An article entitled “In China, Bloggers Have Limitations” in today’s Los Angeles Times paints the picture of China’s censorship and internet restrictions, which are in stark contrast to our own. Microsoft Corp. launched a new China-based Web portal on May 26, 2005 and this portal offers “MSN Spaces” which gives free blog space thru the China portal. There has already been 5 million blogs created in China since MSN Spaces launched. However, to do business with China, Microsoft has to of course taper its services and technology so that it fits within Communist confines. These confines are as follows, which I will quote in part from the article:

“Users of the MSN Spaces section of Microsoft Corp.’s new China-based Web portal get a scolding message each time they input words deemed taboo by the communist authorities – such as democracy, freedom and human rights.”
“Online tests found that apart from politically sensitive words, obscenities and sexual references are also banned.”
“The Chinese government encourages Internet use for business and education but tries to ban access to material that it deems to be subversive. Although details of the authorities’ efforts are kept secret, users of many China-based Web portals are prevented from gaining access to certain websites. For example, a search on Google’s China-based Web portal for such topics as Taiwan or Tibetan independence, the banned group Falun Gong, the Dalai Lama or the China Democracy Party inevitably leads to a ‘site cannot be found’ message.”
“The consequences of defying Chinese government limits can be severe: At least 54 people have been jailed for posting on the Web essays or other content deemed to be subversive.”

Ray Bradbury’s novel “Fahrenheit 451” lives on in the technology age. I am grateful the United States is generally against censorship, but I would hope that the educational system or good parenting instills enough common sense such that we can trust ourselves to apply discretion and good judgment in our evaluation of the myriad material out there. Maybe this is wishful thinking. Can parents and society be trusted these days to teach our children good sense and moral judgment? Or must we hang our failures like white flags and stand silently with bowed heads as the government takes over to rectify our shortcomings? I really don’t like extremes, but how do you keep things perfectly aligned in the middle, across the board, across different cultures, backgrounds, realities? If left alone, does society balance itself out in a sort of socio-economic colloidal suspension?

I would not want to rule the world.