In today’s China, it is government censorship which gives credibility to unsubstantiated rumors, and that turns rumors into news.
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Would Hu Jintao ever consider allowing his daughter and/or wife to film an Internet group sex video with Charlie Sheen, “Snooki” from Jersey Shore, and half a dozen or so rabid chimps if it meant a guaranteed six months of ‘harmony and stability’? Maybe, maybe not. 
Those who thought that Dylan was going to get up on stage in Beijing to harangue the CCP and then lead the crowd in a singalong of “Ai Shall be Released” were seriously kidding themselves. In a crisis, many Chinese people simply don’t have faith in the government, so they listen to rumors and take actions they believe will protect them and their family. On Saturday, an anonymous letter circulated online calling for Chinese people to follow after the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia and launch a “Jasmine Revolution” in 13 different cities in China. The McDonald’s at Wangfujing in Beijing was one of the locations. (I have to say that this choice of the location is beyond my understanding. First, since Wangfujing is one of the most populated shopping center in town, how do you tell who is protesting and who is shopping? Second, McDonald’s? Really? The revolution may or may not be televised, but apparently that didn’t stop us from soliciting corporate sponsors. Too bad Groupon blew their ad budget on the Super Bowl.) In the end, there were a lot of police and a handful of foreign correspondents. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell the protesters, because they didn’t show. Later there were rumors that some university officials checked dorms to make sure students stayed away from the “revolution.” And according to AP, dozens of activists throughout China were placed under house arrest and warned about participating in any protests that may or may not be planned for today. So it would appear that the government took it seriously. The question is: |
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