products manufactured, directly or indirectly, in China? If you own Apple products, take a look at the manufacturer's label. Oh, and be prepared to give up that cute little iPod.

and...

I also wish that women weren't treated as property in Saudi Arabia, but I still buy gas.

Let me turn this iBook over for a second. Hmm. Taiwan. Whew.

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