Shanghai Diaries - May 21

How about the "HUF Engine"
HU man+F lesh Engine, I can dig it.

Ahh the adolescence age.

WATCH OUT GOOGLE!

Venomous public reaction to stuff is as universal as it is not new. For example, in Alberta, a Camrose cat killer was exposed on Facebook. Naturally, our noble netizens nodded towards neutering, nay, nuking of the nefarious felon. (sorry... get started on alliteration... and, by the way, I love cats...) For the most part, the cloud of hubris is no more potent than the puff of steam they belched out. Thankfully, all yap and no bite.

For the most part, the Chinese Internet Mob, also known as 愤青(Fenqing), Human Flesh Search Engine, or, as recently coined "HUF Engine", is no more coherent as a group as any other mob. Except where it comes to nationalism or patriotism. That's where things get very polarized. After all, if you don't sing with the chorus, you could be called a traitor. Dissent from the mob is only done by the courageous few.

I watched the story of Grace Wang as it unfolded with great interest. From all that I could learn, she's simply a young woman who decided to be a rational peacemaker when everyone around was rabidly irrational. The HUF Engine was quickly on top of her without bounds. Their venom even involved her parents with disgusting shameful attacks upon them.

I am thinking that perhaps President Hu Jintao might have been a bit embarrassed by counter productive fervor of the Fenqing as he "urged college students to turn their patriotic passion into concrete actions of studying hard..."

I wonder how much the Fenqing know about the Cultural Revolution? It's an era in recent Chinese history that is often alluded to when talking about the Human Flesh Search Engine. When we talk about how far China has come, do they understand that the Cultural Revolution is the low water mark from which we compare its progress? I am very optimistic about China's future and I am looking forward to discovering what my small role may be in it. However, the Human Flesh Search Engine is a shadow of the Cultural Revolution. If it grows unbounded, China's future prosperity will wilt in its darkness.

I think, as a Canadian, my suspicion of unbridled patriotism comes naturally. At times I worry about what I see to the south of us. But I also know, from the same source, that patriotism is a good thing. Pride in country can land men on the moon. China has much to be proud of: its own space mission, progress in many areas, and how it has faced both snow and rock with solidarity and compassion. 加油中国！

I think renaming Human Flesh Search Engine would be wrong. It helps to remind us that our voices on the Internet should be there to foster our humanity not to dehumanize us.

My thesis is not an admonishment against criticism. Criticism can be constructive. It's that line between constructive and destructive that needs to be figured out.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=292846
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/03/content_80...

Interestingly, in Xinhua, I read that Xia Shuqin is to be paid 4 million yen because a rightist Japanese scholar libeled her.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/22/content_82...

I´ve heard in the US the cops use the same methode to track down criminals (showing vids and photos of the criminals at you tube)... It´s a thing that has at least two sides (as everything has...) and it can be used in avery positive way.

It's a bit different. Like how lynching is suppose to be different than a trial.

Hell, here I am commenting on what other people are doing/saying. I don't have complete information about what's going on, yet here I am with a set of opinions. But I don't consider myself crossing a line.

The "it" that we are talking about is a coordinated call to vigilantism. Ms Wang received death threats along with detailed information about her. Her parents' home was attacked. When the cops release information about criminals, alleged or otherwise, they are not issuing a call to action for citizens to attack these people.

Some great points as always, mutantjedi, but I think we're all missing one key point here (you might have covered it, I'm sleep deprived, so apologies if you did):

This girl, as was Grace Wang, as were these kids, as were the new cases I posted yesterday... None of them were criminals! Sure, voicing a young opinion about getting out of school or how boring the 3-day ban is ill-advised, but to the point of 'witch hunt'?

I doubt that they will do much ´bout the corruption and the questions will be suppressed or overheard... as it is every where. And before you can do something about the corruption, you need a lot of valid informations that you will hardly find (especially if your corrupt as well...).

and we're forgetting the major part:

realizing that the gov't [any govt, to be honest] is corrupt!

we're talking about the greatest P.R. agency in the world here, the guys running the show, who else could convince them that the guy on all the currency was someone they should respect?

it will require free thought, the platform to express those and heads of state who will listen - none of which seem likely.