I recently read a fascinating article on the current situation in China, a country which seems to yet regard civilians who speak out as most people regard smudges on a window: minor problems to be wiped away as conveniently as possible. The article, by Andrew Jacobs and Huang Yuanxi, underlined the situation in the city of Xinhua, in which “whistle-blowers” were being sent to a mental institution, to receive involuntary treatment. The writing itself was remarkable, I thought. It put forth the information in an unbiased form, purely the facts (although, it did put skeptical emphasis on everything the Chinese government said to cover it up, which I thought was appropriate).
But even above the writing itself, the article brings up a very important issue: especially today, and especially in America, we have a tendency to take for granted the things that we have, i.e. free speech. We also have a tendency to overlook the fact that other countries (especially those which we term “developed” such as China) still have tremendous human rights violations even going on today. There is a propensity to look at the history books and say: “well, that’s in the past” when, in reality, the abuse continues.
It is distressing that even in a first-class country like China, where the economy seems impregnable and aspects of culture seem so much more refined than the rest of the world, that this should continue. This is why I am surprised that the article did not get more response. Perhaps people don’t want to know, or are too wrapped up in their gossip to notice. Whatever the case may be, I urge you to check out the article, it’s a fascinating glimpse into how bad conditions really are, even in a world superpower. The link follows:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/world/asia/09china.html?_r=1&ref=world
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3 comments:
I agree the article was written remarkably well, and it brings attention to an issue many people think is a non-issue. I too sensed bias in the article but I think that is only because the topic would lead any American to view it negatively from the start. We are used to free speech and as Americans we believe in that idea. Reading the article from another perspective would bring the bias out much more, I think.
Jacobs does use his quotes well. He often states a claim and follows it with a quote that supports the claim. This gives his article a greater level of credibility.
As far as bias goes, it is difficult for writers to remove themselves from their environment and culture and objectively expound upon a topic.
I found the article very informative! It was well written and I had never heard of these practices before. It's absolutely apalling. I'm glad that the writer chose to pursue such an important topic. Also, I have to commend him for the level of research that must have gone into the article. All in all, Mr. Jacobs done good.
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