Voices

Internet change really clicks

By Luke Holden (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-15 07:30

Something rather unusual is happening in China. Hundreds of porn sites, as well as a Twitter client and a video-sharing site, have all been released for public viewing and no one knows why.

China is virtually in the middle of a one-year scraping of the Internet, forcefully removing any content that censors find "vulgar" so decent people can surf the net without stumbling across images of bottoms.

So it was quite a surprise when not only scores of Western porn sites were opened once more but just as many Chinese porn sites were affected - which came as the biggest revelation to me because I didn't even know there were any.

I believe porn is now available to enable young men to vent their frustration through relatively peaceful means.

But when I suggested the idea to my colleagues, they laughed at me - deep hearty laughs that suggested utter silliness. They could not see how access to graphic images might actually help ease the aggressive side of humanity and were adamant the government would never be foolish enough to make the connection either.

But that's where I disagree.

While there is a reasonable record of poorly managed publicity in China, the authorities rarely make foolish decisions where public order is concerned. Consider for a moment that the nation employs some of the sharpest minds, people of all ages and all experiences, and then tell me that not one of them might see the therapeutic value of pornography.

Then scan the media from the last six months and you will see a disturbing trend. First came stories of migrant mothers killing their children, next of men in their 30s massacring whole families and most recently stories of more men taking out their frustration on children outside schools.

The government announced in some cases that the individuals were suffering from mental problems, a statement often challenged later by family members.

Incidentally, I use the word "trend" because stories evoking fear are clearly in fashion. I have seen two versions of the recent court attack in which a plaintiff sneaked a knife into a courtroom, which give insight into this point.

The first version was full of regret, with the man apologizing for causing a media frenzy after slashing his wrist in anger during his claim case. The second version reversed everything, stating he had jumped the barrier to kill the opposition. While it is hard to prove which version was more accurate, the second story certainly nailed the public's interest.

Some questions remain unclear, such as whether these murderers were genuinely suffering from mental illnesses, or if the media are hyping standard events (in the sense that they aren't growing in frequency) to sell more papers.

The truth is we may never know. Some newspapers might be more interested in selling stories than telling the truth.

One thing is for sure though, there is pent up aggression out there and it needs to be released, one way or another. I hope pornography stays censor-free because it is definitely the lesser evil when murder is concerned, so relax guys and enjoy the show.